Street Art Museum (SAMA)

An art museum spread across 4km! Walk the highlights of the best local and global street art in Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West neighborhood.

Did you know? Google listed SAMA as one of its hidden gems of museums in 2020! Here’s why. Anna Stolyarova was a Digital Production Director living in a suburban neighborhood in Amsterdam.Like all of us, she got kinda overwhelmed by all the museums when travelling. Inspiration struck in the most unusual of ways: on her daily walk with her dog! Stolyarova realized her neighborhood--mainly social and immigrant housing--was already home to beautiful works of graffiti. She wanted to use this particular art form to change the perspective of her neighborhood--for herself, and anyone who encountered it!

Why visit SAMA? There are over 300 pieces of street art throughout the collection, which vary in size, genre, and style. It also spans across multiple neighborhoods. So, it doesn’t feel like walking through a museum at all, but more like familiarizing yourself with the everyday life in Amsterdam!

Street art has always been somewhat controversial. I mean, is it even legal? What counts as art? Who owns street art? The SAMA museum honours the awesome work of street artists and preserves it! It’s all about expressing yourself, you know. Drop by SAMA and you’ll be going off the well beaten path by visiting lesser known neighborhoods outside of central Amsterdam.

SAMA showcases street art from both local and internationally acclaimed street artists such as El Pez, Bastardilla, Stinkfish, Lunar, and more! The collection of artwork is meant to research, display, and interpret the pieces of art and make it accessible to wider audiences. Soon, there will be an online catalogue of all the art to boost your street art tour so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Become one of SAMA’s “users” and become an active participant in the street art experience!

• The tour typically lasts 2-3 hours, with the collection being spread out over a 4km including sections in Schiphol, Amsterdam Old-West, and Sloterdijk.
• Guided or solo, you choose! The collection lives outside on the streets (hence the name street art), but is quite difficult to find on your own. Plus, it’s important to support the artists! So you can either book a guided tour or purchase an online map to go around on your own.
• Art for a good cause: SAMA has collaborated with the IMC Weekend School Foundation to offer extracurricular activities supporting vulnerable youths in the Amsterdam Nieuw-West area. The Foundation gives students the opportunity to participate in the urban art school and interact with peers.