92 | Do Good Stuff While You’re Here

Els van der Plas was at the helm from the Fund’s inception until 2011. She was trained as an art historian, and prior to her work at the Prince Claus Fund, she founded and ran the Gate Foundation to encourage intercultural exchange in the field of modern and contemporary visual art. Throughout her career, Els has been a forceful global advocate for the role of design and beauty as an essential element of daily human life – and not just a luxury for high-class consumption.

She spearheaded the Fund’s early direction and initiatives, including the highly regarded the Cultural Emergency Response fund, which saved the Baghdad Central Library after the American invasion.

Among the many positions she has held, she was a member of the juries of the Curry Stone Design Prize in New York (2008) and the Princess Margriet Award (2011 – 2014); was on the Recommending Committee of the Holland Dance Festival (The Hague) and the What Design Can Do conference in Amsterdam; the chairman of the Johannes Vermeer Prize (2017 – 2019) and General Director and Chair of the Board for the Dutch National Opera and Ballet (2012 – 2020); and the Chair at Stroom Den Haag and is a current advisor and former Director at Allard Pierson.

We had an opportunity to speak with Els on Social Design Insights. Have a listen below.