We believe that art encounters can be enriching for everyone, regardless of age, background, ability, or prior knowledge. Crafting these encounters is both an art form and a practice of care in which we specialize. We are passionate about sharing this expertise, enabling you—as an individual, organization, or community—to inspire and connect through the organization and facilitation of art encounters.
Our philosophy and expertise
Engaging with art is about more than just looking; it is about feeling, wondering, connecting, and growing. Art acts as a mirror to the self, a bridge to the other, and a window onto the world. In this way, art encounters contribute to awareness, well-being, and meaningful interaction. Expert and sensitive facilitation—empathetic, respectful, and attuned to emotional and social dynamics—is crucial to this process. This is where we come in. With over twenty years of experience in visual dialogue techniques and the practice of art encounters, we facilitate deep and connective interactions with art. We are passionate about sharing our expertise with anyone seeking to master this art form.
Our connective force: a cross sectoral network
We collaborate across sectors with partners in the arts, culture, education, social services, and the healthcare and well-being sectors. Together, we develop bespoke art encounters and learning trajectories in visual dialogue techniques, tailored to diverse individuals, groups, and contexts. Please feel free to get in touch for more information or if you would like to join our network.
Julie Rodeyns
Julie Rodeyns (PhD) has over twenty years of experience as an art curator, facilitator, and researcher, focusing on arts education, participation, care, and inclusion. Her approach is rooted in both rigorous academic research and extensive practical experience across diverse social contexts. As a practitioner of art encounters, she utilizes a broad palette of dialogue and relational techniques, applied responsively to the group, the context, and the shared process. She's an accredited trainer in Visual Thinking Strategies (MoMA), Artful Thinking (Project Zero, Harvard University), Transformative Thinking (Dr. Karim Bennamar) and is futhermore specialized in Care Aesthetics (Prof. Dr. James Thompson), Feminist Care Ethics (Prof. Dr. Joan Tronto), and Resonance Theory (Prof. Dr. Hartmut Rosa). You may contact her for specific inquiries regarding our operations, project proposals, and artistic/research/training collaborations.
Wouter Bouchez
Wouter Bouchez is the chair of Matchbox vzw, the organization behind Visual Dialogues. Drawing on his broad background in the arts and extensive experience in launching innovative, cross-sector trajectories, he provides strategic guidance on the direction of Visual Dialogues. You can contact him for inquiries regarding governance or strategic and structural exchange and collaboration.
Matchbox
Visual Dialogues is an initiative of Matchbox vzw. The mission of Matchbox vzw is to create and facilitate connections between the arts and other domains of society (education, healthcare, the corporate world, etc.). Alongside ‘Visual Dialogues’, the initiative ‘Through Art We Care’ forms the second major pillar of Matchbox vzw. This project aims to use the arts as a lens to actively envision a more ‘caring’ society, through collaborations with both the arts and healthcare sectors.