Stop the declining sales of Dutch-language books, ensure more attention to literature. That is the only way to reverse the trend of the CPNB figures presented on Thursday, thinks the Authors' Union, the interest group for writers and translators with 1,750 members. By 2022, 10% less Dutch-language fiction has been sold. One in five books will now be published in a language other than...
The Dutch government distrusts citizens. And that stands in the way of a healthy art sector. This emerged on 17 January during a well-attended symposium at Amsterdam's Veem House. The occasion was the essay published in book form by Renée Steenbergen, who also published articles on this site. At the event, co-organised by Veem and Platform Beeldende Kunst, many makers were...
Eighty-six journalists and media workers were murdered worldwide in 2022 - one every four days, according to UNESCO data, highlighting the serious risks and vulnerabilities journalists continue to face in the course of their work. "After several years of consecutive decreases, the sharp rise in the number of journalists killed in 2022 is alarming. Authorities must step up their efforts...
Nice message from the Theatre and Concert Visit Promotion Foundation: last year, we went out again quite often after the lockdowns, and also gave each other a unique experience as a gift quite often. 138,000 stage visits were gifted. That earned the SPTC a nice 6.6 million. That means the Pokadoka (Podium Gift Card) included an average gift of 48 euros....
The collective labour agreement social fund Omscholing Dansers Nederland (CAO ODN) has been declared universally binding by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment with effect from 1 January 2023. This means that all dance companies based in the Netherlands that employ dancers are obliged to participate in the omscholing scheme. Since 1986, Stichting Omscholing Dansers Nederland (hereinafter: omscholingsregeling) has played an important role in...
Scored a new bullshit bingo card, today. 'Art must no longer tingle, I quit'. Big headline in a quality newspaper, with below it the terrible story of gallery owner Jeanette Dekeukeleires of Gallery Art Kitchen. The 60-year-old says she is quitting her job because nothing more is allowed. (Read the story here) For instance, she received complaints from young people about the famous PSP poster with that naked woman....
This is a pre-publication from the book The Art of Different, which will be available from 17 January 2023 via the author's site The arts sector is vulnerable, as was unmistakably demonstrated during the pandemic years. It is also clear that these are not just temporary setbacks, but problems of a structural nature. These were already in play before Corona but were anticipated...
The Rotterdam Council for Arts and Culture (RRKC) has been disbanded from 1 January 2023. I wrote about this in June this year2, and earlier the editor-in-chief did3. At that time, formal decision-making in Rotterdam had yet to take place. Given the question marks in the city council, it is safe to say that the college finally pushed through the dissolution. The...
By Melle Daamen 'What do you want then?' was a question I received quite often in response to my articles last year in NRC, in which I expressed my concerns about the state of the arts in the Netherlands and especially its future. I argued for a fundamental debate from within the arts sector itself, focusing on the future, including...
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