What happens when you stop looking at art and start looking for inspiration? 💭

Join us for a relaxed, playful visit to Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden where we’ll explore the collection through our own eyes, noticing colours, shapes, details, moods and little things that spark our curiosity.

And there’s an especially exciting reason to visit: Garden of Delights: The 17th Century in Bloom, will be on. 🌸

This exhibition brings together 17th-century flower paintings, fascinating objects and curiosities with contemporary fashion and design. With flowers, colour, nature, patterns and unexpected details everywhere you look, it feels like the perfect setting for an afternoon of creative exploration.

You can find more information about the exhibition here: https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/garden-of-delights

At the start of the event you’ll receive an “Inspiration Hunt” sheet with creative prompts to guide you through the museum. Bring your own journal or sketchbook and use it however you like: sketch, doodle, write, make colour swatches, collect ideas, or simply experiment.

There’s no pressure to be “good at drawing” and no finished artwork expected. This is about getting inspiration, slowing down, having fun and perceiving things we might not usually see or appreciate.

We might:
🎨 hunt for unexpected colour combinations
✏️ sketch tiny details
👀 look at familiar things in unfamiliar ways
💭 capture a feeling rather than an object
🌸 explore the shapes and colours of flowers
🖌️ borrow patterns, compositions or ideas that inspire us
✨ discover something completely unexpected

At the end, we can grab a coffe together at the museum cafe and share a few of our discoveries.

Come with a curious mind, your journal and a willingness to play.

Participation fee: €5

Please transfer by bank transfer to confirm your spot: https://www.ing.nl/payreq/m/?trxid=MBKSXQgH1HQOvqw8E6MOLZglEi6pQsiR

Museum entrance is not included. If you have a Museumkaart then it’s free (yay). Otherwise museum tickets are €16 and can be purchased online: https://tickets.lakenhal.nl/en/tickets.

Please bring your own journal / sketchbook and something to draw with ✍️