Portrait of an M-bassador Family: Liesbet, Stefan, An-Sofie and Barbara

Portrait of an M-bassador Family

Liesbet Vanderwegen (56) works as a specialist in neurology at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Leuven, Stefan Van Lani (50) is policy coordinator at Park Abbey. From the very beginning they have been M ambassadors, together with their daughters An-Sofie (15) and Barbara (11) To them, it is self-evident: “If you are involved in Leuven, you also commit to M.”

When we tell the children we’re going to the museum, the first thing they say is: “Oh but, do we have to do that again! But once they are there, they quickly change their mind.

Liesbet Vanderwegen, M-bassadeur

Liesbet: “I have been coming to the museum for a long time, from when it was still called City Museum Vander Kelen-Mertens. My mother was a guide in Leuven, also in the museum, and she often took me along. That’s how I got to know many of the old collections: the stained glass windows, the 19th-century sculptures, the Christian art...”

Stefan: “Liesbet and I both used to be city guides. That is why we stayed in touch with Leuven’s cultural life.

“In the 2000s, plans came up to turn Vander Kelen-Mertens into a new kind of city museum, with international appeal. At the time, we took part in information sessions and brainstorming sessions. Architect Stéphane Beel came into the picture, Jan Hoet was involved... It was very fascinating to witness the birth of M close at hand. So there was a link with the museum, and interest too. Through my work for Park Abbey, I also knew Veronique Vandekerckhove very well – the head curator of M, who died in 2012 after a dramatic traffic accident.”

Liesbet: “When M opened in 2009, we immediately became M ambassadors, as a family. We follow everything that happens in the museum. I really like the digital newsletter, and the magazine as well: very contemporary, with a good balance between informing and recruiting. Once or twice a year, we go to the museum with the whole family.”

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO?

Stefan: “We both have very busy jobs. We don’t have much time to participate in the M-bassador activities. A pity, because we are still interested, of course. We sometimes go to openings of exhibitions, and there you always notice that M also is something of a meeting place for art lovers.”

Liesbet: “I went on one of M.’s trips to Tourinnes-la-Grosse, a Walloon village that organises an annual art event in farms, ordinary houses and so on. The artists themselves explain their work. A very pleasant day, our eldest daughter was also there. We consciously became M ambassadors with the whole family. We wanted to give our children the opportunity to learn what art is.”

Stefan: When we tell them we are going to the museum, the first thing they say is: “Do we really have to, again? We understand that, because we often take them to see churches and abbeys – that’s part of my job. But once they are there, they change their minds. They’re stimulated by the stories, the audio guide, the multimedia applications...”

Liesbet: “Screens and buttons help. They like interactivity. When they were younger, they once took part in a quest at M. They were allowed to make things themselves, and they loved it.”

Stefan: “Yes, there is some fuss in the beginning, but afterwards it usually turns out to be great (laughs).”

Vriendendag in M Leuven — Foto: Diederik Craps voor M Leuven

The M-bassador programme is currently being revised. The current programme will continue until June 2026. However, it is not possible to apply for new membership at this time.

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