It was a remarkable message, this morning. According to newspaper Tubantia, the new cabinet was still willing to make extra money available for regional museums in Twente. The amount would be 1.5 million euros, earmarked to set up a joint presentation of Twente's history by De Museumfabriek in Enschede and Techniekmuseum Oyfo in Hengelo.
According to the newspaper, the decision came as a big surprise to the institutions involved. Earlier this year, the Council for Culture, the government's main advisory body, still let it be known that it did not see any merit in the two museums' plans for what is called 'Verhaal van Twente', as their initiative is called
So much for the newspaper, which also quotes a happily surprised museum director, who is "incredibly happy about it": "The disappointment over the rejection by the Culture Council was great. Now everything is open again. That gives hope and confidence."
No change
According to Tubantia, Minister Bruins' decision is remarkable because it is one of the few changes he has made to the overall package of cultural subsidies for the next four years. And that is where it goes wrong, it turns out when enquiring at the ministry. A spokesperson for Eppo Bruins explains via WhatsApp when asked: "Based on the ministerial regulation, there is room for 12 (collaborations of) regional museums, one per province. The council advised negatively on the applications submitted from Groningen and Overijssel. As the funds were therefore specifically linked to the province in question, it was decided to allow a new application. It is therefore not about new or additional money. In this way, it is ensured that a regional museum is also supported for activities in Groningen and Overijssel."
So no new money has become available, but less money has been saved. The minister is giving museums in Groningen and Overijssel a second chance to spend money that had already been earmarked. The plan needs to be better. The deviation from the opinion of the Culture Council is therefore only that it did not say so. The amounts of €250,000 and €298,000 respectively were also not earmarked elsewhere by the Council.
The Council will also make its own judgement on the new applications again, the ministry reports. What happens when those too are rejected remains a guess, but the reservation is fixed either way.
So all the other rejected institutions that were already hoping, on the basis of the reports in Tubantia, that the minister would still make an exception for them as well, gain nothing. The ministry's purse strings will not open any further, and given the relations in the coalition, that is already more than we could dare hope for.
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