Upcoming Activities, Outings & Monthly Meetings

April:

Monthly Meeting

CHINNY BOND: STREET ART CURATOR AND GALLERIST AND  LONDON POLICE ATELIER MANAGER

Chinny’s roots lie in Street Art, but as that genre has grown and developed, so has his own work. His work is heavily influenced by mathematical concepts, which he translates into visual expressions. Chinny experiments boldly and has even been known to attach wires to his head and spectacles, holding onto ink pens that he controls only by moving his head across the artwork surface.
Chinny is also an art curator involved with various art projects in and around Amsterdam, including Amsterdam Street Art, Cafe Havelaar, Mr. Mokum, and Ambassade Gallery.

WELCOMING TEAM UPDATE

Every year, our Welcoming Committee welcomes members both old and new at our monthly meetings. They also host coffee mornings when there are lots of new members, or reach out to individual members who arrive throughout the year. They do a very important job, as they are often the first IWC people who prospective or new members meet in our club.

For the past 11 years, Deb Reimink has volunteered on our Welcoming Committee. She has served for the past two years as the Chair of the committee. Deb has boundless enthusiasm, energy and a genuine desire to meet new people and make them feel at home, so she was perfect for the role! Now Deb needs more time for personal travel and projects, so she is stepping down as Chair, but she will still be a part of the Welcoming Committee.

Thankfully, Janice Weiss is another well-travelled, open-hearted person with long experience of settling into new places and finding new friends. We know she will do a wonderful job as the new Chair of the Welcoming Committee Chair.

If you are new, or if you would like to volunteer to join the IWC Welcoming Committee yourself, contact Janice at: Janice.1.weiss@gmail.com

 

CHARITY TEAM UPDATE

The Charity Team had a busy two months as we pushed ahead to raise as much money as possible for IJM before the end of the fiscal year 2024/2025.

Following on from last year’s success, we once again held the online auction, and our thanks go out to all the wonderful ladies who generously donated prizes and the members who bid on them. I am very happy to say that we raised €2,950. A big thanks to Beth van Amerongen for setting up and running the auction and to Samantha Schultz, who donated €500 to from the sale of one of her paintings.

Our final event for IJM was a fabulous wine tasting. The highlight of the evening was the musical entertainment by Beth’s son, who saved the night by stepping in when the lady who was supposed to sing for us came down with the flu.

We are excited to start the fundraising for our new charity, CliniClowns. In April, Marlene and Atie will be taking us on a charity walk around Bloemendaal, and in May we will be heading out to Hilversum, where Ellen van der Ros will be hosting the Bubbles and Berries afternoon tea.

What I love about the charity events is that they are an opportunity to spend time with friends as well as donating to a deserving cause. So do come along and join us. 

Maureen Adam,
Charity Team Chair

OUR CHOSEN CHARITY FOR 2025, CliniClowns
https://www.cliniclowns.nl/
 
Charity Team Fundraising:

Tuesday  Activity:

TUESDAY 8 APRIL, 10:30-12:00

Join this walking tour in and around the Prinseneiland area with a very experienced and enthusiastic guide.

Just a stone’s throw from Central Station, Prinseneiland is a village in the city, quiet and intimate but accessible to everyone. We’ll visit the 17th century western harbour area, where tar-boiling, tanning, herring-drying thrived until the harbour moved and the area declined. It was only into the late 1960s that the artists and squatters came and the area found new life. Many quay areas are now full of trees and plants. The warehouses have been restored, there is a petting zoo, the streets are cobbled and there are still a few old cosy cafes.

Cost: €175 divided by the number of attendees. 
Maximum 12 members, so be sure to reserve your place now!

RSVP to Yvonne Tyrrell at ytyrrell88@gmail.com.

 

Diva Outing:
WORLD MUSEUM LEIDEN: ENCHANTED BY GOLD

FRIDAY 25 APRIL
(NOTE: Friday, not the usual Thursday!) 

This new exhibition showcases the brighter and darker sides of gold. It showcases an extensive collection of gold artefacts, including ten crown jewels from the Dutch Royal Family, burial gifts, death masks, crowns and wedding presents, as well as works by contemporary artists and fashion designers. Experience how this timeless element, born from stardust, has inspired humankind throughout history to both awe and excess.

Guided tour: 10:30
Cost: €75,00 for the tour divided by up to 15 people. Bring your Museum Card for free entry to the museum. Otherwise, tickets are €18)
Lunch: 12:00 at Stadscafe van de Werf

Leaving from Amsterdam Centraal: Gather in the main hall under the clock at 9:00 to catch the train at 09:20.
Other trains: Zuid: 09:30 / Haarlem: 09:36 / H`stede-Aerd: 09:41

RSVP to marlenevanijsselstein@gmail.com

 

May: Meeting and Activities

Monthly Meeting:
IWC AMSTERDAM AGM 2025

We hope you will join us for the 2025 AGM. This meeting does not feature a guest speaker; instead we look back on the past year and present our proposals for the coming year. 

At last year’s AGM we presented a proposal to update the Dutch Regulations, which was a major undertaking. All the members in the room participated with suggestions, improvements and many helpful comments. This year, those Regulations have now been notarised and are in force, so the meeting will be much shorter. We will still be putting several matters to the vote: these are the election of the new Board for 2025–2026, confirmation of the membership dues for 2025 and approval of the Treasurer’s financial statements and the of the auditors for 2026.

Do note that, as per our new Regulations, this is the first year you will be able to “digitally vote”, which means you do not have to attend in person to participate. The digital voting form will be sent out ahead of the AGM and MUST be sent to the Secretary by midnight on 28 April.

