What will Fryslân look like in ten years? In fifty years? You already have a picture in mind. Do you have an idea that looks further than tomorrow? An idea that could take shape as a design, a performance, a…
What will Fryslân look like in ten years? In fifty years? You already have a picture in mind. Do you have an idea that looks further than tomorrow? An idea that could take shape as a design, a performance, a piece of research or an intervention, showing what Fryslân could look like in a few years’ time? Then we’re looking for you.
Arcadia invites professional artists, designers and makers: do you have a fiergesicht (far-reaching vision) for the new generation that helps build a liveable, connected and future-focused Fryslân? Submit it and you could receive development funding and guidance to shape it, together with us, into a strong plan.
Arcadia believes in the power of imagination. Because once you can picture a different world, you can help build it too. That’s why we bring people, makers and ideas together. Once every three years, Fryslân turns into a stage full of performances, music, exhibitions and encounters. Not only in theatres or museums, but also in places you wouldn’t always expect. Together, we work on stories and experiences that connect to what’s happening in Fryslân.
After the editions of 2022 and 2025, Arcadia is now building towards 2028. This time, a new generation takes centre stage: we’re handing young people the wheel. Their ideas, energy and outlook on the future form the heart of the programme.
Arcadia gives room. Room for makers to turn a first idea into a strong plan. Room for new perspectives on what Fryslân can be. And room for fiergesichten: visions of the future that are never quite finished, but do have the potential to grow into something big.
This open call is very much a development phase. We’re not asking for a finished end product, but for a promising idea. If you’re selected, you’ll receive development funding and hands-on guidance from Arcadia to work your idea into a strong, financially feasible project plan with broad support. A plan that can become reality in 2028.
Fryslân’s peat meadow landscape is changing beneath our feet: emissions, drought, subsidence. In the Veenweide Atelier, designers, led by artist and eco-social designer Henriëtte Waal, worked with farmers and land managers on new perspectives for the Fryske Feangreide (Frisian peat meadows). Design, sustainable materials and new technologies were given a place in a renewed relationship between people, landscape and ecology.
Around the trees of Bosk in 2022, 25 artists were given the space to reflect on one simple, big question: what can we learn from trees? In BoskLab, makers let themselves be inspired and turned that inspiration into new work, from leporellos to installations.
What exactly is mienskip (community), and why does so much start moving once people do something together? And what effect does this have? To better understand this, PhD candidate Carmen van Bruggen of the University of Groningen is working with Arcadia on a long-term study into the power and impact of mienskip projects, in Fryslân and beyond. She has already mapped more than 350 projects.
Now it’s your turn to fill that room. Professional artists, designers and makers between 25 and 35 years old. Alone or as a collective. Working at a national or international level. And every art and design discipline is welcome: visual art, performing arts, music, architecture, literature, film, digital art and design. Do you work multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary? Then you’re very welcome too.
We’re looking for young makers who want to research, make and imagine what a hopeful future in Fryslân could look like. What does a place look like where you feel at home? Where do we meet each other, care for each other, and stay connected as the world around us changes? Do you feel room to think differently, to experiment and try new things? Maybe your idea is about Fryslân, about your village or town, about your friends, family or generation. Or about something completely different. You decide where you start.
Are the wheels already turning in your head? Then we can’t wait to hear about your fiergesicht.
Arcadia selects at least three projects. In the months that follow, we work closely with these makers: from a first idea to a fully worked-out, fundable plan.
A selection committee looks at artistic quality and originality, at the relevance of your idea, and at what your proposal means for young people and future generations. The involvement of your surroundings, the potential for collaboration and the feasibility towards 2028 also count.
Send your project idea (max. 2 pages), a motivation, a short biography and a portfolio before 18 October 2026 to programma@arcadia.frl. By the end of October, you’ll know whether you’re through, and in November and December we’ll finish your project plan together. Do you have questions beforehand, or aren’t you sure if your idea fits? Feel free to get in touch with us at programma@arcadia.frl. We’re happy to think along with you!
We can’t wait to see your fiergesicht.
Photo: Klein Geluk (Small Happiness) by Natalia Balanina, photographed by Lucas Kemper
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