Amid the challenging times Radboud University faced last year, the decision was made to hold back the release of a documentary about the renovated Senate Hall. Concerns arose that it might stir controversy, given the role of the recently resigned rector Han van Krieken in the documentary. This weekend, however, the film will still make its debut during Open Monument Day.

October 2023. A small team from the Marketing & Communications division has gathered in the attic of the Berchmanianum around a screen. On the agenda is a preview of a teaser created by their colleague Dick van Aalst for his upcoming documentary.

His film is about Alma Mater Carolina, an artwork set to be revealed in the university’s Senate Hall a few weeks later, the day after the university’s centennial celebration. Van Aalst traveled to Los Angeles specifically to visit the studio of artist Lara Schnitger, alongside art coordinator Let Geerling.

White Men

The idea to transform the Senate Hall had been brewing for years. In 2021, Margot van Mulken and Lutgarde Buydens, at that time the only female deans at Radboud University, approached Rector Han van Krieken with the proposal to change the space, as they believed it could no longer remain in its current state.

The Senate Hall is a windowless space in the Aula of Radboud University, primarily used for academic ceremonies such as PhD defences and graduation ceremonies. In its previous state, 56 former rectors of the university – all white men in suits or robes – stared down from the walls under harsh fluorescent lighting.

The collection of portraits no longer aligned with the image that Radboud University, known for its commitment to diversity, wanted to carry out. Therefore a group photo of the university’s female professors was added to the wall in 2018. Although the photo was added at the request of a group of female professors, this ‘pubic photo’ only made it worse according to Van Mulken. The group portrait only accentuated the male-dominated history of the institution. It was clear a complete makeover was needed.

To her surprise, both she and her colleague Buydens quickly gained support from the university’s executive board. The executives themselves felt uncomfortable with the male-only portrait gallery. Rector Han van Krieken called in the university’s art advisory committee, and soon the project found its way to artist Lara Schnitger, who was commissioned to develop a plan for the room.

Unique Technique

Back to the Berchmanianum in October 2023: Van Aalst’s colleagues curiously watch as the photographer and filmmaker presses play. The film takes them to Schnitger’s studio in Los Angeles, where she explains the unique technique she used for the artwork. Using stencils and bleach, she transforms fabric into colorful, striking portraits of female emeritus professors. These portraits, based on photos sent to her, will be hung alongside the old portraits of former rectors.

Van Aalst’s film also features other key figures behind the new artwork, such as the initiators Margot van Mulken and Lutgarde Buydens. Rector Han van Krieken also appears, expressing his enthusiasm for the updated room, though emphasizing that the new artwork should respect the university’s history.

As the preview comes to an end, Marketing & Communications Director Pim van Zanen joins the group. ‘We shouldn’t go forward with this,’ he says firmly.

His decision is directly tied to the tense atmosphere at Radboud University at the time. A crisis team, which Van Zanen is part of, had been assembled and was meeting almost daily with the executive board. No one understood the sensitivity of the situation better than he did.

The crisis began when, just weeks before the centennial celebration, De Gelderlander revealed that in 2017, a complaint had been filed against rector Han van Krieken. The complaint accused him of making comments to a female staff member that, according to a committee investigating the matter, could be perceived as sexually inappropriate. The rector received a private warning.

As a result of the public revelation, Van Krieken was forced to step down as rector just before the centennial event. Instead of the celebration marking his tenure, the event became the occasion for the installation of José Sanders as the new rector, with no formal handover of the rector’s chain. The centennial celebration took on a completely different tone, and the unveiling of the renovated Senate Hall the following day was also affected.

Hitting the wrong note

In the midst of the controversy, Margot van Mulken and Lutgarde Buydens came to Van Krieken’s defense with an opinion piece on Voxweb. They questioned who stood to gain from such a public shaming. However, this stance hit a wrong note with dozens of university staff members, who argued that Van Mulken and Buydens’ position hindered an open discussion on campus about social safety.

As the debate intensified, the crisis team determined that, given the turmoil engulfing the university, a film about an artwork centered on emancipation—featuring Van Krieken, Van Mulken, and Buydens—could be poorly received. At the very least, it could distract from the art itself and fuel the ongoing heated debate about social safety.

