100 years of vooruit

In 1913, the socialist cooperative, Vooruit, built a festival and arts centre in Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat, Ghent. With the motto "Art ennobles", this architectural masterpiece was intended as "an opera house for the worker". It had a cinema, library, theatre, cafe and restaurant and offered workers a veritable palace for diversion, cultivation and political debate. For several decades, the "Feestlokaal" was the cultural stronghold of the socialist movement in Ghent. In 1982, it was transformed into an independent socio-cultural centre that evolved into the Vooruit Arts Centre as we know it today.

One hundred years of existence deserves to be celebrated - not only in Vooruit but also STAM. A history exhibition sheds light on the building, its significance for Ghent and the many activities that have taken place there during the past century: theatre, film, concerts, debates, festive occasions and so much more. 100 years of Vooruit tells a story of encounters, culture and social engagement.

A production by STAM, UGent, Amsab Institute for Social History, The Province of East Flanders (in the framework of the Museum of Flemish Social Struggle project) and Vooruit
Curator: Dr Liesbet Nys (Institute for Public History, UGent)