In 1995, at 23 years old, Merijn van der Heijden flew from her hometown, Tilburg, in the Netherlands to Columbus to earn her master’s of fine arts at The Ohio State University.
Now, van der Heijden has stepped into the role of Dublin Arts Council’s Executive Director, bringing decades of experience as both a teacher and leader in the arts.
Todd Yarrington
An artistic foundation
Growing up, van der Heijden’s family nourished an appreciation for art. She engaged with art in many ways, from dance and clay classes to museum visits and live performances.
In fall of 1993, while earning her bachelor's in fine arts studying sculpture and textiles at the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming (Academy of Fine Arts), van der Heijden met OSU professor and sculptor, Malcolm Cochran, thanks to a faculty exchange program.
Cochran recalls she showed up in the middle of the semester, having gone to Spain rather than her classes.
“I'm thinking, ‘Here's this wayward young woman, obviously adventuresome,'” Cochran says. “I do recall that she had very good energy and a wonderful personality.”
Cochran, who’s known for his local art installation Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges), later encouraged her to come to OSU for grad school.
Finding her direction
Initially, van der Heijden wanted to become a practicing artist but discovered an affinity for education as a graduate teaching assistant. She later took positions at Denison University, the University of Florida and OSU.
“What I enjoy most about teaching is to be inspired, ultimately, and to inspire others to do the best work that they can do,” she says.
While teaching, she also took on administrative positions, including Gallery Director at Denison University and director of OSU’s Urban Arts Space and Hopkins Hall Gallery.
Cochran says it’s been interesting to watch van der Heijden’s career progress. He says he was pleasantly surprised to learn about her DAC directorship and believes her Dutch background offers a unique balance of traits.
“She comes from a culture where you are held accountable. And at the same time, you are open to new ideas, you're innovative, you seek new opportunities, like going to Spain when you're supposed to be going to school. And I think that's a strength,” Cochran says.
Todd Yarrington
Taking the lead
Visit Dublin, Ohio
Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges) by Malcom Cochran
For van der Heijden, becoming the DAC director is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I'm really inspired, mostly by what the City of Dublin has done over the last 20-plus years and how they have intentionally created this beautiful infrastructure and how they have built and grown their public art program,” says van der Heijden, who is excited to bring her background in site-specific arts to the table.
She sees her new role, which she stepped into this past July, as a challenge to look forward to – particularly in continuing to expand programs such as artist residencies and workshops.
DAC
Mural cube by Alejandro "Mono" Gonzalez and Adam Hernandez
“It's a challenge of sorts that requires a lot of strategy and intention and making sure that people are aware that now they have input, that they are part of the conversation, that they know that they are invited into that conversation and that we build that together,” van der Heijden says.
Cochran, who describes her as spirited, resilient and naturally optimistic, says her experience and background bode well for DAC.
“I know she is accountable (and) reliable, but beyond that, she knows how to and has found her way through difficulties and adversity. She's a good problem solver,” Cochran says. “I think she's very well equipped to find solutions to challenges that are not even on the horizon.”
Art as connection
As van der Heijden embarks on her DAC tenure, she emphasizes art as social infrastructure.
While the director of Urban Arts Space and Hopkins Hall Gallery from 2018-2025, she says a key part of her work was, “bringing people together, creating a space where people want to come together, not just to attend or to see something, but also to connect,” and she learned the value of building relationships.
“It's so important to meet people where they're at and to get to know them, not just as a kind of performative relationship, but to really get to know them and to engage them in their own environments to understand and learn what it is that they might need or appreciate, and then to work with people from that point on,” van der Heijden says.
She wants to focus on intentional engagement across demographics as DAC collaborates with local organizations and continues growing its public art program.
"It's been wonderful to see how many people in Dublin have interest and excitement and pay attention to the arts... So making sure that we understand the depth and breadth that folks in the Dublin community bring and meeting people where they're at means that we want to make sure that we engage intentionally across different sections and areas of the community," van der Heijden says.
Amanda Stevens is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
