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council for culture

‘Teveel willekeur in de erfgoedwet.’ Commissie Pechtold wil dat we ons culturele erfgoed serieus nemen.

We gaan te nonchalant met ons culturele erfgoed om. Dat blijkt uit het op maandag 30 september gepresenteerde rapport ‘Terughoudend en Betrokken’, dat de commissie Pechtold op verzoek van minister Van Engelshoven heeft opgestel. In 110 pagina’s (met plaatjes) valt te lezen dat de huidige inrichting van de Erfgoedwet leidt tot willekeur en onzekerheid. Dat betekent dat onverkwikkelijke toestanden als… 

Read More "‘Teveel willekeur in de erfgoedwet.’ Commissie Pechtold wil dat we ons culturele erfgoed serieus nemen.

'Art tax cuts and a cultural fund will be created as an incentive for homeowners to invest in works of art.' (How we think the throne speech should have read)

Members of the States General, This year about 72 years ago we had the first Holland Festival. After years of enslavement and tyranny, hope for a better future literally came from above, in the form of Maria Callas. Eyewitnesses who saw the lights in the Stadsschouwburg turn red that day would never forget that image. 72 years later, it seems... 

Read More "'Art tax cuts and a cultural fund will be created as an incentive for homeowners to invest in works of art.' (How we think the throne speech should have read)

Niemand in de kunst bedacht een plan B. (Waarom de huidige chaos is veroorzaakt door lobbyisten)  

‘Hier ga ik niet iedereen blij mee maken.’ Deze woorden sprak minister Ingrid van Engelshoven uit tijdens het debat over haar uitgangspuntennota, vorige week donderdag. Ware woorden. De glans van haar ministerschap is er inmiddels inderdaad wel af. Van Engelshoven is, na Bussemaker, de tweede cultuurminister die Mark Rutte’s cultuurbeleid moest uitvoeren, en niets anders te bieden had dan een… 

Read More "Niemand in de kunst bedacht een plan B. (Waarom de huidige chaos is veroorzaakt door lobbyisten)  

Culture Council advisory committee chairman steps down: 'Nobody checks state museums anymore'

Wim Hupperetz, director of Amsterdam's Allard Pierson, has resigned his position as chairman of the museums and heritage advisory committee to the Council for Culture. In protest, he says, against the irresponsible way in which the minister is now implementing the Culture Council's advice. 'If this continues, we will soon be giving millions of euros to a few... 

Read More "Culture Council advisory committee chairman steps down: 'Nobody checks state museums anymore'

New arts plan cabinet-Rutte III: 25 million less arts supply. (But more happy artists)

How harrowing the payment of artists, musicians and theatre actors, screenwriters and all those other 'creators' is, became clear again in recent weeks. In newspaper Trouw, a musician - finally - came out of the closet of poor working conditions. Against the prevailing mores, she revealed how much she earned. What transpired: top national institutions like the Concertgebouw allow musicians to perform for free, orchestral musicians... 

Read More "New arts plan cabinet-Rutte III: 25 million less arts supply. (But more happy artists)

Culture funds want slow renewal. But it is far too late for that.

On 11 April 2019, the Council for Culture put a shovel in the dykes of the polder that is the Dutch cultural system. After all, the basic infrastructure, established in 2009 to finally bake renewal and flow into the system, is dead. The structure carefully conceived over years has been turned into a ruin by 10 years of cultural policy in which the... 

Read More "Culture funds want slow renewal. But it is far too late for that.

Shout out! The big fill-in for the new arts plan.

The Council for Culture has just proposed the new Basic Infrastructure (BIS), and it has become a very big, in traditional terms 'prosperous', baby. Since the Council is not allowed to name names, and can only list functions, we have already made a fill-in list here, in which we list (very briefly, because little time and not knowing about everything) which existing cultural... 

Read More "Shout out! The big fill-in for the new arts plan.

All power to the city! Culture Council's opinion dissected into 9 opportunities and 10 threats

When the Council for Culture released its long-awaited musical advice a month ago, its president Marijke van Hees was remarkably nervous. This was particularly evident in her choice to act as moderator at her own presentation. When there, at Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum, came (very mild) criticism of the advice, she shot to the defence. That became... 

