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Photo: Wijbrand Schaap

'Cuts do lead to loss of quality' The great Arts Council interview (1): "Patronage is, of course, bullshit."

Joop Daalmeijer: 'I never authorise. I find that such nonsense. A journalist should just do his job properly.' Wijbrand Schaap: 'We agree on that then. We write up everything in full, but because conversations about everything tend to be endless, I want to hang it on the Culture Exploration. That's the most concrete piece and the most topical, and it... 

We will talk to Joop Daalmeijer. Did you have any questions?

We are going to talk about everything, because Joop was a bit fed up. All this criticism of the Council for Culture. That on his leadership it had degenerated into Halbe Zijlstra's lapdog, and that Jet Bussemaker laughs out loud at them. And that they conduct discussion behind a paywall. That's why we're going to talk to Joop Daalmeijer. The President. We agreed... 

8 million for talent development, but 4 tough problems remain

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... 

One and a half million for art. Provided it is directly demonstrably useful

One and a half million euros sounds quite a lot. So a cry of joy will be heard here and there now that Jet Bussemaker is allocating that extra amount to culture. After all, this is yet another make up after the almost 300 million her ministry took from the sector earlier. However, the conditions the culture minister attaches to the money tell a different story: the money is only for art that is demonstrably useful.

'Fix it yourself.' Culture minister puts fate of amateur arts in hands of municipalities and citizens

In March this year, the Council for Culture sounded the alarm. Unique under the new leadership, which is usually extremely docile when it comes to culture cuts. But what happens to the music schools, children's drama schools, libraries and amateur orchestras is otherwise entirely up to the citizens themselves, and their local councils. This is the minister's response to the chamber.

In the letter, which landed in MPs' inboxes this weekend, the minister states, "I will maintain my commitment to the terrei...

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Culture Council notes total destruction of amateur art. Minister worries.

Over 60 million has disappeared from the coffers of the Netherlands' amateur artists in recent years. That money from your daughter's dance class, the brass band and your son's hip-hop class has been spent by municipalities, which had to compensate for cuts elsewhere, and provinces that suddenly saw no point in amateurs. That the national government additionally took 200 million from professional arts institutions is added to that.

The Culture Council, in an advice to the minister, is now trying to see if there is movement ...

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'Limited measurement': minister throws Berenschot report in wastebasket

Minister Bussemaker thinks it is far too early to sound the alarm about the cuts municipalities are still going to make on culture. Research firm Berenschot had calculated earlier this year that many per cent would still be cut from the local culture budget. Our own sources told us that Berenschot was still on the sunny side. According to the minister, however, the research is too limited: only 65 municipalities were checked, and besides, it is still far too early.

We then wonder how v...

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Why the National Ballet should stay and Melle Daamen should become chairman of the Culture Council.

Update
Meanwhile, in NRC Handelsblad reacted somewhat panicked to the opinion of Melle Daamen, whom he calls an impatient entrepreneur: "You can imagine structurally subsidising two instead of four dance companies anymore. The other two could apply for grants for projects from the Performing Arts Fund, which should then get more funding."

Rutte and Bosma don't do vision or substance and bend culture debate to their will

Culture debate 2013: Rutte and PVV shake hands. It was about Caro Emerald. About Zwarte Piet. And the classic: subsidy on opera tickets. And briefly about carnival. And it made all the news. Geenstijl. Radio 1,2,3 and 4. What else was the debate about? Um... no idea.

Lower chamber talked about art. We followed the debate for you

We kept a liveblog. Nice and old-fashioned, from the days when every month there was uproar somewhere about the government's handling of art. Now there is peace in the tent, as the PVV sardonically points out, because 'The Left' is now the bearer of policies devised by the PVV. The PVV predicts a black future for 'The Left' once the PVV comes to power.

Below are our updates, which paint a picture of a room that still doesn't really know where it is in d eculture ...

