Cas Smithuijsen receives royal award on his retirement from the Boekman Foundation

Cas Smithuijsen receives royal award on his retirement from the Boekman Foundation

Upon his retirement from the Boekmanstichting Cas Smithuijsen spoke on June 6, at the fourth Boekmanlezing in the context of the Holland Festival. The reading – a look back on a half century of arts policy – is published in Boekman 100 (September issue). Cas Smithuijsen received a royal award from Deputy Mayor, because of his significance work for culture and arts in recent decades. Diane Dodd, Director of IGCAT flew to the Netherlands to pay her own tribute to Cas Smithuijsen who, on his retirement, leaves a legacy that stretches far beyond the Netherlands.

Cas Smithuijsen indirectly contributed to the development of IGCAT when he contracted Diane Dodd (Current Director of IGCAT) and Prof. Greg Richards (President of IGCAT) to editand write the introduction on a book on cultural tourism aand this was when cultural tourism was hardly yet even acknowledged as a sector!.  The book, Planning Cultural Tourism in Europe, is still being quoted today such was Cas’ foresight. 

At the farewell event, Annet also Lekkerkerker (business director of the Holland Festival), Victor Halberstadt (Chairman of the Supervisory Board Boekmanstichting) and Marielle Hendriks (main projects Boekmanstichting), echoed the thoughts of many people in the room when they expressed their admiration and best wishes to the departing director.

 

6 June 2014