April 25-29, 2005
Meet
the Dutch 2005: Royal Netherlands Embassy Celebrates Silver
Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix
The
Royal Netherlands Embassy will host “Meet the Dutch,”
a series of events honoring Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and demonstrating
Dutch contributions in politics, business, culture, and silver
design April 25th through April 29th.
Hundreds
of guests will be invited to the Washington residence of Ambassador
and Mrs. Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam for a series of seminars
and receptions throughout the week. “Meet the Dutch”
activities will culminate the day before the
Corcoran Gallery of Art opens its exhibition to coincide
with the Dutch Queen’s Jubilee.
Dutch
Royal Silver at the Corcoran Gallery of Art
"Dutch Royal Silver: Celebrating the Silver Jubilee of
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix" will open to the public on April
30th, coinciding with “Queen’s Day”, as the
official Dutch national day is belovedly known, and will run
through July 4, 2005. The Netherlands is noted for its accomplishments
in silver and "Dutch Royal Silver" will present rarely-seen,
early nineteenth century pieces from the private collection
of the Royal House of Orange-Nassau. Included among the selection
is a piece created by the American designer Tiffany and presented,
as a wedding gift, to Queen Wilhelmina from the St. Nicholas
Society of New York in 1901.
"Dutch
Royal Silver: Celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty
Queen Beatrix" is organized by the Corcoran Gallery of
Art and made possible by the Royal Netherlands Embassy with
generous funding from AEGON, Philips Electronics, and Shell
Oil Company. Additional support has been provided by Sotheby’s
Institute of Art–London, a division of Cambridge Information
Group, and Jo Ann and John Mason.
Floral
Design
Of all the events during “Meet the Dutch”, the most
anticipated is the initial reveal of the work of a selected
Dutch florist commissioned to transform the ambassador’s
residence. Renowned Dutch floral and event designer, René
Hofstede, of Mille Fiori Floral Design in New York City, will
decorate the Residence with thousands of fresh cut flowers using
a multitude of blooms including tulips, Cymbidium orchids and
a host of other Dutch grown flowers. He will incorporate elements
of silver and orange throughout his floral creations to symbolize
the 25 year reign of Queen Beatrix and the official color of
the Royal House of Orange. Hofstede has an extensive list of
clients from the fashion, media and entertainment fields including
Oprah Winfrey, Donatella Versace, HBO, and Time Inc.
“Meet
the Dutch was created to celebrate the longstanding friendship
between America and the Netherlands and to expand American perceptions
of the Netherlands beyond windmills and wooden shoes,”
said Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands to the United States. “This year, the
events focus on celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty
Queen Beatrix; as well as to introducing Americans not only
to Dutch design in the arts, but also to Dutch design in policies,”
added the Ambassador.
Modern
Silver
While the Corcoran exhibition will highlight Dutch silver decorative
art from the past, the Residence will feature the modern designs
of silversmith Wouter van Baalen of Studio Eligius, the Netherlands.
Among the many works on display, a miniature sterling silver
bust of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and the “Sinus II”
candleholders will be the featured works at the Residence, tying
in the Royal theme. The “Sinus II” candleholders
were presented to His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander Prince
of Orange and Princess Máxima Zorreguieta. Van Baalen
is noted for his skill to manipulate silver’s reflective
qualities. His work forms part of numerous private collections
in Europe including the Royal House of Orange-Nassau and several
museums.
Media
interested in covering events or more information may contact
Carla Bundy at 202-274-2632 or cy.bundy@minbuza.nl or Julia
Koppius at 202-274-2634 or julia.koppius@minbuza.nl.
“Meet
the Dutch” Schedule of Events:
April
25th – 3pm – Media Open House Preview at the Ambassador’s
Residence. Floral designer René Hofstede and Ambassador
Van Eenennaam will be available for interviews.
April
26th – 8:00am to 11:30am – A seminar on “Embedded
Systems, Ambient Intelligence and Smart Surroundings.”
April
27th – 6:30pm to 8:30pm – “Meet the Dutch”
Flower Reception featuring thousands of fresh cut flowers.
April
28th – 11:30am to 3:00pm – A seminar on “Efficiency
and Security in European Logistics.”
April
28th – 6:00pm to 8:30pm – National Day Reception.
April
29th – 9am to 1:30pm – A seminar on “Research
and Development and Pharmaceuticals: The Dutch/EU and US Initiatives.”
April
29th – 6:30pm – Congressional Chief of Staffs Dinner
featuring Karien van Gennip, Netherlands Minister of Foreign
Trade at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Additional
Events with a Dutch Flare
The
Consulate General of The Netherlands in Chicago and Tulip Days
on the Magnificent Mile will also celebrate Queen’s Day
from April 20 through May 7 with a jazz concert by Dutch musicians
Michiel Borstlap and Edsilia Rombley, architectural seminars
with architect Natalie de Vries of MVRDV and photographer Rob
‘t Hart, and floral demonstrations by Els Teunissen, former
flower designer for MTD 2003. For more information log on to
themagnificentmile.com.
Leading
up to “Meet the Dutch", two other Washington events
will have a Dutch touch. “Tulipa Laura Bush” first
presented to Mrs. Bush during last year’s “Meet
the Dutch” activities will be the featured floral centerpiece
for the First Ladies Luncheon hosted by the Congressional Spouses
on April 21st.
Ambassador
Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam will also participate in the Tenth
Netherlands-America Foundation Awards Dinner to be held in Washington
on April 22nd. Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Chairman of
the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will be
the keynote speaker. He is the only serving member who was born
in the Netherlands. For more information log on to thenaf.org.
“Meet
the Dutch 2005” is made possible through the generous
support by AEGON, Corus, Heineken, ING, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines,
Philips Electronics, Rabobank, Shell Oil Company and Unilever.
Contact:
Carla Bundy
Tel.: 202-274-2632
cy.bundy@minbuza.nl
or
Julia Koppius
Tel.: 202-274-2634
julia.koppius@minbuza.nl
Royal Netherlands
Embassy
4200 Linnean Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
www.netherlands-embassy.org
