The Vrijhof is the cultural centre of the campus, but the associations are not so visible yet,' Apollo board member Pascalle Verlaan describes the situation. 'And from the Vrijhof, the question came whether we could not decorate the rather dark foyer a bit more. So two goals came together nicely.'
Initially, Apollo wanted to do something with the logos of the sixteen cultural associations in total. 'But after a visit to Utrecht University last year, where they all have drawings of their associations, the idea arose to have a cartoon made of our associations. And who better to ask than Luuk van Ewijk?', says Verlaan.
The students are happy with the end result by the campus cartoonist. 'Every association comes back in its own special way.' Unfortunately, a festive unveiling can't take place because of the coronacrisis. The pandemic particularly affects the cultural sector, Verlaan knows. 'Not only at the UT, but also nationwide, you can see that the sector is at the back of the queue. We are very limited in what we are allowed to do.'
Now that the campus theatres are still closed for the time being, some associations are reaching out to their crowds online. Verlaan: 'In terms of membership numbers things are going well, despite the situation. People are looking for social contacts, but you want to be able to offer these contacts as associations. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and we are now seeing that the existing problems, especially reduced activism as a result of increased study pressure, are being exacerbated.'
All the more reason to put the associations in the spotlight with this work of art, says the Apollo board member. 'We have a luxurious range on offer here, you know. We hope that this will help people to find us better.'
