You can blame the Coronavirus a lot, but the good news is that for a good six months now, there has finally been serious talk about art in political The Hague. The debate on the culture budget 2020 and the arts plan 2020-2024 set out therein was remarkably lively on Monday 23 November. It also produced some substance.
Production houses Frascati and Plan Brabant were rewarded by the minister for their solid work to avoid cutbacks. They made a new plan to jointly fill a gap in the talent development system. Clever and, above all, unprecedented. The minister is now, as she said, "going through the culture budget with a pastry fork looking for money" to honour the plans worth 1.4 million euros.
Cherrypicking
Such a last-minute rescue is not very unique in Dutch cultural politics. In this case, though, it was good to notice that basically everyone - within the cultural sector and across the width of the political spectrum - was in favour. Even the VVD, which under spokesperson Zohair El Yassini has been remarkably knowledgeable and lenient about the sector over the past year, although it did fear that the cherrypicking - with or without pastry forks - would get a bit out of hand. He can rest assured: rescue for the 12 institutions that fell under the saw line at the Cultural Participation Fund is not going to happen, even if several parties were inclined to look for something for them.
Another thorny issue that is now being addressed is what we reported earlier this month: institutions, especially museums, that were supported by their municipalities by suspending rent, saw that deducted from their emergency support from the government. Ingrid van Engelshoven has since arranged with her Social Affairs colleague for that idiotic rule to disappear. It also goes for support in the form of loans from Cultuur+Ondernemen and other state funds: these are no longer counted in turnover when determining the amount of NOW.
Small makers no better off
Incidentally, municipalities that decide to spend the money offered for cultural rescue on reducing parking fees are free to do so. 'That's how democracy works,' the minister argued, 'but an alderman who does so can expect a phone call from me.' We will wait and see how many aldermen shy away from that.
Independent makers were the other item on the agenda. They, with kun small art practice, are quite often excluded from the larger coronasteun, and in the revamped TOZO, income from partners and own savings counts. This costs many small art entrepreneurs a lot of money. Many are forced to retrain. The minister referred to this remarkably often. In fact, it means that artists who are not already somewhere in the shower of trickle-down support going to larger institutions have to figure it out for themselves. With their partner, or their home.
Depressing
What applies to small independent creators applies to more things on the sector's wish lists. The arts sector, and certainly the events sector, should simply line up for support like everyone else. Ingrid van Engelshoven had no intention of giving the cultural sector an exemption spot, as has recently happened in Germany. So: no support for nightlife, but possibly a close look at De Parade.
On the difference in treatment between aviation and culture, or construction markets and culture, little hope. With the saving of Frascati and at least a Chamber that does understand the importance of the sector, the most depressing event of the year - the culture budget debate - still ended with a few bright spots.
But we are entering a very tough time.
Good to know
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