New organisational structure at Centre Céramique focuses on cultural entrepreneurship
Effective 1 January 2024, a significant part of the Centre Céramique organisation has been redesigned after a partial restructuring. The management team has been re-staffed and expanded. New team managers Chantal Verhagen (Public Service), Martine Oostveen (Cultural Education and Participation), Eric Dieteren (Library) and Martin Hendriks (Museums, Programming and Innovation) lead the teams. The team manager position for business services and staff positions is still vacant. Led by Director Wim Hupperetz, the organisation will grow to become a management team that can better and more broadly represent the organisation.
Part of the new movement includes staff positions that will manage organisation-wide processes and projects. These include Eric Uijterwaal (head of Presentations and Projects), Valesca Gerritsen (head of Programming), Els Roobroeck (head of Development), Maartje Janssen (head of Marketing and Communication), Astrid Smeets (head Curator) and Bulent Cuvalci (head of Finance). Inez Stheins (senior Museum Store and Public Service staff) and Charlotte Kemner (junior Marketing Associate) are new additions to the teams.
Future-proofing
Over the years, more and more new elements have been added to Centre Céramique, many of which are difficult to categorise under the same headings. Studies have been conducted to determine what is necessary to offer the organisation successful future prospects, based on the vision ‘Maastricht knows and senses the pleasure culture can bring’. This led to the creation of a broadly supported long-term plan that was adopted by the Maastricht Municipal Executive in March 2023.
Cultural entrepreneurship
In order to be successful as a cultural organisation, Centre Céramique wants to take a more pro-active and initiative-based approach to operations. This demands an organisational model that can offer a clearer and broader structure. The modified organisational structure is a response to four main objectives: promoting literacy and combating low literacy; promoting civic and cultural participation; telling hidden stories of Maastricht; and communicating the story of the Cretaceous period and biodiversity. The new Development team and the impulse provided by Business Services will yield more earning power and cost awareness. This is being based on a combination of the Municipality of Maastricht’s own income and financial resources. As the largest cultural institution with the broadest public reach in Maastricht, our aim with this shift is to ensure we can play the role of provider, facilitator and booster of accessible culture for all.
Five brands, three locations
Centre Céramique is an organisational unit of the Municipality of Maastricht. The Maastricht City Library (with two library service points in Heer and Malpertuis, 11 school libraries and a home delivery service), Cultuurmakers Maastricht, Kaleidoscoop, Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht and the Maastricht Museum all fall under this organisation. All of this may be found at three locations: Centre Céramique (Avenue Céramique), Kumulus (Herbenusstraat) and Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht (De Bosquetplein).
115 employees and 80 volunteers, freelancers, and interns are all involved in the organisation. For more information, check out the organisation page.
