Музей в Арнеме призывает проституток передать личные вещи и истории для создания новой коллекции

ARNHEM.- The Netherlands Open Air Museum is turning its attention to a profession that has been part of society for centuries but remains largely absent from traditional museum collections: sex work. The museum in Arnhem has issued a call for contemporary sex workers willing to share not only the objects they use in their profession, but also the personal stories that surround their work. It is specifically looking for adults who receive clients in person while also working online through platforms such as OnlyFans, reflecting the increasingly hybrid nature of the profession. The initiative is part of the museum’s broader effort to document everyday life and work in the Netherlands for future generations. Over the decades, the institution has assembled buildings, objects, photographs, tools and personal accounts that together trace how Dutch people have lived and earned a living. Sex work, however, has until now remained a notable gap in its collection devoted to labor. “As a national museum, we want to show how people in the Netherlands live and work,” said Hans Piena, the museum’s curator of work. “Sex work is a profession with a long history and contemporary social significance.” Piena noted that changing attitudes toward sexuality, together with the growth of digital platforms, have transformed the profession and made this an especially relevant moment to preserve its material and social history. The museum is interested in what it describes as a complete “work ensemble”: the collection of objects that together illustrate how a person actually carries out the job. These might include a bed, furnishings from a workspace, lighting, cameras and other recording equipment, clothing, accessories and practical tools used on a regular basis. But the museum stresses that the objects are only part of the story. Curators also hope to document how participants experience their profession, how their work intersects with their private lives and how they themselves understand sex work — offering a perspective that is often missing from historical accounts created by outsiders. By collecting both objects and testimony, the museum hopes to create a more nuanced record of a profession that has frequently been discussed through legal, moral or political lenses rather than through the everyday experiences of the people doing the work. The resulting material will become part of the Dutch National Collection, helping preserve a snapshot of contemporary life at a moment when the boundaries between physical and digital work are increasingly blurred. The museum says privacy will be handled carefully and that participants will be involved in decisions about what information and objects are preserved and how they may eventually be presented or studied. The project reflects the Netherlands Open Air Museum’s broader approach to history, which focuses less on major political events than on the routines, occupations, homes and personal experiences that shape ordinary life. Located in Arnhem, the museum tells the story of everyday Dutch history through historic buildings, objects, crafts, customs and personal narratives. In 2024, it received the Netherlands’ Museum Prize. Sex workers interested in participating, or anyone seeking additional information about the project, can contact the museum through curator Hans Piena at [email protected].