Van Aalst was tasked with creating a much shorter version of the film, leaving out Van Krieken, Van Mulken, and Buydens. The final product was a brief trailer featuring only artist Lara Schnitger and university historian Jan Brabers, which was shown during the opening of the hall. The rest of the footage was shelved indefinitely

‘Of course I was angry, sad, and frustrated,’ Van Aalst reflects. But looking back, the filmmaker understands the decision. ‘The artwork is about emancipation and gender equality, which were incredibly sensitive topics at the time. Having Han van Krieken talk about that in the film simply wasn’t feasible. The debate around social safety was so polarized that anything said would immediately place you in one camp or the other.’

‘I thought: I have gold in my hands, regardless’, Van Aalst says. ‘Even if the film never sees the light of day, I would still be proud of it.’

Margot van Mulken feels a lingering bitterness about how things unfolded. ‘Ten minutes before we entered the hall, we were told that we’d been cut from the film, despite being interviewed extensively by Dick van Aalst. We wondered if we were being canceled by our own board.’

Van Mulken still finds it hard to understand this decision. ‘The initiative for this room had nothing to do with the issue surrounding Han van Krieken.’

Tension

Han van Krieken, who had just stepped down as rector at the time, was present at the opening of the artwork in the revamped Senate Hall. It was there that he first saw his own portrait hanging on the wall. The debates about whether or how the film should be shown had passed him by. ‘I had other things on my mind at that time, and I was no longer the rector.’

He no longer had a place in the edited version of Van Aalst’s film. ‘I could understand the concerns about showing me. There was a sense of fear and tension at the university back then, where emotions overtook reason. I didn’t think that was the right approach.’

However, the fact that Van Mulken and Buydens were also cut from the film didn’t sit well with the former rector. ‘I really don’t get that — they had nothing to do with my situation.’

Van Krieken was also surprised by the relatively quiet way in which the opening of the new room was handled. The hall was full of those closely involved and family members of those portrayed, but the media presence was minimal. Only Marit Willemsen from NRC was there to cover the event, and she wasn’t officially invited.

‘The press releases and invitations to local and national media were ready,’ said Ton Rijken, chairman of the art advisory committee. ‘But they weren’t sent, as directed by the board.’ Even Vox wasn’t invited.

‘It deserved more attention,’ Van Krieken commented. ‘The artist took on a really tough question. The new artwork honors history while giving the room a modern twist. The result is inspiring and provokes reflection — like why it took the university so long to become a more diverse place. But that’s what good art does: it raises questions.’

The relative silence surrounding the artwork also troubles the art advisory committee. Chair Rijken comments, ‘What the university has done with this room is really special.’ He points out that all universities are grappling with the same issue – what do you do with all the portraits of old, white men on the walls? Nijmegen, according to Rijken, has found its own solution thanks to a renowned artist.

Last year’s opening of the room was the perfect moment to make a big statement about it, but the university let that opportunity slip by, he says. ‘It wasn’t a celebration, and there’s still very little buzz around the artwork. I feel especially bad for Lara Schnitger because of that.’

Schnitger herself calls it ‘a missed opportunity.’ While the room’s opening went ahead as planned, she felt the university wasn’t quite ready for her artwork. ‘It was like a soft launch, whereas the university should have been really proud of this project. What Radboud has done is actually very bold.’

Schnitger adds that everything became quite stressful at the last minute. It was only four days before the opening that she got the go-ahead to finish the artwork, including Han van Krieken’s portrait. ‘There was still some back-and-forth about that.’ The scaffolding was only just taken down in time for the opening.

Schnitger hopes the university will eventually showcase the room more publicly. Showing Van Aalst’s film is a good start, she believes. Rijken also sees signs of positive change, noting that soon the Friends of the Valkhof Museum will be visiting the room.

One person who is especially pleased that the film about Alma Mater Carolina is finally premiering, uncensored, is its creator. ‘The artwork captures how thinking at the university has evolved,’ says Van Aalst. ‘Personally, I find the motivation and inspiration of an artist often more fascinating than the end result. What sparks their creativity, and how do they translate that into their work? How does a piece of art come to life? I think we’ve done a good job of capturing that.’

Translated by Siri Joustra