The Netherlands returns 113 'Benin Bronzes' from the National Collection at Nigeria's request. Minister Eppo Bruins (OCW) has decided on this return. In 1897, British soldiers looted these objects from the Kingdom of Benin (in present-day Nigeria) and sold them, eventually ending up in Dutch National Collection. The 'Benin Bronzes' are of great importance to Nigerian society, these objects...
The international research facility European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) was launched today as the European Research Infrastructure and will have its headquarters in the Netherlands. On 26 January, on the eve of the commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz 80 years ago, the inauguration ceremony took place at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. The research infrastructure pools the available public...
Minister Bruins (Education, Culture and Science) made agreements with provinces, municipalities and cultural regions[2] in nine[1] cultural covenants for the period 2025-2028. For the first time, all 12 provinces are represented in this. The covenants contain agreements between the ministry and the co-governments, based on the shared interest of culture, on joint responsibility for the culture sector and mutual cooperation on...
It was with a certain scepticism, I must confess, that I began Winny Sorgdrager's book "Oxygen of Society. Why Culture is a Government Issue".1 I won't elaborate; let's just say that a book about Dutch cultural policy has been published before. More than once, in fact, and in those books...
Decisions Cultural Basic Infrastructure 2025-202817 September 2024 | 15:39 Bruins adopts the Council for Culture's advice to grant 117 applications, from a total of 115 institutions, for the Cultural Basic Infrastructure (bis). At 13 institutions, the council gave a conditionally positive advice. Those institutions must meet the required conditions by 1 November 2024. The national cultural funds jointly honour 306...
In the series In Perspective, Erik Akkermans looks back and ahead at developments in cultural policy and practice. Today: policies for jazz and improvised music. From the Oude Schans to Rijswijk May 1983, Monday morning, a quarter past eight. Location: the soulless office tower in Rijswijk housing the Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Culture. Minister Brinkman addressed the members of the Working Group on...
On nomination by the cabinet, Mariëtte Hamer will become government commissioner for sexual transgressive behaviour and sexual violence. Several incidents in recent years expose a broader issue on which action is required. With the new government commissioner, the cabinet wants to do more to raise awareness and create a safe culture, because intimidation and abuse do not belong in the Netherlands. In doing so, among other things, the culture should...
Today, the Cultural and Creative Sector Taskforce sent yet another letter in draft form to the ministry of OCW. In it, the assembled umbrella of all creative and cultural organisations reiterates its earlier criticism of the relaxation of coronagraph measures, which brings no relief to the cultural sector and nightlife in particular. Special attention is given to DJs and...
Since 26 January, the doors of the cultural and creative sector have been open again, but with conditions. There are still strict restrictions on the number of people in a venue and a mandatory closing time at 10pm. That is why, on top of the previous support of €195.1 million for the period from 12 November, the cabinet is drawing an additional €56.5 million...
Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven of Education, Culture and Science today presented the Johannes Vermeer Prize 2021, the Dutch state prize for the arts, to visual artist Natasja Kensmil. At Het HEM in Zaandam, Minister Van Engelshoven handed over the trophy to Kensmil. Natasja Kensmil was praised by the jury for her work that is healing, edifying and critical at the same time. Minister ...
It is a great thing that there are comedians who keep a finger on the pulse of society. Hans Teeuwen, for instance, has once again made himself angry. He has joined the small chorus of (mostly) men who see the end of the world coming because of a rebuttal. That is the rebuttal that now comes via social media
News arrived this week that Andreas Fleischmann, the highly esteemed director of Amsterdam's DeLaMar Theatre, has now officially become director-director of Stichting MusicalMakers, the foundation he had set up last year, a day before the deadline for grant applications for four-year state funding. And that is not allowed.
What happens in 2022, when refunds are due or not, we will determine on 17 March. But we may just have to count on the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science changing its name already.
How nice it would not be if the Culture Council really 'got its hands on' supporting freelancers and self-employed people! There is a possibility.
A fire letter from the United Performing Arts Festivals. One of more than a hundred lobbying organisations in the arts, but a very important one. After all, the festivals are the place where audiences were introduced to arts and entertainment in its full breadth. That doesn't happen anywhere else. And beautiful: they stand up for all performing arts, because, as loyal readers of this site know: they are quite the hare, and become even more the hare with every half-hearted rescue.
The Ministry of Education, Culture & Science is making €30 million available through Culture+Enterprise for the Culture Start-up Loan. This loan is part of the €300 million package of additional support for culture from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The loan enables cultural and creative organisations to invest in the start-up of the new season. Applications for...
From 1 July, more people will again be able to attend performances and cultural festivals. In theatres, cinemas and concert halls, a maximum of 30 people will no longer apply. From then on, the space will be leading instead of the number of visitors. However, basic rules such as 1.5 metres must be observed. In addition, a health check takes place beforehand, advance booking is necessary and...
From 11 to 21 June, the Holland Festival will present an online programme as close as possible to the core and essence of the original programme, which was cancelled due to the corona crisis. Together with artists from around the world who were due to perform in the 2020 festival, an alternative online programme has been put together. The festival theme, suggested by...
There does seem to be some prospect of better recognition of the needs of the cultural sector. That sector which did now receive a support package worth 300 million, about which all sorts of things are going on. But the Ministry of OCW is not the only one that deals with culture. Home Affairs too has to do with culture,...
The coronavirus outbreak has a major impact on artists, creators and organisations in the cultural and creative field. The cabinet has therefore taken several measures, which institutions and creators in the sector can make use of. These include cabinet-wide generic measures, specific measures for the sector and an additional package of €300 million. Minister van Engelshoven: 'Despite the...
It is with great regret that the Holland Festival is forced to cancel the 73rd edition, which was to take place from 4 to 28 June 2020. The corona pandemic's persistent, domestic and foreign restrictions and uncertainties make it impossible for the international performing arts festival to take place. The ongoing, restrictive measures that the central government had to announce 21 April last,...
The Culture Council will soon be commissioned to draw up a plan to help the cultural sector survive the one-and-a-half-meter society. The commitment of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is, to solve this within the existing financial frameworks. This is what sources at the top of that ministry have reported.
We take a post from the site 'Cultuurmarketing.nl', adding that the main purpose of the scheme is also to compensate the creators, the performing artists. So don't think: "my theatre gets subsidy, right?", because that subsidy is usually just enough to pay the rent. Performances are almost always paid for directly from ticket sales: Comin' To...
Slowly but surely, the absurdity of the rescue measures for the cultural sector is sinking in. The national museums will not have to pay rent for three months for a while, but will have to pay it back retroactively once the crisis is over. Entrepreneurs can get extra support worth 4,000 euros, provided they have business premises outside their homes. Actors, directors (also freelance journalists, by the way) and artists...
It's not 50 billion, like in Germany, but it's more than nothing: the support measures Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven announced today for the hard-hit cultural sector. And, who knows, this may offer openings to do a few things completely differently after this crisis. For instance, it is great that the national museums do not have to pay rent for a while,...
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