Persoon staat voor een donkere achtergrond terwijl een witte kunststof stoel over het hoofd en bovenlichaam is geplaatst. De foto speelt op een creatieve en surrealistische manier met vorm, object en lichaam in een grote binnenruimte met zuilen.

Driver’s Seat is looking for creative and independent young people

Credits: Made by Saurus

Are you aged 16 to 23 and curious about art and culture? Sign up for Driver’s Seat, SCHUNCK Museum’s youth group in Heerlen. For a school year, you’ll dive into the museum, get a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibitions and work together on your own projects. Sign up by 9 October 2026.

Driver’s Seat gives young people the opportunity to develop creatively and explore the world of art and museums in depth. The group meets at SCHUNCK once every two weeks. In a small, close-knit group of around ten participants, you get to know different parts of the museum. You meet artists, learn how to give tours, contribute ideas for exhibitions and organise activities. Every year is different, but there is always room for initiative, collaboration and sharing your own ideas.

No experience or prior knowledge is required – enthusiasm and an interest in art are enough. Whether you’re at secondary school, taking a gap year or studying, you’re welcome to join as long as you’re aged 16 to 23 and want to be part of Driver’s Seat for a school year. Participation is free.

Vier portretten van jongeren die op speelse manieren poseren met een witte stoel tegen een zwarte achtergrond.

A friendly bunch who take art seriously

Maud (20) joined Driver’s Seat to get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum and explore art with others. Over the past year, she gave a tour with the group, visited museums and curated their own exhibition. “I really enjoyed discovering a different perspective on art together with such a friendly group of DS participants.”

Ewoud took part in Driver’s Seat several times. What stayed with him most was creating his own exhibition. “It’s great to dive into the SCHUNCK Collection and also get a behind-the-scenes look.” He hopes to become a teacher of visual arts and cultural and artistic education. The experience he gained at Driver’s Seat in arts education and organising activities fits in well with that ambition. He also found the trips to other museums valuable, with a visit to several museums in Cologne as a highlight.

For Mare (20), the strength of Driver’s Seat also lies in the group itself. The meetings felt like informal get-togethers with friends, where there was room for art, silliness and everyday life. “Even though everyone is different, you feel heard, and we listen to and help each other when needed. In the end, we complement each other to form one friendly bunch who, without taking themselves entirely seriously, are still working on some pretty serious things.”

Mare van Driver's Seat geeft een rondleiding

Driver’s Seat 2026–2027

This year, participants will explore the exhibition of the Parkstad Limburg Prize and the work of the ten nominated artists. At OUTPOET, they’ll design and screen-print their own T-shirts. Together with students from Art, Theatre and Media at VISTA College, they’ll organise ECHØ, an evening giving young makers and artists a stage at SCHUNCK. They’ll also learn how to give tours, visit other museums and, of course, have plenty of room to put their own ideas into practice.

Driver’s Seat gives young people the space to make their voices heard, share ideas and develop new skills. Working together, presenting, looking critically and forming their own opinions are all part of it. But just as important is meeting new people and discovering together what’s possible in and around a museum.

There’s a seat waiting for you!

Sign up by 9 October 2026. Send an email to simoon.hanssen@schunck.nl or a WhatsApp message to 06 - 283 501 35 to arrange a short introductory meeting. Simoon Hanssen is the Driver’s Seat coach at SCHUNCK and will support the group throughout the year. The first meeting of the new Driver’s Seat group is on Tuesday evening, 27 October.