PROJECTS
some examples
CO-AUTHOR ANNE FRANK BEYOND THE DIARY
"With its combination of family photographs (many reproduced here for the first time), biographical sketches of Anne Frank and the others in the "Secret Annex,'' and brief essays identifying specific stages of the Holocaust, this astonishing book moves past symbolism to disentangle the real Anne Frank from mythography. (...) A superb exploration of the particular and the universal meanings of a seminal work." PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
Winner of the Christopher Award, ALA Notable Book, A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book, German State Prize for Youth Literature.
Researcher
Documentary
Oscar winning documentary Anne Frank Remembered combining personal testimony, never-before-seen photos, previously undiscovered family letters, rare archive footage (including the only known moving footage of Anne herself) with evocative contemporary film, this haunting film was hailed as a masterpiece in the British and American press when it was released.
AUTHOR ANNE FRANK WAS NOT ALONE
Based on extensive archival research and in-depth interviews with still surviving residents and their family members, Dutch historian Rian Verhoeven paints an intimate portrait of daily life, persecution, betrayal, and resistance that took place on Merwedeplein. Anne Frank Was Not Alone tells the gripping story of a microcosm of society against the backdrop of World War II and the events that led to it.
After Anne Frank’s family left Germany in 1933 to make a new home on Merwedeplein in Amsterdam, many other German-Jewish refugees followed. People with differing backgrounds lived their together in a quiet and friendly atmosphere. Children played outside until late in the evening while the adults exchanged the most recent news of the day.
Though once Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 the tide turned and the Jewish residents were increasingly marginalized. The first Jews rounded up for deportation by the Nazis in July 1942 were forced to walk to Amsterdam’s Centraal Train Station in the dead of night. Jews who made the difficult decision to go into hiding had to proceed with utmost caution, so the Dutch Nazi Party (NSB) members living on the square wouldn’t notice anything suspicious. Some even built a hiding place in their own homes. But each time police vans arrived in the neighborhood, they were stricken with terror.
CO-CURATOR EXHIBITION ANNE FRANK HOUSE
The temporary exhibition about Merwedeplein (2019-2021) included the life stories of Jewish families from Germany and Austria living on Merwedeplein. Rian Verhoeven, historian and co-curator of the exhibition, researched the people living on Merwedeplein. ‘I wondered about the stories that were hidden behind all those front doors.’ On the basis of her research, she wrote the recently published book Anne Frank was niet alleen - Het Merwedeplein 1933 -1945. In it, she portrayed fifty mainly Jewish local residents and recounted what had happened to them. Seven of their stories were included in the exhibition.
CONSULTANT EXHIBITION
ANNE FRANK, MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
LOS ANGELES
Anne is an extraordinary new immersive
exhibit on the life and legacy of
Anne Frank. Anne’s story, told in her
own words, comes to life through
rare artifacts, unique documents, and
photographs.
PROJECT LEADER
The Second World War in 100 Objects was a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition made possible through the cooperation of twenty-five Dutch war and Resistance museums. The museums involved in this unique collaboration provided exceptional objects from their collections, which were being presented together for the first time at one location.
The exhibition attracted more than 100,000 visitors in three months.
CONSULTANT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS
The Power of Children: Making a Difference is a permanent exhibition at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis that focuses on the life story of three children who had suffered hardship borne of prejudice . The exhibit has received critical acclaim among Museology professionals and an American Association for State and Local History Award of Merit.
