Visualizing the DIVINE FEMININE
Workshop: Visualizing The DIVINE FEMININE
A creative workshop at Museum the Embassy of the Free Mind, Amsterdam
Uncover the forgotten faces of the divine feminine, and weave, write or draw your own vision into existence.
Step into the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, a treasure trove of centuries-old art and texts celebrating the divine feminine—part of the amazing collection this museum beholds.
Join us for an immersive afternoon where writer-curator Natalie Koch kicks off with a curated journey through the library’s collection. Then, artist Femke van Gemertguides you through the rich history of female goddesses, their symbols, and her own textile art—inspiring you to create your own.
No experience needed! Using provided fabrics or personal textiles, craft a unique piece—abstract, figurative, intimate, or bold. Leave with your own tactile vision of the divine feminine.
Sustainability is woven into the process, repurposed, and personal materials give each piece its own story. To participate in this workshop click link below:
https://embassyofthefreemind.booqi.me/product/297627/femke-gemert#
Event Details
Program:
14:00 | Introduction by Natalie Koch
14:15 | Presentation on Divine Feminine by Femke van Gemert
15:15 | Creative session: make your composition
17:00 | Sharing circle & closing
Date: Friday, May 1
Location: Garden House, Embassy of the Free Mind
Ticket Price: €60
VERWEVEN LEVEN
Workshop Verweven Leven \ Interwoven Life 31-5 Amsterdam
Geef je op voor de workshop Verweven Leven en verweef je herinneringen in textiel❣️ Lijkt het je leuk om met je handen en met persoonlijke textiel een nieuw leven te geven en zo een tastbaar en betekenisvol kunstwerk te maken waarin jouw verhaal voortleeft? Ook als je denkt dat je geen kunstenaar bent en twee linkerhanden hebt? Op zondag 29 maart as. Transformeren we de Zolder van Bosdrift in Hilversum om in een atelier. Neem kleding of andere materialen zoals sieraden, accessoires, sjaaltjes, gedroogde bloemen etc. mee die voor jou dierbaar zijn en iets vertellen over jouw jeugd, je leven, of dat van je (overleden) geliefde.
Tijdens de kennismaking vertel je waarom dit belangrijk voor je is en wie of wat je wilt eren en koesteren. Esther schrijft jouw verhaal op en met hulp van Femke van Gemert maak je een persoonlijk kunstwerk in textiel. Je gaat meteen aan de slag en aan het einde van de middag neem je jouw kunstwerk mee naar huis. Jouw verhaal ontvang je later per mail. Wil je er daarna nog verder aan werken? Dan kun je een vervolgafspraak maken met Esther en/of Femke.
👥 Max. aantal deelnemers: max. 10 personen, dus schrijf je snel in via info@femkevangemert.nl
🗓️Zondag 31 mei 13:30 -17:30 📍 atelier Femke van Gemert, Derde Wittenburgerdwarsstraat 5a, Amsterdam
🥪 Wij zorgen voor koffie, thee, lekkers
💶 Deelname is € 175,-
Sign up for the workshop Interwoven Life and weave your memories into textiles❣️ Would you like to work with your hands and your own textiles to give them a new life, and create a tangible, meaningful artwork that keeps your story alive? Even if you feel you are not an artist and “all thumbs”? In the workshop Interwoven Life you will give shape to your memories. Bring clothing or materials like jewelry, accessories, scarves, dried flowers, etc. that are precious to you and tell something about your youth, your life, or that of your (deceased) loved one. During the introduction round, you share why this is important to you and who or what you want to honor and cherish. Esther writes down your story and, with the help of Femke van Gemert, you turn your textile into a personal artwork. You start creating right away and at the end of the afternoon you take your artwork home. Your story will be emailed to you later. Would you like to continue working on it afterwards? Then you can schedule a follow-up session with Esther and/or Femke. 👥 Maximum number of participants: max. 10 people, so sign up quickly via info@femkevangemert.nl
🗓️ Sunday 31 May 2026, 13:30–17:30 📍 studio Femke van Gemert, Derde Wittenburgerdwarsstraat 5a, Amsterdam
🥪 We provide coffee, tea and treats
💶 Participation fee: €175,-
Exploring The Divine Feminine English version
Exploring the Divine Feminine, through history and various cultures. What was the feminine face of God? How can we redefine what is femine when all dominant religions present God as male? How do you experience the femine divine? we share ideas, get inspired by the past and create a personal vizualisation of what is divine for you.
Ontdek Vrouwelijke Goddelijke Energie
Ontdek het Vroeuwlijke Goddelijke. Er was een tijd dat God een vrouw was, ik neem je mee op een reis om dat te ontdekken. Door verschillende tijden en culturen werd de Goddelijke Vrouwelijk energie aanbeden, en prachtig gevisualiseerd door diverse volkeren. Wat is Goddelijk Vrouwelijk? En hoe kunnen we dat inzetten in de huidige maatschappij die wordt gedomineerd door gewelddadige, dreigende mannelijke energie? Hoe kan je het goddelijke vrouwelijke in jou vinden, eren, en visualiseren? Ik help je op weg in mijn atelier barstensvol materialen die je kunt gebruiken.
