Orfee Melsen

Background

About Orfee Melsen

I program for and with the amateur artists and neighbours of Overvecht and Utrecht at ZIMIHC theatre Stefanus. My focus is to have people express themselves and meet others via culture and arts as this is quite important in life. Amateurs can try out an idea and I coach neighbours with their cultural project. Furthermore I help realizing cultural connections between all stakeholders and Overvecht. In 2021-22 at the ONG IMC Weekendschool in Utrecht I was working with 10 year olds and their parents in Overvecht on experiencing the different professions. In Portugal I developped workshops and coached artistic research at Performact. Before I taught culture, media and dance theory at the Fontys Dance Academy (2015-2016) and coached students on interculturally sensitive web-design projects at Hogeschool van Amsterdam (2012-2015). Transversally I coordinated projects on digitalization, humanization and diversity. Recent artistic work is: assisting the intellectual project of The Mexican Connection at De Balie; cross-breeding with makers, artists and other partners at Cultfest in Utrecht; leading Media4me, which was a participatory and all-stakeholder new media project in Overvecht for Vrede van Utrecht and Mira Media. I have worked at the Flemish institution SYNTRA Flanders, the NGO's Miramedia and Vrede van Utrecht, and as a volunteer in many cultural projects. Educated in Dutch and English linguistics and literature (Universiteit Gent) and Culture Management (UAMS), I developed European projects and cultural programs for different organisations in different countries. In Belgium I was responsible for Europese and Flemish Minority projects at SYNTRA Vlaanderen. This brought me to an internship at UNESCO in Paris. My central values are: 1. connecting different (groups of) people around topics (all ages, all backgrounds, all professions) and 2. reflecting and taking action on important issues of society and culture.