New director: Rinske Jurgens

As of June 1, the Shoe Quarter in Waalwijk has a new director-director. Rinske Jurgens has a wealth of experience in the museum world and was recently responsible for the ins and outs of the museum at the Textile Museum in Tilburg. Before that, she worked for more than twenty years for various other museums in the Netherlands. She is really looking forward to her move to the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk; 'The Schoenenkwartier has become incredibly beautiful and it is a wonderful place to relax, wonder, learn and do. I see so much potential! If the Schoenenkwartier is going to spread its wings, the possibilities are endless... It's about a subject that affects everyone. Shoes belong to everyone and are therefore relevant to a wide audience. How wonderful to thereby bring the past and present of shoe making further to life. That is what I would like to contribute to as a finalist.'

The new chief executive officer on how she plans to take this step: "I am a builder. I connect and mobilize key players from inside and outside the organization. I would like to continue to innovate and further raise the profile of the Shoe Quarter together with the team, volunteers, friends of the museum, makers, artists, education and the business community.'

Rinske Jurgens grew up in Best, with a mother who taught at an ROC for Fashion & Clothing. Shoes and textiles have therefore always been in her life. After studying at the Art Academy in Tilburg, she left for the University of Amsterdam to study Art History, Newer Period and Cultural Studies. After that, she soon found herself in great places in the museum world. First at the Historical Museum Den Briel, Museum for Communication in The Hague, later at the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam and then as Head Project Office of the National Museum of World Cultures Foundation (NMVW), in which the four ethnographic museums (Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Museum Volkenkunde Leiden, Afrika Museum Berg en Dal and Wereldmuseum Rotterdam) in the Netherlands are united. Her most recent experiences include the Textile Museum and project management of the redesign of the entrance to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.    

Het Schoenenkwartier received a Supervisory Board in March of this year, consisting of Geertje Pruijsers (chairman), Olaf Vugts, Ben van Heesbeen and Martijn Mathot. The position of Director-Managing Director has been held for the past six months by Mechtild van den Hombergh. She will leave the Schoenenkwartier as of July 1. Geertje Pruijsers: 'We are very happy that with Rinske Jurgens we again have a director-director for the future of the museum. The acquaintance was already pleasant and we have great confidence in her experience and personality. We look forward to the cooperation. We are grateful to Mechtild for the good work she has done for the Shoe Quarter in recent times. Thanks to her contribution, we can now take this next step.' The appointment of the new managing director completes the change in the management of the Shoe Quarter.