Museums, Boxmeer theatre, IKON, ANP, regional broadcasters, impoverished library

MuseumgoudA not disbarred

MuseumgoudA may remain a member of the Dutch Museum Association (NMV) after all. A majority of the members were still of the opinion in September that the museum should be expelled because it had auctioned Marlene Dumas' The Schoolboys at the end of June without consulting other museums. That is against the NMV's rules. It did, however, decide to tighten the rules for selling collection pieces. Source: Cultural policy.co.uk    29 Nov 11

2nd Chamber: conversation with Orientalis

State Secretary for Culture Zijlstra is required by a majority in the Lower House to enter into talks with Orientalis on the future of the museum park in Heilig Landstichting. Zijlstra indicated earlier that he does not intend to put the requested six million into the park. (..)
The museum park needs 21 million euros for a relaunch. Source: Omroep Gelderland    29 Nov 11
Wed: The PVV's plan to transform the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam into the Colonial Museum failed to gain a majority. Only the PVV itself voted in favour of the proposal to 'stop hiding away our colonial heritage'.

'The Tropenmuseum is hopelessly outdated in its current form'

By opening the discussion on the financing of the Tropenmuseum, this government has created space for a critical look at the nineteenth-century structure of our museums. (..)
A new perspective therefore means saying goodbye to the nineteenth-century ethnographic palace, where Westerners can admire so-called artefacts from Third World countries. The alternative is to transform the Tropenmuseum into a true art museum that considers arts and crafts of different cultures in its historical context. The impetus for this consists of the strong Indian colonial collection and the many donations that have come to the museum over the years. (..)
One last option remains, which certainly deserves the predicate 'viable': merging the Tropenmuseum, Artis and the Hortus Botanicus into an institute that studies and presents flora, fauna and culture in conjunction. Geographically, there is every reason for it: the three institutes are practically in line on one street, Plantage Middenlaan. (...) Source: Volkskrant    29 Nov 11

Boxmeer - 'Weijertheater is close to my heart'

(...) [Councillor] "If I have to make a choice between scrapping a theatre facility with an occupancy rate of less than 50 per cent or leaving the elderly out in the cold and depriving them of their basic facilities, I will - with pain in my heart - still choose the former." (..)
The management [of Cultureel Centrum de Weijer] wants to stop all theatre activities in any case. The Boxmeer College of B and W does not want to make a policy change to preserve the theatre for the time being. (...) Source: Clicknews.co.uk    29 Nov 11

IKON concerned about survival of quality TV

The interdenominational broadcaster IKON won three awards last Friday at the 24th edition of IDFA, the world's largest international documentary festival. (...)
The IKON is seizing the shower of awards to point out to politicians in The Hague that the documentary genre is ideally suited to fulfilling its philosophical mission. Margje de Koning, head of IKON TV: "It is nevertheless remarkable that we, as a small ideological broadcaster, leave large, international broadcasters like the BBC behind."
But the government wants to cut back substantially on IKON, claiming its programme offerings are not philosophical enough. (..)
With the looming additional cuts to broadcasters like the IKON, these kinds of films cannot be made in the future. Surely they should think twice about that in The Hague." Source: Churchnews.co.uk    28 Nov 11

Art Central starts action against discounting

Kunst Centraal, the support function [for cultural education] in the province of Utrecht, is an action through facebook launched against the impending 40% cut. If this continues, services and products will become unaffordable or will disappear. (...) Source: Culture Network    29 Nov 11

ANP shrinks and renews

The Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP) is downsizing its news and photo editors by 33 full time jobs next year, 15 per cent of its total staff (...)
Among other things, the ANP is saying goodbye to all permanently employed photographers and will work exclusively with freelancers. "The price of photographic material is in free fall" (...).
News editors are also increasingly switching to freelance staff. (..)
"Left and right, our stuff is copied, copied without attribution and in one case brutally resold: for a bargain." Source: Now.co.uk    29 Nov 11

Amsterdam city council happy with AT5 takeover

Amsterdam city broadcaster AT5 will most likely be owned by Het Parool, AVRO and RTV Noord-Holland. The college parties in the Amsterdam city council react enthusiastically to the plan. (..)
According to Het Parool, after the takeover, only 2.8 million euros of subsidy from the municipality of Amsterdam will be needed to keep AT5 on air. Without a takeover, the municipality would have to put 5 million euros into the channel. Het Parool, AVRO and RTV Noord-Holland can make cheaper programmes because they already have locations, studios and support departments. (...) Source: DomesticBoard    29 Nov 11

Still subsidy for RTi Hilversum

RTi Hilversum will continue to receive 177,000 euros subsidy from the municipality at least this year. The local broadcaster successfully objected to the first step in halving its municipal contribution. (..)
Indeed, the contribution to RTi Hilversum was to be reduced from €250,000 to €161,000 this year. Over the next three years, the municipality then wanted to further reduce this amount to €125,000. (..)
RTi claims to be entitled to the so-called UPC funds plus an amount of 1.30 euros per household. Altogether: 177,000 euros.
Anticipating the positive opinion of the objections committee, the municipal executive has now decided to keep the contribution for this year at the latter amount. Source: Gooi-en Eemlander    30 Nov 11

Rhine and Fen region - Study future library

The municipalities of Kaag and Braassem and Nieuwkoop are leaving the Rijn and Venen library partnership. Because they want to cut costs, they no longer meet the minimum 'entry level' for participation of 11 euro per inhabitant.(...)
There are two options. The first is cooperation of the libraries in Alphen, Rijnwoude and Zoeterwoude. Option two also includes Boskoop. The latter is preferred, given Rijnwoude's municipal merger with Alphen and Boskoop.
Kaag and Braassem and Nieuwkoop can no longer participate because they cannot contribute enough to take the library to a higher level [national certification]. (...) Source: Leidsch Dagblad    29 Nov 11

Eindhoven - Impoverished library - comment

Even before the holidays, the decision to cut the municipal subsidy for the public library in Eindhoven from €6 million to €3 million a year fell through. (..)
Eighteen jobs will be lost at the library next year. As a result, staffing levels will worsen, workloads will increase, opening hours will be reduced and the Tongelre branch will close for good. This year, temporary workers have already been terminated, CDs and music DVDs have gone on sale and the organisation of activities for adults has been discontinued. To reach the targeted cut of 3 million, further cuts will have to be made in the coming years.(...)
Austerity and downsizing cannot be avoided. But the clearcutting now under way threatens to impoverish the library's cultural and educational function in a way that does not suit a knowledge-intensive region that may call itself the smartest in the world and should want to remain so. Source: Eindhovens Dagblad    30 Nov 11