Groenhuis and Weeghreyse win the cultural prize of Zundert

RIJSBERGEN – Two cultural prizes from the municipality of Zundert were presented in Museum de Weeghreyse in Rijsbergen on Friday evening. One of the winners is artist Henk Groenhuis. The other was the host, the museum, itself.

Joost Klaverdijk 08-02-19, 23:04

Henk Groenhuis (79) is one of the more famous Zundertenaren. Those who do not know him from ‘the Corso girl’, the iconic statue at the entrance of the village, certainly know one of the many other statues in the municipality. Or of the 19 (!) Corso cars that Groenhuis designed since 1976. Alderman Twan Zopfi presented the two prizes on Friday: “The Corso girl is a statue in which every Zundertenaar recognizes himself”, he said to Groenhuis. Zopfi praised the artist for his broad oeuvre.

Essential for identity formation

In a broader sense, Zopfi broke a lance for culture as “essential for the formation of identity. These prices are in line with the time we live in. After years of crisis, there is room for self-development and identity again. But because in recent years so much has been decentralized, the municipalities have had to cut back a lot, also on culture, and as far as I am concerned, the boundaries are now out, the border is in sight. Towns such as Zundert and Rijsbergen are characterized by their sense of community. To ensure that we strengthen that characteristic togetherness? ”

It probably sounded like music to the visitors of the animated evening. But where Groenhuis had already been informed of what this evening would bring him, the second winner of the Cultuurprijs was pleasantly surprised. Museum de Weeghreyse was still negative in this newspaper on Friday, because the new owner of the building, developer Maas-Jacobs, wants to get the museum out by 15 December. Annie Graumans received the prize on behalf of the board. “This is a total surprise. When the municipality called to let them award the prizes here, we said ‘yes of course, this is a cozy venue for it as a cultural meeting place’. And yes, it is true that we will have it at the end of the year “But we must not be fooled. We must look around and hope that we will find a new place.”

The Cultuurprijs, awarded for the first time since 2016, consisted of a sum of money and a beautiful glass plate, designed and made by artist Eefje Goos.