Interwoven Life / Verweven Leven
a personal and bonding experience to share life stories and create a meaningful piece from your textiles and clothes (and your loved ones), and get a written story to keep.
DENIM Waste Monster workshop at The Design Village, Noida, India
An upcycling jeans project in cooperation with The Design Village, Noida, India.
Students recycled denim waste into an impressive dancing sea monster!
Upcycling jeans form 2D to 3D surfaces to Art at Hochschule Trier, Germany
The workshop: Upcycling unwanted jeans to new material to make intrigueging 3d surfaces for fashion/interior archtitecture design.
The students (fashion and interior/architecture) cut up jeans that were out of fashion. This material formed the base for explorations and experiments to make sculptural, 3-dimensional surfaces for muliple purposes. In fashio, as acoustic wallcovers, endornments on garments, accesoories or art pieces.
Creation of FULL MOON Hochschule Gestaltung Trier, Germany
An upcycling jeans project in cooperation with Hochschule Trier Campus Gestaltung, Trier, Germany.
Students recycled denim waste and other textile scraps into a monumental tapestry under the guidance of Femke van Gemert.
From wasted textiles to Art at De Nieuwe Internationale School Amsterdam
The workshop: From Wasted Textiles To Art, for the students of this Highschool of a international school in Amsterdam.
The students learned various techniques to upcycle textile scraps and old garments to creations that visualised the personal concepts for their graduation af artclass. In just 2 hours various wonderfull pieces were started, students working in total silence focus....
Upcycling jeans at What Design Can Do, Mexico City
During the event What Design Can Do in Mexico City, Femke was a keynote speaker. And she initiated a workshop in collaboration with the fashion department of Centro, School of Design for upcucling old jeans. The students collected their unwanted, torn, or out of style jeans, and broeught them to the event. In the workshop Femke showed various ways to reuse, elaborate or redesign the jeans. In just 2 hours the studenst created amazing new designs from their unwanted jeans.
Making ropes, cords and braids from discarded clothes for The Nest.
For the making of a huge nest in the library of Alphen aan den Rijn, elements where made with inhabitants. From around 250 kilo’s of discarded clothes from the municipality big ropes and cords were created.
First all unwanted clothes needed to be cut and sewn into strips, with the help of many local volunteers. Than these strips were braided and twisted into beautiful colorful ropes that now adorn THe Nest in the main library in Alphen aan den Rijn.
Beach Clean Up!
In 2 hours beach combing every participant had a bag with this.
After 5 Saturdays mornings of picking up every piece of plastic found on the amazing Casa Wabi beach, this was the harvest.
During the residency at Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, Mexico, Femke was smitten by the beautiful beach at the location. It looked deserted and pristine. But walking there every morning Femke started noticing tiny, and big, pieces of plastic every day. Each Saturday she started collecting that. The other artists residents started joining her. In 6 weeks this was the result. The waste could be devided into : hygiene stuff like toothbrushes and combs, wrapping materials, food things like cutlery, bottles and cups, weird stuff like insulation,mosquito mesh, many single flipflops, and so on. It washed ashore every hour. Femke was horrified by it and wanted to raise awareness for the local community. She tried to leave the area, a beautiful natural place, cleaner than she found it, after her residency.
Casa Wabi, residency
Girls age 14-17 in Rio Grande Mexico. Expressing their identities with discarded clothes and clay. Expressing their being and power through colours and textiles. In cooperation with Fondación Casa Wabi.
Design your Death Shroud
participant at work with clothes from her mother and herself.
By using favourite clothes from themselves and loved ones, the old tradition of making a death shroud was brought to life again. In cooperation with Susanne Duijvestsein, https://bijafscheid.com/, meaningful and personal pieces were created. Jewelry and dried flowers were added to personal textile items. Evolving and be further embellished at home. The pieces became even “life shrouds” that could be hung on the wall, and later in life used as a death shroud, a wrapping for the body, or a beautiful throw over a coffin during the goodbye ritual.
Fashion Swap at What Design Can Do
On the international design event What Design Can Do, attendees were asked to bring their no longer wanted fashion items. During the 2 day event these items could be swapped in the pop-up boutique that was set up in the halls of the city’s theatre. Many vintage finds were done, no money spent, and the deigners community awareness on fashion waste grew. See Femke’s talk at this event here above.
Springhouse, residency
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Rubbish Costumes
participant at work with clothes from her mother and herself.
Kids aged 6-8 yeras, of a primary school collected waste for a weeks from their homes. In the workshop they decided what “world” they wanted to create. The kids came up with space, to live in space where there would be nu waste! So they created , with some technical and practical help from Femke, the most awesome astronaut outfits and space ships, to be able to live on any “rubbish free” planet they liked.