Read More "All power to the city! Culture Council's opinion dissected into 9 opportunities and 10 threats

Small artists tested for 'payback'. Culture Council wants a large 'revolving fund' for loans to the arts.

The art world needs to be more entrepreneurial. The VVD thinks so, D66 thinks so, in fact the entire Lower House thinks so. But how do you get that combined with the 'intrinsic value' that the last two culture ministers say it should also be about? The Council for Culture has now, in response to a question from minister Ingrid van Engelshoven in March last... 

Read More "Small artists tested for 'payback'. Culture Council wants a large 'revolving fund' for loans to the arts.
M carbunaru [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

All balls to Cuijk. Why it really is a good idea for the Netherlands to have a Capital of Culture every year.

How nice it would be if Zutphen were to be Cultural Capital of the Netherlands next year, proudly representing itself and thanks to a strong impulse from its surrounding area: the province of Gelderland. They could immediately tackle the hopeless situation of the local theatre, the kids from the suburbs could also go to hip-hop in a real hall and everyone in the Netherlands would know... 

Read More "All balls to Cuijk. Why it really is a good idea for the Netherlands to have a Capital of Culture every year.

Culture Council: The Netherlands underestimates its own music theatre culture. (Why opera still seeks talent abroad)

The Performing Arts Fund is failing to professionalise and make the music theatre sector sustainable. So says the Council for Culture in an advice leaked yesterday on the future of music theatre in the Netherlands. The advice presented today to the rest of the Netherlands therefore wants to transfer more different music theatre makers and companies from the Performing Arts Fund to the Cultural Basic Infrastructure. This partly... 

Read More "Culture Council: The Netherlands underestimates its own music theatre culture. (Why opera still seeks talent abroad)

Lower House gets less say over arts subsidies. (If the minister gets her way)

Some people read Christmas stories over Christmas, others the interview supplements of newspapers, and a few do so with policy documents. So, quite a few people have read our Culture Minister's 'Advice Request' in the past few days. I, at least. Those who 'officially' cannot have done so are the members of the Culture Council, because the whole package came... 

Read More "Lower House gets less say over arts subsidies. (If the minister gets her way)

A late poem for Kunsten92, the minister and the Culture Council.

Ik had nog zo beloofd er niets over te schrijven, die bijeenkomst van Kunsten 92 over de regioprofielen. Ik moet immers nog een paar sinterklaasgedichten schrijven voor goede vrienden, en die verdienen al mijn aandacht. Daarom nu maar even op rijm. Omdat iemand het moet doen. Er liggen nu zeventien regioprofielen van stedelijke regio’s tot dorpen met duizend zielen, Omdat… 

Read More "A late poem for Kunsten92, the minister and the Culture Council.

Demise of VVD culture spokesman during budget debate in St Nicholas mood, with surprise for PvdD

A little pity was in order during the debate on the culture budget in the Lower House. Thierry Aartsen, the VVD's brand-new culture spokesperson, still hadn't done his homework and therefore got terrible on his mitre from fellow culture spokesmen in the Lower House. And then also from the minister. Was he allowed to speak around 11... 

Read More "Demise of VVD culture spokesman during budget debate in St Nicholas mood, with surprise for PvdD

Thierry Aartsen of the VVD is quite right. And no idea.

‘Bij cultuur gaat het om prikkelen, verbroederen, uitdagen. Dan is er geen verschil tussen corso en ballet.’ Aldus Thierry Aartsen op vrijdag 16 november in de Volkskrant. Thierry wie? Thierry Aartsen, degene die de komende maanden het woord voert over cultuur bij de VVD. De komende maanden? Ja, want VVD cultuurwoordvoerders worden meestal voor één of twee debatten aangesteld, waarna… 

Read More "Thierry Aartsen of the VVD is quite right. And no idea.

Rainer Hofmann (SPRING): 'After the populist attack from the right, the performing arts now face an attack from the left.'