Even though you can now vote online, we hope that many of you will still choose to attend. It is not expected to be a very long meeting compared to last year, as there are no significant matters to be discussed, but this means more time for enjoying a glass (or two) of wine and lunching with friends afterwards. 

Note: the AGM will be the last monthly meeting before September – but most other activities will continue throughout the summer!

 
May Activity
SATURDAY 3 MAY
Torpedo Theatre, St Pieterspoortsteeg 33, 1012 HM Amsterdam

Join Pim van Amerongen, an American/Dutch performer (who happens to be Beth’s son) for an intimate evening filled with iconic pop, rock and soul classics, performed with his signature charisma and heartfelt style.

Over the past 15 years, Pim has shared his voice, energy and passion for music with audiences across the world. Now, he’s bringing his high-energy concert to the Torpedo Theater in Amsterdam for the very first time.

Pim will be joined by special guest Stemin, a local pop and queer artist, who you might know better as Freddie Mercury at last year’s Lustrum.

Come with your friends and partners for an evening of unique entertainment!

There will be a 17:00 borrel (light salty snacks provided and a cash bar) before the 18:00 show time. 

Time: 18:00
Cost: €15 

Contact Beth at bvanam@me.com for more information or to sign up.

Diva Outing:
BERGEN: THE “GREEN ARTISTS’ VILLAGE”

FRIDAY 16 MAY
Note the different-to-usual day: Our Chief Diva will be on vacation on the normal date!

Explore the pretty village of Bergen. We’ll start our guided tour at the Kranenburgh museum of modern art and then head to Park Meerwijk, known for its fascinating homes designed in the distinctive style of the Amsterdam School of Architecture.

From Amsterdam Centraal: Gather in the main hall under the clock at 08:45. We’ll take the 09:09 train from platform 7, arriving arriving at 09:46. Then we’ll take Bus 166 at 09:51 to Bergen NH. 
Tour: 11:00-12:30 (with time to visit the museum afterwards).
Cost: €135 divided by attendance (although we may have two guides so more people can come). Please also bring your Museum Card.
Lunch: at the Museum café overlooking the sculpture garden.

RSVP to marlenevanijsselstein@gmail.com

Charity Team Fundraising:

June:

Diva Outing:

CASTLE NIJENHUIS IN HEINO

WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE
Note the different-to-usual day: this is a joint trip with the Wednesday Walking Talking group.

Nijenhuis is not only a beautiful manor house with lovely gardens but also a museum containing the art collection of Dirk Hennema. The ever-changing exhibition space includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and applied art from many periods and cultures.

From Amsterdam Centraal: Gather in the main hall under the clock at 08:45. We’ll take the 09:08 train from platform 10b to Almere, arriving at 09:27 and then taking the train towards Zwolle at 09:33 (platforms 3 to 4). We’ll arrive at Zwolle at 10:13 and then take the 10.22 (platforms 6 to 8), arriving at Heino at 10:29.
Tour: 11:15.
Cost: €150 divided by attendance. Please also bring your Museum Card.
Lunch: Weather permitting, we’ll have a picnic in the sculpture garden.

RSVP to marlenevanijsselstein@gmail.com

July

Diva Outing:

VAN NELLEFABRIEK, ROTTERDAM

THURSDAY 24 JULY

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Van Nellefabriek was designed and built in the 1920s on the banks of a canal in Rotterdam. With its striking steel and glass facade, it’s an icon of 20th-century industrial architecture,  an ‘ideal factory’, open to the outside world, and in which daylight provided pleasant working conditions. 

From Amsterdam Centraal: Gather in the main hall under the clock at 08:45. We’ll take the 09:19 train from platform 14a to Almere, arriving in Rotterdam at 10:08. Bus 38 takes us to this amazing building.
Tour: 11:00.
Cost: €125 divided by attendance (max 15 people).
Lunch: De Brunch Club

RSVP to marlenevanijsselstein@gmail.com

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Not to mention many, many more events throughout each week, including our massively popular IWC Walking Group every Wednesday, monthly book clubs, Thirsty Thursday, our lunch group in ‘tGooi, Coffee in the City, canasta, mahjong and much more! See the INTEREST GROUPS section for more details.

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If you are interested in joining one of our monthly meetings or activities, please contact our Membership Officer. membership@iwcamsterdam.nl

Meeting dates in 2025:
Tuesday 6 May: AGM
Summer break
Tuesday 2 September
Tuesday 7 October
Tuesday 4 November

Monthly Meetings

IWC Amsterdam meetings take place, as a rule, on the first Tuesday of the month, but occasionally they are held the following week. They occur each month from September to May. We meet at 10:00 in the historic Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club on Dam Square.

We start with tea or coffee and chat before the meeting begins. There are assigned members looking out for new members at every meeting, so if you are new, they will welcome you and introduce you to other friendly women in the club. At 10:30 we assemble in the Groote Zaal to listen to our guest speaker. After the meeting, from 12:00 to 12:30, the IWC offers you a glass of wine or a soft drink. Members then often meet in small groups and head to lunch in the “Rienstra’s Eetzaal” Restaurant of the Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club, or to one of the many restaurants nearby.

Dress code: Smart casual: the KIGC does not permit trainers of any style.

Please note: There is a €10 fee for all guests wishing to attend a meeting.

Directions: from Centraal Station, walk down Damrak to Dam Square. The Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club is opposite de Bijenkorf and to the left of the Gassan diamond shop.
Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club
Dam 27
1012 JS Amsterdam

Please note that English is the official language of our Club.