The MAS collection comprises approximately 2,400 objects related to the poesjenelle tradition, originating from the former Folklore Museum: rod puppets, stage props, signs, theatre programmes and photographs. We also have rod puppets from other theatre traditions and a number of hand puppets.
FREE ENTRANCE | From October 25, 2025, dance is the starting point in the Visible Storage for delving into the MAS collection. Eight people from dance communities in Antwerp rummaged through the depots together with the curators.
The permanent exhibition 'Life and Death. Gods and Mankind' shares ideas about life and death in different cultures and ideologies. New acquisitions by Jan Cox represent the secular humanism theme. The theme Judaism is given a new interpretation with an installation by Daniel von Weinberger.
Since 2012, the Mestizo Arts Platform (MAP) collective has been maintaining and renewing the Altar of Antwerp: a participatory installation that invites us to reflect on the meaning of 'what we have lost' in the city. This has been a part of the MAS' permanent collection since 2017.
This conference, strongly linked to the theme of the MAS exhibition 'Antwerp à la carte', aimed to increase our awareness of food systems as dynamic cultural phenomena. The conference took place between 21-23 September 2022.
The MAS keeps an extensive and important collection of historical tokens and coins, among which these three masterpieces. They were made for the guilds or trades. These were professional and interest associations led by a dean elected by the members.
The MAS has a lot to offer. In addition to the permanent presentation there are also temporary exhibitions, the building, an extensive collection, etc.
Young creative talents of the artistic laboratory "Het Bos" investigate Kruithof objects, experiment with them and invent stories. BOSLABS creates an interactive installation that shows its quirky take on "The Value of Things."
