• “We let the artists lead” – Recap Infected Cities #1: New York

    Photo 1, part of from ‘Bronxites’ by Chantal Heijnen, 2020

    Photo: Chantal Heijnen
     
    Photo: Chantal Heijnen

    “We let the artists lead” – Recap Infected Cities #1: New York

    DutchCulture and Pakhuis de Zwijger organize cross-cultural and cross-national conversations about art in corona times. Recap of the first edition, New York.
    19 May 2020

    On May 7th, artists, journalists, and advocates for change appeared over Zoom in the empty studio of Pakhuis de Zwijger, for a conversation led by moderator Zoë Papaikonomou. From their homes in New York, five Dutchman and four Americans gave an insight in their city with stories of inequality, grassroots community resilience, and the undervalued importance of the arts. (video below)

    Kamau Ware during a Black Gotham Tour in New York. Photo by Kamau Studios
    When someone tells you to go home, that is not the same for everybody
    Kamau Ware
    The scale of inequality

    Kamau Ware, historian, artist, and founder of the New York Black Gotham Experience is a storyteller. He states the simple fact of inequality during COVID-19 measurements: “When someone tells you to go home, that is not the same for everybody.” Kamau Ware embeds the wage gap between high- and low-income communities by referring to the history of slavery and forced relocation that the cultural capital of the U.S. was built upon. The different experiences of the COVID-19 crisis in NYC is more than the shade of orange your neighborhood has turned into.

    Dutch actress, writer and podcast host Anousha Nzume writes on her platform Dipsaus: “Classmates of my kid made a videoclip about life in the ‘Food Desert’ – living in a neighbourhood without any affordable options for eating healthy. (…) Even where I live, ordering greasy take-out is more affordable than buying groceries for a healthy home-cooked meal. ’Gun wounds are not our problem, clogged arteries are’, sang the children as they scattered their neighbourhood on 'a search for fresh vegetables they could afford”

    ‘Terrace on the Park Queens’ photo by Richard Koek

    Michael Persson, US correspondent for De Volkskrant believes that the U.S. government is unprepared to provide support on this large scale. “I was in central park yesterday and there are a lot of undocumented immigrants there. They are getting nothing. Which is sort of ironic, as they have been keeping the city alive by working as long as possible.” Countering this lack of government support are civilian initiatives in communities, in which artists play an important role. Kamau Ware: “Artists never shy away from overcoming challenges and that is the spirit that we need going forward. I am optimistic because throughout time, people in New York have been resilient.”

    ‘42nd Street Station Manhattan’ photo by Richard Koek
    We believe in community-based arts, and I think that is what is going to save lives here
    Michael Kember
    Resilience from within

    Activism and community resilience have always been part of New York. It is a Big Apple tradition to enforce change bottom-up and to improve a situation through grassroots initiatives. Providing legal support for people from vulnerable neighborhoods, director Alice Fontier of the Neighbourhood Defender Service in Harlem, is confronted daily by the discrimination of the American justice system. “Immigration has used the stay-at-home orders as a weapon; they know where to find people. Their rates are higher than before the virus.” In jail, the chance of obtaining COVID-19 is ten times higher than average. That is why Alice fights hard to keep people from ending up there.

    Director of the Bronx Documentary Center, Michael Kember, took it upon himself to inform his community in the South Bronx about the importance of self-isolation. Besides stepping in to put flyers in houses and connect people to the internet when the public housing organization failed to do so, the community center is feeding 200 families and providing face masks and disinfectants. In the meantime, their photography classes and exhibitions are moved online and made available free of charge. “We believe in community-based arts, and I think that is what going to save lives here.”

    Photo 2 by Chantal Heijnen from ‘Bronxites’

    Photographer Chantal Heijnen works via The Lantarn Community in New York with people impacted by homelessness. She found a way to keep her students interacting with art because she believes everyone needs a way to express themselves and cope with the situation. Artists in New York City step in where the system is lacking. But how sustainable is the art scene itself?

    Practicing any kind of art form gives you a sense of being present, which I think, heals
    Philippe Lemm
    The importance of art

    Suzy Devalle is the director of New York based Creative Capital, a nonprofit that supports artists nationwide. Backed up by a recent report from Americans for the Arts, she states: “Artists are hurting. 95% of artists surveyed have experienced income lost due to COVID, with 62% fully unemployed. Unlike the Netherlands, we do not have guaranteed health care and unemployment insurance in this country. But despite that they are among the most affected in this crisis, I feel that artists have proven to be the most generous. 75% of artists surveyed are using their artistic practice to help their communities. That generosity of spirit should not be undermined. I think artists play a very critical role in society; they are the ones that bring us together, and I don’t only mean physically. Artists are the ones that encourage conversation and dialogue, they present us with ideas, with ways of seeing the world. I really think they are essential, and often they are the ones helping us navigate uncertain times like these. So why are we not honoring and valuing their profession, why are we not supporting them in ways that we really need to be?”

    In 2018, photographer Richard Koek published a book called New York, New York, a visual hymn on his beloved city. His work received much attention since the crisis started. “People love melancholy, and they love the old New York. It’s all disaster porn what I see on the news and on my feed, so no politics for my feed, I just create beauty, show positivity. I hope it transcends to the people that look at it.”

    Philippe Lemm is a Dutch drummer, the leader of his own musical trio and teacher at Colombia. He lost 90% of his work and can’t apply for financial aid because of his work visa. He believes art has a very strong healing power “Practicing any kind of art form gives you a sense of being present, which I think, heals. It will voice a lot of the emotions that are commonly felt now, like anxiety, confusion, or frustration. Art can present that in a poetic, beautiful way, and therefore connect people.”

