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Why the Culture Council's Design Thinking is going wrong

The 'Access to Culture' advice presented by the Council for Culture on Friday 25 January 2024 is causing quite a stir. The newsletter we wrote about it on Substack was eagerly received, even though it did not ask, let alone answer, all the questions raised by the advice. Since, at 230 pages, it has also become a rather voluminous document, it... 

Access to culture; Towards a new system in 2029

People do not have equal access to culture in the Netherlands. This is because the supply of culture varies greatly from region to region. Also, artists or cultural institutions do not yet have an equal chance of financial support everywhere. There are calls for change from the cultural and creative field. Therefore, at the request of the State Secretary for Culture and Media on 26 January, the Council for Culture... 

Edition: All Photography: Cees Elzenga/hetoog.nl CE20221018

Reisopera seeks new director. And an artistic colourist.

'Nina Hiddema and the supervisory board have concluded that this is a natural time for Nina to step down.' Nice sentence in the press release that appeared in the mailbox on 15 January. De Reisopera, the Enschede-based opera company that performs operas especially for everything outside Amsterdam and Maastricht, is bidding farewell to director Nina Hiddema after two years. Whether it... 

Roy Kemmers by Michelle Muus

Sociologist Roy Kemmers: 'It is not the cultural institutions that should be protected, but the values they stand for.'

"The unease of the voters who gave Wilders 37 seats is not solved by the position of power the PVV has now achieved." Roy Kemmers (43) is an associate professor at the sociology faculty of Erasmus University in Rotterdam. On Tuesday 28 November, he wrote an opinion piece in De Volkskrant, commenting on the rise of populism. He obtained his PhD... 

Organic dairy farm

Art knows all about symbols, so bring on those sustainable symbol politics!

"The easiest gain is then to produce less. Because high production implies a lot of energy and material use, travel movements and other forms of impact." Last week, the Council for Culture's long-awaited opinion on sustainability was released, and sooner than I could click 'open', all was set. Came all because of the above sentence, which, mentioned in... 

© Twycer / www.twycer.nl

Strong push needed to make cultural sector more sustainable

Sustainability and culture can reinforce each other, but a strong impetus is needed to accelerate the sustainability of the cultural sector. So says the Culture Council's advisory report 'Culture Naturally'. The advice is addressed to the cultural sector as well as to municipalities, provinces, the state culture funds and the most concerned departments. The council advocates more cooperation on... 

Elon Musk's exploding rocket

What the Culture Council can learn from Elon Musk

News from the Culture Council: 'The four teams developed several building blocks, which they further concretised. In addition, the teams tested and enriched each other's ideas. At the end of the day, using visualisations, they presented their building blocks to members of the council.' This quote, titled 'Last meeting design teams new cultural system' is from the... 

young creators (source: Council for Culture)

YoungMakersPlatform: Sustainability requires collaboration

Members of the Council for Culture's Young Makers Platform feel a responsibility to contribute to sustainability themselves, but also point out that sustainability is something that needs to be taken up structurally. This emerged during a conversation with the council on the subject. The makers told about how they try to take it into account in their creative practice and life,... 

Wilbert Mutsaers. image provided by Council for Culture

Wilbert Mutsaers appointed as member of the Council for Culture

Mr Wilbert Mutsaers is appointed as a member of the Council for Culture. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this on the proposal of State Secretary Uslu of Culture and Media. The appointment will take effect on 1 May 2023 for a period of four years. Mutsaers studied Communication Science at Radboud University Nijmegen and until recently was Head of Music at Spotify Benelux.... 

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Culture Council issues opinion on cultural funding application process

The application process for cultural subsidies from the state could be simpler and clearer. The sector would also benefit from a less non-committal assessment of applicable codes of conduct around fair practice, good governance and diversity and inclusion. This requires something from institutions, but it also ensures a more future-proof and resilient sector. This is stated in an opinion by the Council for Culture 

Source: Rijksmuseum. CCO

'Drawing lots for subsidy might be fairer': listen to podcast with Renée Steenbergen and Ellen Hardy

'We have had the Top Income Standardisation Act since 2013. That means that in the semi-public sector, the highest in an organisation are not allowed to earn above a certain standard. There are conductors who earn as much in the evening as the entire orchestra costs. That, of course, is bizarre. Then I always wonder how it is that they can escape the dance.' This... 

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Follow-up draft approach to renewing culture system towards 2029

Today sees the second meeting of the design teams providing input for the Council for Culture's advice on renewing the cultural system towards 2029. This time, the teams will meet at the Public Library on the Neude in Utrecht. The teams will work to define design questions more sharply and will draw inspiration from... 

