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ministry of ocw

Culture Council knew about 'Hole of DUS'

by Wijbrand Schaap
14 September 20128 July 2016
6 min read
ACTUAL

Theatre company the Utrecht Games, city company of the Netherlands' fourth largest city, is on the brink of bankruptcy. It was recently revealed that the company led by artistic and business director Jos Thie has a deficit of €2.1 million. Correspondence that has since surfaced shows that it was already clear in May this year that problems were getting out of hand. That was a month after the Utrecht subsidy advisory committee issued its laudatory opinion, and a few weeks before the Council for Culture issued its very thrifty advice.

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Baldwin Live

by one of our members
31 July 201230 March 2022
18 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

On Wednesday 1 August 2012, the Performing Arts Fund will announce the results of the lottery that granting arts subsidies has now become. Huge cuts are looming: companies and makers that by now seemed to be a permanent part of the Dutch arts landscape will disappear. Exactly what it will look like, we know

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Theatre Museum collection to be lost for good

by Wijbrand Schaap
27 June 201229 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

[July update: the 2nd chamber passed a motion instructing the cabinet to save the collection from destruction. Where this is to be paid for, however, is still unclear]

It is now becoming clear where the laissez faire-laissez mourir (let it be done, let it die) policy of Halbe Zijlstra, Martin Bosma and Mark Rutte will lead. Of the dozens of institutions that will close, downsize or die off in the coming months due to vacancy of quality staff, the demise of the Theatre Institute of the Netherlands (TIN) is starting to take on very tragic proportions.

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Arts colleges hopelessly divided

by Wijbrand Schaap
15 February 201230 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

It was a 'roundtable discussion', so that is extremely informal. Lower house members of the ministry of OCW's 'lead committee' listen to people from the field. In this case, all people who are involved in, or lead, arts education. It was an awkward meeting.

Europe wants to invest in culture. If it is allowed by the Netherlands.

by Wijbrand Schaap
13 December 201130 May 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

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....

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Library not culture, EU money for visual culture, Corbijn in The Hague, VAT implications in Maastricht

by one of our members
26 November 20118 July 2016
3 min read
ACTUAL

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...

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Fransche School in jeopardy, blind library closed, nibbling on VAT measure via CJP and Volkenkunde/Tropen Institute merger possible

by one of our members
22 November 20118 July 2016
5 min read
ACTUAL

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....

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Halbe Zijltra loves his job more than the ministry dares to show

by Wijbrand Schaap
22 November 20118 July 2016
3 min read
ACTUAL

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',...

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Halbe Zijlstra wanted to know what quality was, and got back 22 pages of vagueness.

by one of our members
12 November 201130 March 2022
5 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Quality. It is such a nice civil service-political magic word. Sounds good and nobody can be against it. So shout as a politician that you want more quality and all heads start nodding busily. State Secretary for Cultural Affairs Zijlstra also likes quality. Says he. For instance, when it comes to cultural education. In his memorandum More than quality, he says he wants to make work of the...

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Distress call for theatre school Roosendaal at last minute, arts venue Veenendaal scrapped Discount news from all regions

by one of our members
9 November 20118 July 2016
9 min read
ACTUAL

(...) The Youth Theatre School Roosendaal received a project subsidy of 36,779 euros from the municipality in 2010 and 2011. The school also fulfils a regional function. Forty per cent of its 330 pupils come from the surrounding villages. The proposal is to end the subsidy from 1 January. It was only this week that this apparently dawned on Hofplein's management. Which immediately started a...

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For the first time, a secretary of state openly lies and gets away with it. Or does he?

by Wijbrand Schaap
21 May 201114 February 2018
7 min read
ACTUAL

How bad is it really? A few lied lines in a Ministry of Education, Culture and Science booklet? Pretty bad. Because it's an outright lie, and a government that lies is not to be had. Because: how can you trust them anymore?

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"RutteLeaks": Prime minister and state secretary don't know their own figures: income requirements for arts institutions already met in 2007 and most subsidy already going to successful institutions

by one of our members
23 January 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

We already thought something was wrong when Mark Rutte, in his much applauded show of strength in Buitenhof, spoke of 'all those empty halls with 10 people in the front row'. Ok, he hadn't been there himself for years, but according to his State Secretary Halbe Zijlstra, at least in The Hague, the emptiness was glaring, Rutte knew....

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For at least €10,000 and lots of art love right to unsolicited advice to Holland Festival #hf10

by one of our members
4 June 201030 March 2022
3 min read
Holland Festival, SPECIALS

We at the press do it for free, but people with really big money can buy it: the right to unsolicited advice to the Holland Festival. Today, the festival announced the appointment of a Board of Governors. People with money who like to put it into top culture. A novelty for the Netherlands. We have the names: G.J. van den Bergh and...

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