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Turning back the clock 26 years. Four questions and one answer on Bussemaker's letter

Jet Bussemaker is satisfied. For the next few years, there will be little whining about the subsidies under her regime. She states this in her letter this weekend. After all, the basis of the system is fixed: there are great museums, symphony orchestras, opera and theatre clubs whose subsidies are cast in concrete. Or rather carved from classical marble, because money gets you

Asscher throws piggy bank of flex-working artists into bottomless pit

A reduction in the ww premium spend on a scheme to keep more people in work is not going ahead because more and more people are becoming unemployed, forcing the premium up. See here the positive effect of austerity by the government. The less you spend, the deeper the problems, the less you can spend, the worse it gets, the less you can spend. And the arts may again be the first to make that clear.

Art was spared, right?

That art is better off under ...

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'Figure it out with your books': Bussemaker does a Silk Road trick

Those who think the library's collection is so important then, should see how they fund its preservation. So says culture minister Jet Bussemaker in response to questions by MP Bergkamp (D66). Bergkamp had asked these questions in response to the report that the post-1950 collection is not considered heritage by the ministry, and is therefore shreddable.

In her reply, Bussemaker reiterates her earlier position, but ends her answer with a statement...

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Collection shuffling, Rutte II's new hobby

The Money Museum will close in a month, but its collection (as far as important) will go to De Nederlandsche Bank. The Tropenmuseum has been disbanded, but the collection will be housed elsewhere. However, only half of the library will be saved: everything from after 1950 is not interesting enough to preserve, according to minister Bussemaker. This is evident from the answers given by Culture Minister Bussemaker to questions by the SP.

'Museum sector buzzing with collaborative initiatives' but keen to keep doing it themselves

An enthusiastic press release in times of severe headwinds. That calls for a closer look. Last Friday, a study on the state of cooperation in the Dutch museum world was presented. After all, cooperation is a must from minister Bussemaker and sort of from the Council for Culture. So it's nice that things are already going ok. Can we get back to doing nice things.

What the press release does not tell, but the research report makes clear, is that it is not at all that fantastic ...

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Mondrian, Verhoeven and human rights in Netherlands-Russia year

With all the critical coverage of Russia that Putin and his supporters are provoking, we would almost forget that we are in the middle of the Netherlands-Russia year sitting. A screening of Paul Verhoeven's war film will take place tonight at the Pioner Gorky Park in Moscow Black Book, as a kick-off to

Daan Roosegaarde for president? Alderman? Councillor?

Jet Bussemaker believes in Daan Roosegaarde. She confessed this on Sunday 1 September during the traditional Paradiso debate. She admires his courage to imagine the unthinkable and his drive to come up not with opinions, but with proposals. Her message to the art sector, once again almost fully present in Paradiso, was clear: stop complaining, start doing something.

The political finale of this year's Uitmarkt was all about 'change'. Because that something needs to change is d...

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Saving Tropenmuseum paid for from art acquisition budget

The Tropenmuseum has been saved, we already knew that, but the House of Representatives still wanted to know where that was paid from. After all: the government is not going to spend more money, we have to do that. Anyway. Culture minister Jet Bussemaker's answer to the parliamentary questions shows that museums will be able to spend 5.5 million less on art purchases in 2016 at least.... 

Call: please share your views on Bussemaker's vision

Ah, what the heck. We can, of course, study the piece ourselves first and then come up with a peppery response and interpretation to it, and that will certainly come. But why delay the pleasure when you can have it now? Therefore: also read for yourself the arts vision of Jet Bussemaker, the first culture minister in years who appears to have actually thought about her field of work in terms of content.

If at all, should an opinion intrude, which should definitely come out: don't hesitate to respond. And if you think you ...

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Cronyism at Codarts: 175000 euros.

That things were not going well at Codarts, the Rotterdam School of the Arts, was already known. Board chairman Jikkie van der Giessen had to step down in 2011 after a cesspool of malversations, nepotism and suspicions of outright fraud had opened. The case was already largely settled, but the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science's inspectorate still wanted to know how much money was involved. Well: 175,000 euros was what the case cost: 25,370 euros unlawfully, and 150,000 euros un...

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