Where are you from? What are you doing in Amsterdam? I’m from Scandiano, a little city in the north-east of Italy, not far from Reggio Emilia, where some of the partners of SAMA are located. I came here to Amsterdam because I met Anna in Italy and she offered me to work at SAMA for a couple of months. Back then I just got my bachelor degree and I had decided to take a gap year. I wanted this free time I took for myself to be great and worthy and the idea of spending it workin

Where are you from? What are you doing in Amsterdam? Hi I'm Tessa, I'm 15 years old and I'm from Amsterdam myself and live nearby. I was born here and spent my childhood in Amsterdam. My dad is also from Amsterdam west and grew up around here. My dad told me stories about how west used to be and about what it looked like when he was a child. I find it funny how me and my dad for example in the summer went to the same beach when I was slightly younger or how we played in the s

Amsterdam, as a Living Canvas How Urbanites United turned the city into a shared artwork In September 2025, something subtle but powerful happened in Amsterdam. Walls started talking. Streets began listening. Neighbourhoods recognised themselves in colour, line and story. Urbanites United: Amsterdam, as a Living Canvas  was never meant to be a festival you “visited.” It was something you walked into . Something you stumbled upon . Something that unfolded while you were on you

Moryz here again! In my introduction post I gave a breakdown of what my tasks and responsibilities would be during my one-month internship with SAMA, and in the recent VR-centric post I explained in more detail what that specific component actually entailed. Yet, I thought that as my stay comes to an end, it might be interesting to know in a bit more detail what exactly I am up to on a given day, and generally what working for SAMA means as student from AUC. So, to give a sne

As part of the Digital Street Art Depot project , SAMA developed a unique virtual reality heritage preservation component to document street art in an immersive experience, allowing for future generations to have the feeling of standing in front of massive murals in their real-life scale. The 3D space that this "memory capsule" puts users into contains a high quality scan of the artwork, several audio information points, and details about the creation of the piece. For the te

In November, Street Art Museum Amsterdam (SAMA)  participated in an intensive Partners Meeting (TPM)  and Long-Term Training Activity (LTTA)  in Reggio Emilia, Italy , hosted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia – Officina Educativa. The week brought together project partners and youth workers from different countries to strengthen cooperation, review project progress, and deepen practical skills in using street art as a tool for non-formal education and social inclusion. The

Where are you from? What are you doing in Amsterdam? I am from Germany – where my parents are from and also where I was born – but have lived most of my life elsewhere, most prominently in Malaga, Spain, for the better part of 12 years. Recently, I moved here to Amsterdam to pursue the Bachelor’s degree ‘Liberal Arts and Sciences’ at Amsterdam University College, a unique programme that offers me the chance to explore several interests while still focusing on one ‘major’ path

The first STAR project was a two-year , EU-funded initiative running from 2019 to 2022. STAR (STreet ARt) aimed to promote social inclusion through street art in 14 European countries, including the Netherlands. Organized by ALDA and the Municipality of Arguinano (Italy), the project used street art to revitalize neglected urban areas and actively engage young people. With international events in Italy, Portugal, Kosovo, and the Netherlands, the STAR program has proven that

Het eerste STAR-project was een tweejarig , door de EU gefinancierd initiatief dat tussen 2019 en 2022. STAR (STreet ARt) was gericht op het bevorderen van sociale inclusie door middel van street art in 14 Europese landen, waaronder Nederland. Het project, georganiseerd door ALDA & gemeente Arguinano (IT), gebruikt street art om verwaarloosde stedelijke gebieden nieuw leven in te blazen en jongeren actief te betrekken. Met internationale evenementen in Italië, Portugal, Kosov

An end-of-year story from the Dichtersbuurt At the end of the year, the silence falls differently on the Dichtersbuurt. It gets dark early, the cold muffles the sounds of the street, and the pace slows. It's then that the gentle forces become visible: a greeting that lingers, a door open for coffee, a hand that lends a helping hand without being asked. It's these small gestures that make winter bearable—and that reveal what kind of neighborhood we are together. 2025 was a yea

A month ago, on September 13th and 14th, the very first edition of Urbanites United took place: the open-to-all street art weekend that transformed Amsterdam into one giant canvas for two days. Together with artists, residents, visitors, and partners, we transformed the city into a living museum, just as we at SAMA envision. The city as a stage Throughout Amsterdam, murals, live art sessions, open studios, and neighborhood activities were available to visit. Thanks to the d

Een maand geleden, op 13 en 14 september, vond de allereerste editie van Urbanites United plaats: het open-to-all street art-weekend dat Amsterdam twee dagen lang veranderde in één groot canvas. Samen met kunstenaars, bewoners, bezoekers en partners maakten we de stad tot een levend museum, precies zoals we bij SAMA graag zien. De stad als podium Door heel Amsterdam waren tijdens het weekend muurschilderingen, live art-sessies, open ateliers en buurtactiviteiten te bezoeken.

Reggio Emilia is a historic industrial city known as one of Italy's strongest communist and anti-fascist centers, the birthplace of the Tricolore flag, and the origin of the internationally influential Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Reggio Emilia, nestled in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, is a city steeped in history and a strong cultural identity. From Renaissance influences from nearby cities to the region's culinary traditions, such as Parmigiano Reggi

The BlueLightS conference took place on October 28 and was organised in collaboration with ALDA and numerous European partners. The conference brought together educational innovators, policymakers, environmental experts, and civil society organizations around a shared mission: integrating " blue education " into the European school and curriculum system. The project aims to connect students with the life and importance of aquatic ecosystems, from rivers and lakes to seas. T

In September 2025, Placemaking Week Europe took place in Reggio Emilia, Italy : one of the most important European gatherings on urban regeneration, community building, and public space. For four days, from September 23rd to 26th, more than seven hundred participants gathered: urban innovators, policymakers, artists, researchers, and residents. Together, they explored how cities can be designed more inclusively, humanely, and sustainably. The event, organized by the Placema

What happens when graffiti meets glitch, when pixels replace spray cans, and when anti-heroes are 3D-printed instead of hand-thrown onto...

With the sun finally peeking through the clouds and spring just around the corner, the workshops in the BuurtTuin van Verhalen  are now...

De VrijeHeid Maaltijd in de Dichtersbuurt Since 2023, SAMA is located in Dichtersbuurt, Amsterdam Nieuw-West. This neighbourhood, built...

Focus Group STAR 2.0 Globalization has widened the gap between rich and poor, and recent challenges such as climate change, pandemics,...

Een Gemeenschappelijke Street Art Muurschildering voor Oekraïense vluchtelingen Street Art connecting people Sinds 2024 ontwikkeld (SAMA)...