Culture minister Jet Bussemaker can again make up for the cultural devastation caused by her predecessor Halbe Zijlstra. As promised earlier, money will be freed up for talent development. That was a demand of the chamber and a wish of the country. Are we happy? Of course. Although happy, there are also a few things that remain troublesome.
[Tweet "1 Develop ok, but how do you discover talent?"]
Bussemaker wants to give talent the opportunity to develop, but this applies emphatically only to talents. Those who are not talents need not develop. But how do you find out if someone is a talent? The minister sees it this way: "Children who know at an early age that they have the ambition and potential for a possible career in classical music or dance can attend a preliminary course."
But then they must have shown that ambition somewhere. At the music school? In the theatre class at primary school? No. Because those are still cut away. So is it about people with money, according to the room letter: "Often at a very young age, children start dancing and playing an instrument. They are usually taught by a private teacher."
This rather terrible affirmation of the neoliberal status quo does soften them a little later: "Contributing to the most favourable conditions for the development of talent, I see as a task of the government. This already starts with the broad basis that cultural education lays in primary and secondary education."
Unfortunately, the minister does not specify how this talent-creation should take shape.
[Tweet "2 We'll never see those production houses again"]
Halbe Zijlstra lifted all 20 of them, a few managed to survive thanks to inventive solutions, mergers and salary cuts. Many wanted their toys back, but Bussemaker notes that they are doing fine without. "I note that this call is less loud lately and also that many production houses and presentation institutions are still active. It is not considered useful by many interlocutors to invest in institutions. The current cultural infrastructure offers enough opportunities, but institutions should be given and also take space and time to invest in talent."
Wonder if the industry really thinks so.
[Tweet "3 Once developed, talent must go abroad"]
Cuts, which add up to some 450 million euros, have meant that there is no longer a healthy art world in the Netherlands. Moreover, audiences have stayed away because of the crisis, and perhaps also a bit because of the bad reputation many artists have given themselves in their actions against the cuts. So where to take your talent? Abroad, says Bussemaker: "To give talent the opportunity to respond to international developments and compete with the international top, I announced in my letter 'Culture moves' the programme 'talent development in an international context' for the period 2013-2016. This programme will be implemented by the cultural funds. In this context, at the Dutch Foundation for Literature, talented writers, literary programme makers and magazine editors are given the opportunity for international orientation and professional development. At the Mondriaan Fund and the Creative Industry Stimulation Fund, within this framework, promising artists, intermediaries and designers can apply for an internship or apprenticeship with a renowned artist, designer or organisation abroad."
Thus, in a whole new way, our culture becomes an important export product of the Netherlands.
[Tweet "4 The music schools in the Netherlands are still in distress. “]
The minister's letter can be found here.
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