Since the end of March 2023, part of the Brothers’ collection, namely all photographs related to Aruba, is also part of the Aruba Collection: https://coleccion.aw/fraters.
The Brothers of Tilburg worked for many years in the Caribbean, taking numerous photographs in Curacao, Bonaire, Suriname, Aruba, Trinidad, French, and British Guiana, among others. Part of the Caribbean Heritage collection of the Brothers of Tilburg has been digitally accessible since 2018 through the Tilburg City Museum website: https://stadsmuseumtilburg.nl/collecties/.
“Within the ‘Coleccion Aruba’ project, we are currently working to make all the heritage puzzle pieces related to Aruba available in one place. The collection of the Brothers of Tilburg is one of the (photographic) treasure troves of Aruban/Caribbean heritage,” said Peter Scholing, responsible for digitization, digital collections, and research at Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (BNA).
“BNA has had a digital collection online since 2019, with nearly 50,000 items now available.”
This digital collection formed the basis for ‘Coleccion Aruba in 2022, a new, Aruba-wide initiative with, in addition to BNA, Archivo Nacional Aruba (ANA), and UNOCA, the local cultural fund as founding partners. Meanwhile, this initiative has expanded to include local partners from the broader heritage community, such as from the museum field and the built heritage/monuments protection field.
“The collaboration with Stadsmuseum Tilburg in the area of the Fraters collection fits well into this broader vision, to also make available in a digital way the collections that are not physically located on the island in the ‘original’, local context, namely within the Collection Aruba, just as collaborations and content exchanges are taking place and have taken place with the Royal Archives, and with the Royal Library. Soon e hope to announce other similar collaborations with Dutch collection holdings.”
“This collaboration with the Stadsmuseum Tilburg for the collection of the Brothers of Tilburg has been very high on the ‘wish list’ for many years. I am very happy that we have succeeded with Stadsmuseum Tilburg and Erfgoed Brabant! We especially want to thank Petra Robben, Rien Vissers, Cris Kremers, and the Brothers of Tilburg for their permission and pleasant cooperation,” Scholing said.
Petra Robben, city curator of Stadsmuseum Tilburg: “I think it’s great that this cultural heritage is reaching a wider audience from our database through Coleccion Aruba. In fact, by opening up our data to them, the awareness of this collection is increased with the push of a button.”
Rien Vissers, archivist Brothers CMM: “The Central Archives of the Brothers of Tilburg (CMM) finds it very special that the photo collection of the brothers who lived and worked in Aruba for many years is now made available through Coleccion Aruba. It is honorable to remain part of Aruban history in this way.”
