Biography

The writings of Ton Haak
between 1994 and today


Worked in the Netherlands until 1994
in business, as a design agency partner, and as a communications and design consultant; also editor/contributor of design and art magazines; chair of contemporary art foundations; founder of a poetry festival.

Moved to the US in 1994.Traveled for three years (all 21 states west of the Mississippi). Wrote travelogue mainly in Dutch.

Settled in Abiquiu, New Mexico in 1997.Wrote: travelogue and essays in Dutch and English; two books of poetry in English; two novels (one in Dutch, one in English); and several screenplays in English. Also co-managed a contemporary art gallery. Co-creator of and contributor to art project Desert Passage.

Resettled in Matfield Green, Kansas in 2009.Wrote: essays in English; copy in Dutch and English. Translated: Dutch-English and English-Dutch on art-related subjects. Also was co-manager and/or curator of three contemporary art galleries; co-founder of Matfield Station PrairyArt Path; co-initiator of Point of Departure, an augmented reality art tour; and art editor of four consecutive Field Journals published by the Symphony in the Flint Hills.

Moved to Tomar, Portugal in 2016. Wrote essays in English and Dutch (for the blog and website Portugal Portal) about Portugal’s history and about contemporary life. Translator (Dutch-English and v.v.) including 50 cahiers Roots about leading Dutch graphic designers. Co-editor and contributor, Document voor een Monument, a series of books about the historic Binnenhof buildings in The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government and parliament. Translator and contributor of visual art catalogs and artist’s books.

Resettled in the Netherlands (Hoogkerk / Groningen) in 2023. Translator and contributor of art publications. Co-editor and contributor, Document voor een Monument.