Floor van Hulsen joins ICOM Netherlands board

In 2028, the ICOM General Conference will come to Rotterdam. Under the theme “Building Bridges. Connecting Worlds, Cultures and Generations,” the conference will highlight the connecting power of museums while showcasing the Netherlands as a leading destination for innovative museum concepts. To oversee both the organisational and content-related aspects of this major event, Anouk Estourgie and Lidwien Hupkens have been appointed as Conference Directors.

On May 29th 2026, Floor van Hulsen was officially installed as a member of the ICOM Netherlands Board. Floor is Talent Development and Vocational Education Programs Lead at the Amsterdam Museum.

"After the warm welcome during the General Assembly, I look forward to start my term as Board Member at ICOM Netherlands. Especially in a time when museums all over the world are facing similar societal challenges, I strongly believe in the power of international collaboration, knowledge exchange and encounters - and ICOM has a unique role to play.

My personal road into the museum world was not traditional. As a secondary vocational education (MBO) student and first ever 'Blikopener' at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, I discovered the immense impact of art and culture on personal development. I discovered something that I had often missed in the regular school system; a place where I could learn about history, society, and myself, by consciously looking at art, reflecting on it and actively engage with it. A safe haven where I could be curious, ask questions and develop my own voice.

This experience is still the foundation of my work. Nowadays, I work as Lead Talent Development at the Amsterdam Museum, where I engage with talent development, the participation of young people and the position of secondary vocational students and autodidactic young makers within the cultural sector on a daily basis. I'm also an advisor on talent development for Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie.

Every day, I see how young people add value when they are actually given space within organizations. Not just as visitors, but als co-creators, advisors, or professionals. Their perspectives challenge us, pose different questions and help us to keep a critical eye on what we do - and whom we do it for. According to me, here lies an important task for the museum sector of the future.

I look forward to meet new people within ICOM Netherlands, to exchange knowledge and to make connections between what happens in the Netherlands and abroad. A first occasion to do so is the CECA Conference in Jakarta that I'll visit in November. With the ICOM General Conference 2028 in Rottterdam ahead, an exciting period has started for ICOM Netherlands. It offers a unique change to host international colleagues, learn from each other and make new connections. I look forward to contribute to this movement in the coming years and am glad to be part of it."