Please note this publication is in Dutch.

Open plek in het bos (Open Space in the Woods) places art in education at its heart. Here, art and education form a potentially unbeatable partnership. Art offers education a powerful, artistic free space where learning and being human come together. Education, in turn, gives art the opportunity to appear in the most relevant and urgent places in society: the school, the curriculum, the classroom, and educational projects.

In this book, Janeke Wienk offers a tribute to art in education from a perspective that differs from the conventional one. The necessity of teaching art lies in what art contributes to our humanity—in its existential value. Although every art form is rooted in this shared human experience, art education is rarely approached from such an existential perspective. This book shows not only why this perspective matters, but also how it can shape teaching practice. Surprisingly, this approach does not require complex theories or methods; rather, its simplicity is precisely what makes it capable of bringing about genuine change.

Open plek in het bos is an inspiring resource for artists and teachers, whether they are already engaged in educational practice or preparing for it.