Thursday 17 May opens SPRING Performing Arts Festival in Utrecht with, among others, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi by Dries Verhoeven and to come (extended) by Mette Ingvartsen. Over ten days, more than twenty-five international dance and theatre productions, installations and performance works will be on show in public spaces and urban environments. A week earlier, festival director Rainer Hofmann looks relaxed. 'Until now... 

Read More "Rainer Hofmann (SPRING): 'After the populist attack from the right, the performing arts now face an attack from the left.'

Daria Bukvić houdt op SPOT Live theaters en gezelschappen  een spiegel voor: ‘Ik schuw nieuwe vormen van marketing niet.’

‘Met mijn voorstellingen probeer ik altijd mensen het gevoel te geven dat ze echt een happening gaan missen. ‘De eerste voorstelling met persoonlijke verhalen van vier Marokkaans-Nederlands actrices in de grote zalen van Nederland, de nieuwste dit, de meest verrassende dat.’ Daria Bukvić is een van de spannendste makers die de afgelopen jaren de theaterwereld binnenkwam. Ze is niet alleen… 

Read More "Daria Bukvić houdt op SPOT Live theaters en gezelschappen  een spiegel voor: ‘Ik schuw nieuwe vormen van marketing niet.’

Merlijn Twaalfhoven on SPOT-Live: 'Outside the Randstad lies a huge source of inspiration'

'I have knocked on the door of the Congres Podiumkunsten a few times in recent years on my own initiative, really from the idea that we can do much more as venues in the Netherlands. But then, every time I was there, people got enthusiastic, but does it stick?' Composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven is happy that he now serves as 'curator' of SPOT Live, the new... 

Read More "Merlijn Twaalfhoven on SPOT-Live: 'Outside the Randstad lies a huge source of inspiration'

A fertile repertoire landscape.

Performing arts policy greatly determines what can be seen and heard on Dutch stages. It underpins government funding of theatre and music. This policy pays a lot of attention to the quality of performances, but it hardly discusses the choice of pieces played, let alone what kind of repertoire landscape... 

Read More "A fertile repertoire landscape.
Henri Swinkels deputy livability and culture province of North Brabant

Gedeputeerde Swinkels on opportunities for Brabant: 'Unlike in the national government, we already don't work in a 'disciplinary' way here. We don't put everything in boxes.'

The trigger for this story is that relatively recently, the Council for Culture published its sector foresight. The summary opens with the words that 'Culture moves'. A rather euphemistic statement in my view. In this case, it means that the making, spreading and experiencing of culture is constantly changing. The second very obvious observation of... 

Read More "Gedeputeerde Swinkels on opportunities for Brabant: 'Unlike in the national government, we already don't work in a 'disciplinary' way here. We don't put everything in boxes.'

Culture Council: 'The roots of the literary sector are being gnawed at'

In the week when defenders of the Dutch language are flying into each other's hair over whether or not a schoolgirl should read Multatuli in the original language, the Council for Culture comes out with its advice for the literary sector. Already in the first chapter, it reads: 'those who start reading at a young age become more language literate, start liking reading more.... 

Read More "Culture Council: 'The roots of the literary sector are being gnawed at'

'Actually, the romantic relic Platonov has been snowed in for about a hundred years. And now he comes back, and he walked into the wrong room'

Platonov, Theatre Utrecht's latest show, premiered on 2 March and is an instant hit: rave reviews in all major newspapers. Artistic director and director Thibaud Delpeut bases his version of this archetypal Chekhov play on the translation made by actor Jacob Derwig in 2000 for 't Barre Land. This equally legendary play fitted... 

Read More "'Actually, the romantic relic Platonov has been snowed in for about a hundred years. And now he comes back, and he walked into the wrong room'

Utrecht rules: Make Tivoli Oudegracht the venue for the reborn Performing Arts Sector Institute

The Culture Council wants it. Everyone wants it. And Utrecht wants it too, of course. A physical sector institute, where an old PC is humming in a corner containing the total digital archive of Dutch theatre, and music, of course. Plus a library. With real books, scripts, photos. In 2012, the building was divested and the memory could... 

Read More "Utrecht rules: Make Tivoli Oudegracht the venue for the reborn Performing Arts Sector Institute

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