EFFEA Jury

Emily Ansenk (1970) is an art historian and director of the Holland Festival (the international performing arts festival) since September 2019. From 2008-2019 she was director of the Kunsthal Rotterdam. She was previously director of the private Frisia Museum, North Holland (1996-2008) and curator of the ING Collection (1995).

As general director of the Holland Festival, Ansenk is responsible for both artistic programming and business policy. In 2024 she is a member of the jury of the Shakespeare Festival in Gdansk, and jury member of several other art grants and awards. She was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam from 2017 to 2025. She is chair of the Supervisory Board of Brutus Art Space in Rotterdam, and a board member of the Ron Mandos Young Blood Foundation. She is married, has three children and lives in Amsterdam.

“As an all-round director within the cultural sector, I connect art - in the broadest sense and in all disciplines - with a diverse and often new audience. Art is at the heart of my professional life, whether it concerns collaborations with artists, the organization and presentation of exhibitions or performing arts and the development of (socially) deepening, broadening programmes and participation projects. With my extensive experience and national and international network, I integrate substantive artistic and business insight. I do this with the aim of creating a broad audience reach, ground breaking programming and a unique experience. I have an open, inviting and unbiased attitude in my communication with various stakeholders and am used to acting as a figurehead.”