04/12/2018
In honor of World Art Day, April 15, Holland America Line announced it is developing a unique art experience on board its ships and on shore during cruises.
World Art Day is a celebration of fine art by the International Association of Art, a nongovernmental organization of artists of many disciplines working in partnership with UNESCO. The date – April 15 – was chosen in honor of Leonardo daVinci’s birthday.
The cruise line’s new program, scheduled to launch this summer through ArtLink, gives guests the opportunity to delve deeper into the cultures they visit by experiencing their art. The experience will be centered in an on-board gallery exhibiting works curated from the destinations visited by the ships.
During the launch period, each ship’s gallery will feature works by a select group of emerging international artists. The general collection will gradually be replaced by changing exhibitions curated to reflect the regions of the world as the ships sail the globe. The selection will include photographs, sculptures, crafts, paintings and drawings and will be offered for sale exclusively to Holland America Line guests. “The right piece of art can be not only an incredible souvenir for our guests, but also a prominent way for them to connect emotionally with their travels,” commented Orlando Ashford, Holland America’s president.
Among the international artists whose work has already been selected are photographers Oleg Oprisco from Western Ukraine and Nikolaj Lund from Copenhagen; Kate Blacklock from Rhode Island who specializes in 3D art printing; and photographer Kevin Best, originally from New Zealand, who reinterprets still life painting from the Dutch Golden Age.
When it was founded by Tal Danai on April 23, 1996, ArtLink’s goal was to develop a new market for young and emerging artists while introducing art as a cultural consumer product to audiences worldwide. The School of Visual Arts in New York City was the first to join the venture, and within a few years ArtLink had a network of over 150 art academies in 44 countries.
Future plans for the Holland America Line/ArtLink partnership include an onboard residency program where guests can attend demonstrations and hands-on workshops with visiting artists and curators, and the development of shore excursions that visit emerging artists in their workshops and galleries.
Danai says, “This unique partnership with Holland America Line enables us to embark on our next big dream – to enrich the way people around the world experience art.”
Holland America Line’s fleet of 14 ships offers more than 500 cruises to more than 400 ports in 98 countries, territories or dependencies around the world. From shorter getaways to 113-day itineraries, the company’s cruises visit all seven continents.
