Buro Stedelijk presents How We Made Noise: Reimagining the Museum from Within

After three years of experimental practice within the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Buro Stedelijk marks the close of its initial cycle with the publication How We Made Noise: Reimagining the Museum from Within (to be released on November 27), co-published with Onomatopee. Edited by Rita Ouédraogo with associate editor Gwen Parry, the 208-page volume gathers contributions from leading thinkers and artists including Tina M. Campt, Christina Sharpe, Quinsy Gario, Wayne Modest, Ola Hassanain, Yvette Mutumba, Emily Pethick, and Kevin Osepa, among others.

How We Made Noise reflects on Buro Stedelijk’s three-year trajectory as a case study of “research by doing” inside a major museum. Bringing together voices from across disciplines, the book addresses pressing questions of representation, institutional critique, and the possibilities of reimagining the museum from within.

Curator Rita Ouédraogo reflects: “Buro Stedelijk had this rare thing—real autonomy within the museum walls. That freedom allowed us be experimental, pushing from the inside out. We could play with unconventional forms, be outspoken, and literally test what a space like this could hold. Buro showed that museums need these kinds of experimental pockets, spaces that get torn down and rebuilt conceptually, again and again. The work and the space call for sustained, systemic self-criticism as a moral imperative, despite the inherent contradictions and potential for failure. It’s about creating room for the institution to surprise itself.”

Founded in 2022 by Rita Ouédraogo and Azu Nwagbogu, Buro Stedelijk has served as an autonomous platform within the museum, hosting over 200 collaborators. It positioned itself as a space of experimentation and tension, challenging institutional boundaries while opening new pathways for collective making and community building.

Rein Wolfs, director Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: “Founding curators Rita Ouédraogo and Azu Nwagbogu laid a strong basis for Buro Stedelijk and Rita was able to give it tremendous speed and experimental power. Her engagement was key for community-building and for creating enormous chances for artists, thinkers and other collaborators. All manifestations targeted Amsterdam and its creative communities and were at the same time international in their approach. Rita’s way of putting Buro Stedelijk on the local and global map created the best conditions for a second run of Buro Stedelijk, starting in 2026.”

Publication
How We Made Noise: Reimagining the Museum from Within / Editor: Rita Ouédraogo / Associate editor: Gwen Parry / Graphic design: Frédérique Gagnon / Publisher: Onomatopee in collaboration with Buro Stedelijk / Pages: 208 / Publication date: November 27, 2025.