All about politics, policy, society and how those things relate to culture and art.
Thursday 15 December saw a conference in The Hague. A festive intended gathering with workshops celebrated the creation of the 'Code of Cultural Diversity'. In the final debate, the same code was openly buried. View the story "'Cultural Diversity' disappeared into the dustbin faster than drafters 'Code' could write" on Storify] The code can be found here:
The cut-away Metropole Orchestra is getting some air from the minister. She is willing to use the necessary friction costs to support the transition over the next four years from the Media Budget, provided it stays there. That is, the orchestra may use its own severance payments to be independently 'on the market' from 2017. As much as it shows...
It was Europe Day in cultural Amsterdam on Monday 12 December. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science officially opened the application procedure for cities wishing to become Europe's cultural capital in 2018. And the European commission presented and plan of 1.8 billion for culture. We reported via Twitter. And collected the results on 'storify'. View the story "Europe wants to invest in culture....
A Belgian professor was good enough to compare the own revenues by venues from the US, the UK and Belgium; in all three countries, the companies raise about 42% of their budgets themselves. The innovation professor also reiterated that research shows that investing in culture contributes to economic prosperity ... a wisdom that ...
On radio, the State Secretary for Culture and Education once again reiterated his position that when making cuts, it is good not to know one's field of activity . As an example, he did not know who the painter of "The Scream" is (Edvard Munch) and brought up a definition of culture as a "grab bag": "The beauty of culture is, that...
That this cabinet does not like the creators of art is by now well enough known. That this klabinet also wants to get rid of complaining artists as soon as possible, too. That is why the cabinet is rushing to end laws that give artists a helping hand, such as the Work and Income for Artists Act (WWIK). That law now regulates that professional artists for...
Positive news to start with: in The Hague, the municipality is doubling photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn's contribution to his youth culture fund Haagse Bluf by €75,000. Corbijn explicitly told the fund not to interfere in the subsidised cultural sector. So compensation for the cuts need not be expected. In Arnhem, the alderman is satisfied with the...
It has finally been scientifically proven: a work of art does not stand alone. A work of art is only truly appreciated when the viewer is told that it is real art. British professor Martin Kemp conducted research with brain scans at Oxford University and provided proof that the way we look at art is "completely irrational". The research...
Entrepreneurship is in young theatre-makers' blood (...) A new theatre circuit seems to have emerged in recent years. More and more young groups, such as Stichting Nieuwe Helden, PSTheater and Circus Treurdier, work relatively independently of subsidies and almost always outside the theatre building. They seek out their audiences anywhere, whether on the street, by a canal or in a...
Tax benefits to be gained this year (...) With effect from 2012, under the new Giving Act, there is an additional tax facility for donations (incidental or via periodic donations) to charitable institutions (non-profit organisations) designated as cultural institutions. Those cultural donations may be multiplied by a factor of 125 per cent for the gift deduction. This...
Poor economy hinders new art lottery The business market is not yet warming up to the National Art Lottery launched in July. The organisation is looking for sponsors, but the poor economic climate is playing tricks on the lottery. (...) The number of cultural organisations that applied to supply lottery tickets actually exceeded expectations (...) Only when there are enough sponsors will the...
'Amsterdam loses 127 million arts subsidy' (...) The 127.1 million euros is a sum of cuts from the state (70 million), the increase in VAT to 19% (45.6 million) and the announced municipal cuts to the 2013-2016 Arts Plan of 8 million annually. In addition, the so-called ID jobs (subsidised jobs) are being phased out more quickly. This will give Amsterdam's arts and cultural institutions another...
MuseumgoudA not expelled MuseumgoudA may still remain a member of the Dutch Museum Association (NMV). 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 change the rules for the...
Tropenmuseum a bit exotic due to international contacts (...) "The Tropenmuseum still seems to be an issue for political The Hague, but I don't hear anything about the library service and the theatre." There seems to be no question of transfer to subsidy by the Ministry of OCW. Heemskerk also wonders whether state secretary Knapen has sufficient insight into the importance of the library. "The library service...
Her name is Sara Wookey and she is well known in the international dance world. When this choreographer and dancer with 16 years of experience was offered a chance to audition to perform in a renowned performance by world-renowned artist Marina Abramovich, she naturally seized it. She auditioned and passed the audition with six others, but not then...
IDFA's jury neatly balanced poetry and politics by awarding among the feature-length documentaries the moving Planet of Snail (South Korea), alongside the Palestinian village-set 5 Broken Cameras, a Palestinian/Israeli/French/Dutch co-production. Planet of Snail by Seung-Jun Yi received the main award, the VPRO IDFA Award for best feature-length documentary. The fireworks of...
Amsterdam - Mayor finds cuts to Rijksakademie "beyond comprehension" During the official opening of RijksakademieOPEN 2011, Mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan expressed his concerns about the government's severe cuts to the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten. "Cutbacks are necessary. Capitulating is not necessary. There are limits." The mayor stressed that a healthy art climate is important for...
State secretary does not give museum park Orientalis a cent (...) Interim director Peter Berns had asked Zijlstra, state secretary for Education, Culture and Science, for a one-off subsidy of six million euros. The province of Gelderland is willing to make a one-off contribution, if necessary, but only if the government also comes over the bridge. So that is not the case now, confirms a disappointed Berns. Source:...
Culture sector signs agreement on youth pass Eight umbrella organisations in the culture sector signed a covenant on Wednesday advocating the continued existence, albeit in modified form, of the Culture Card. It should remain free, but will henceforth only give discounts on cultural outings. The 15-euro credit will disappear because the state will no longer provide subsidies. Instead, students in the...
The stained-glass windows of the Sint-Janskerk in Gouda, known as the Gouda Glasses for short, are famous abroad. Domestically, the colourful splendour and artistic value of the sometimes 20-metre-high windows is less well known. Even less known are the paper sketches for these windows, which have recently been restored. The exhibition 'Sketches of beauty', opened by Queen Beatrix, closes...
Arnhem - Scepticism over success of cultural heart Rijnboog Arnhem city council has many doubts about the financial feasibility of the Rijnboog arts cluster. (...) [Alderman] assumes 16 million subsidy from the province and another 4 million in contributions from sponsors for the new arts centre containing the Museum of Modern Art Arnhem, the Schouwburg and Focus Filmtheater....
That Martin Bosma, culture spokesman for the PVV, wants to withdraw the subsidy to Toneelgroep Amsterdam because that company plays works by 'enemy of the people' Tom Lanoye, was not even the most bizarre incident of the culture budget debate on 21 November 2011. More bizarre, too, than the PVV's demand for the establishment of a Colonial Museum celebrating the glory of 'Our Indies',...
A bit alienating it is. Watching at IDFA the eventful account of Egypt's February Tahrir 2011 revolution while at the same time, in Tahrir Square, the second phase of resistance against the dictatorship is in full swing. A kind of 'back to the future' feeling. Tahrir 2011 is a relatively unpolished, but with a sense of urgency in...
'Philanthropists cannot absorb cuts' (...) "Funds are less and less willing to just write a cheque. Owners want to be involved, contribute their expertise and measure impacts. They ask about the applicant's objective, how they intend to achieve it and whether it is measurable. (...) "On average, a fund disburses 4 per cent of its assets annually. So.
Coincidence? The two Dutch documentaries in the main competition of the IDFA documentary festival both explore what music can mean to people. Two films that also complement each other perfectly - one starts from the perspective of the listener, the other from the musician. In About Canto, Ramon Gieling outlines the profound influence that Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato...
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