{"id":5234,"date":"2024-02-28T09:49:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T08:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorethenorth.nl\/about-etn\/over-ons\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T11:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T09:40:54","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/explorethenorth.nl\/en\/about-etn\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Explore the North is a production house and festival with its own headquarters in Leeuwarden: Podium Explore. Read about our history and development below.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Explore the North began in 2011 as a small festival focused on music and literature, showcasing the lovely Leeuwarden city center.  The festival then took place in 2013 and 2014 under the wing of Popfabryk<\/em>. When it seemed like Leeuwarden would become the European Cultural Capital City in 2018, the festival started up again in 2016, and Explore the North was formally revamped as a foundation.Things changed course: there came a bigger focus on our own area.  From within the massive multilingualism project, L\u00e2n fan taal<\/em>, we answered the call from Leeuwarden Cultural Capital and developed a year-round program with newly-made work at the helm. That was the start of Explore the North as an interdisciplinary production house focused on literature and multilingualism.<\/p>\n\n\n

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We rapidly developed our entire production house infrastructure, with projects touring the whole country.  By 2024, we have become a production house, festival, and <\/em>podium all in one. We acquired the old Westerkerk <\/em>and christened it in our own name. You can now witness a year-round program in various parts of the beautiful, old Westerkerk<\/em> under the name of Podium Explore. Besides that, various courses, workshops, and residencies take place here, and our cafe is open every friday for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with a number of creatives in our production house, we are able to showcase a year-long program.  We are able to host a diverse set of interdisciplinary projects, always involving language, multi-lingualism, and literature.  We also offer various tailored Talent Development programs for creatives in various stages of their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November is our festival month: with a free-entry festival heart, the arts festival for young makers in the North De Broeikas<\/em>, and a three-day festival weekend with a program of international pioneers next to young, local word artists on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201c…The small, brave club of people behind Explore the North. They also understand the worth of culture, have a good (international) network, and dare to take risks with their programming instead of meekly re-showcasing the already-well-known. We really need this perspective in the coming years.\u201d –<\/p>\nLeeuwarder Courant<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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ANBI(PBO) and Accountability<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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