Culture Council deploys design power for renewal of cultural system

The Culture Council will be given room to elaborate on the renewal of the cultural system from 2029. State Secretary Uslu of Culture and Media has asked the council to issue its advice on this before the end of this year. "As a council, we cannot wait to take up this question together with the sector. To that end, we have now launched an innovative... 

museum our dear lord on solder by rebekka mell

Positive opinion Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder for European Heritage Label

The Culture Council is positive about Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder's candidacy for a European Heritage Label (EEL). This is stated in an opinion sent today to state secretary Uslu (Culture and Media). She had asked the council for advice on the application within the theme of 'tolerance and justice'. It is up to the state secretary to decide on the basis of... 

Nancy Jouwe - via Council for Culture

Nancy Jouwe appointed as member of Culture Council

Ms Nancy Jouwe is to be appointed as a member of the Culture Council. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this on the proposal of State Secretary Uslu of Culture and Media. The appointment will take effect on 15 February 2023 for a period of four years. Jouwe studied General Literature at Utrecht and York Universities and specialises in Women's Studies and Cultural History. She has... 

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Culture Council seeks young people and students for Youth Platform

Is art and culture of and for everyone? Is it also there for young people? What do they find important about art, culture and media? To answer these questions, the Culture Council is setting up a Youth Platform. The council is looking for young people aged between 15 and 20 who want to share their views on art, culture and... 

Advice sought on application and assessment process BIS 25-28

The Culture Council is expected to issue an advice to state secretary Uslu (OCW) in March 2023 on the application and assessment process for the Cultural Basic Infrastructure for the period 2025-2028 (BIS 25-28). This was requested by the state secretary. To arrive at the advice, the council has, among other things, appointed a temporary committee for the part of its advice request that... 

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Digital transformation cultural sector big opportunity for the Netherlands

Further digitalisation of the cultural and creative sector offers opportunities for creative innovation and to reach more people and inspire them culturally. It also contributes to the social relevance and economic strengthening of the sector. But there is also a great opportunity for the Netherlands to be a leader in Europe as a creative hub. This is the right time 

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Incidents of cross-border behaviour just tip of the iceberg

Cross-border behaviour in the culture and media sector is a persistent and urgent problem that cannot be solved easily. The rising number of reports in recent times shows only the tip of the iceberg. So says the advisory report 'Across the border, towards a shared culture', which the Council for Culture today presented to state secretary Gunay... 

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Situation of start-up artists is dire and urgent

Is there a lost generation of young artists because of the corona crisis? That question crept up on the Culture Council early this year during interviews with nearly 40 starting artists and creatives about their experiences in corona time. It is well known that starting out as an artist was already no easy task even without lockdowns. But: "The picture from the interviews is more intense and worrisome 

Deirdre Carasso appointed as member of Culture Council

Ms Drs Deirdre Carasso is appointed as a member of the Council for Culture. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this on the proposal of State Secretary Uslu of Culture and Media. The appointment will take effect on 1 July 2022 for a period of four years. Deirdre Carasso studied Art History at the University of Amsterdam and Archivistics A at the Rijksarchiefschool. Since 2020, she has been... 

Culture review needs broad approach and more time

The Culture Council believes that there is now a unique opportunity to make the cultural and creative sector more agile and resilient, while at the same time creating space for the sector's recovery after corona. However, this requires a broad view of the cultural system as a whole and sufficient time to discuss this. The usual four-yearly... 

Heart's cry: Get cultural base in order in every municipality

Culture brings people together, and this often starts in one's own municipality. Unfortunately, in more and more municipalities, less and less money is available for basic cultural facilities, such as the library, amateur associations and cultural centres. This affects residents' well-being and living together. It also makes a municipality less attractive as a place of business. The council's heartfelt cry... 

Culture Council supports action #hArtforUkraine

The cultural field is deeply shaken by the war in Ukraine. This weekend, the cultural sector is taking concerted action for Ukraine with #hArtforUkraine. To show solidarity and to express sympathy and support, participating organisations adorn their buildings in blue and yellow and donate proceeds to Giro 555 of the Cooperating Relief Organisations. The Culture Council supports... 

The lesson to be learned from the sale of Primephonic - and what the Culture Council has to do with it

The Every (The Everything) is the name of a successful and widely loved company, the world's largest combination of a tech giant and a commercial giant. Dave Eggers describes this in his latest novel "The Every", follow-up to bestseller The Circle. On sale from mid-November 2021 at Amazons and Bol.Coms, but those who wanted it earlier could already... 

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