    ‘Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn’ photo by Richard Koek
    Imagine if artists were really helping city officials think about how we reopen society
    Suzy Devalle
    Creatively rethinking society

    Considering how artists help their communities with their mental health as well as their physical health, they definitly play an essential role in surviving the COVID-19 crisis in New York City. What is the value of creativity for finding our way out of the corona crisis? Can artists contribute to rethinking society as well?

    Suzy Devalle: ”At Creative Capital, we let the artists lead. Imagine if we were to double down on the creative thinking and ideas that fueled the arts. Imagine if artists were really helping city officials think about how we reopen society. Artists are often ahead of the curve, they are self-organizing, uplifting us through their work. There are horrible challenges – inequalities are really showing their face right now, but also great possibilities to think about the way we want to show up and create a better society. Artists are essential for this kind of critical thinking and idea development.”

    Check upcoming episodes of Infected Cities on the website of Pakhuis de Zwijger

    Do you want to know more about a cultural exchange with the United States of America? Find everything here.

    With great thanks to the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York for their collaboration.

    Organization: 
    Pakhuis de Zwijger
    Richard Koek
    Philippe Lemm Trio
    Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York

  • Freemuse report The State of Artistic Freedom 2020: ‘The world grows intolerant and violent against non-mainstream expression’



    Photo: Joshua Coleman via Unsplash
     
    Photo: Joshua Coleman via Unsplash

    Freemuse report The State of Artistic Freedom 2020: ‘The world grows intolerant and violent against non-mainstream expression’

    Freemuse’s new report State of Artistic Freedom 2020 is an in-depth analysis of 711 acts of violations of artistic freedom in 2019 in 93 countries.
    4 May 2020

    The yearly report shows widespread attacks on freedom of artistic expression on a global scale as practices of censoring artists’ voices continue. As the world shifts into isolation and government’s enact state of emergency procedures, this marks a critical moment for the state of artistic freedom. The report by Freemuse, an independent international organisation advocating for and defending freedom of artistic expression, explores the critical climate for artistic freedom as global nationalist populism continues to restrict expression. 

    ‘Freedom of artistic expression is protected as long as it fits dominating narratives; politically, religiously, and digitally,’ says Dr. Srirak Plipat, Freemuse Executive Director. ‘This report shows that the west is losing its leading position as human rights and freedom defenders at a fast pace, while the world grows intolerant and violent against non-mainstream views and expression.’ Freemuse’s research notes the damning effect of nationalist, populist politics as already leading to increased restrictions on artistic expressions, with a marked deterioration in countries where this right has traditionally been protected.

    Europe is the highest offender for imprisonments related to artistic expressions, with 42%
    Artistic freedom in numbers

    In 2019, the research documented that 42% of all imprisonments of artists concerned criticizing the government, with Europe the highest offender for imprisonments related to artistic expressions (42%). Governments were again responsible for 55% of all acts of censorship, affecting 847 artists and artworks. Politics was also the key issue behind the detention of artists, with 56% of artists detained on these grounds. Music remains the most frequently targeted art form at 32%, but visual art closely followed at 26%. 

    Organization: 
    Freemuse
    File: 
    file type icon State of Artistic Freedom 2020

  • What do the numbers say: Edition U.S.A. brings you a summer newsflash on Dutch arts & culture

    View on Seattle

    Photo: Luca Micheli (Unsplash)
     
    Photo: Luca Micheli (Unsplash)

    What do the numbers say: Edition U.S.A. brings you a summer newsflash on Dutch arts & culture

    Looking into the international activities by Dutch artists in the United States in 2018 leads to surprising facts: these cities and festivals are booming!
    6 August 2019
    By Renske Ebbers

     

    DutchCulture hosts the one and only online repository of Dutch international cultural activities abroad, and the summer break is the perfect moment to take a deeper look into this database. As advisors to the cultural field, we often encourage cultural makers with international ambitions to really do their research about the country they want to work in. To learn about the work ethic, the financial structures, the political situation and cultural traditions. And, of course, we urge them to check our database to see who has gone before you, where they went and how they went about it. Better well stolen than badly invented, right? Vice versa, we learn about cultural cooperation with the country in question by listening to you and analyzing your activities abroad.

    Jaap van Zweden. Photo: Chris Lee
    Cultural newsflash

    This advice can be applied specifically to the United States since there are so many paths to choose in this country. With a relentless  24-hour news cycle and the vast amount of entertaining American talk shows, it might be hard to look beyond both intriguing and deterrent political and social news items. You would almost oversee the fact, that 660 Dutch artists and artistic organisations showed their work across the ocean, in 331 different cities in the United States! Therefore, I would like to give you some surprising newsflashes today that will give you insights about the Dutch arts and culture in the U.S.A. Did you know that there are exciting opportunities in all cultural disciplines beyond the top five cities New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas? Were you aware of the growing Dutch presence on American festivals and fairs? If not, keep on reading!

    Nearly 80% of all the Dutch activities in 2018, took place outside of New York
    “Start spreading the news, I am leaving today...”

    Thinking about the U.S.A., a song like Frank Sinatra often jumps to mind, praising and evoking the city of opportunity: New York. It goes without saying that New York is highly important for arts and culture, as it is the number one city for Dutch activities. However, it is important to point out that close to 80% of all the Dutch activities in 2018, took place outside of New York! In fact, 60% of the activities took place outside of the top five cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and Miami. And so it emerges - almost like in the old Frank Sinatra song: “if you can’t make it there, you can make it elsewhere.”

    Texas as a cultural hotspot

    To illustrate, I would like to introduce you to the cities six to ten from our 2018 list. I looked into the activities taking place there, and hope to point out interesting opportunities for multiple disciplines that may lead you to undiscovered paths. Shifting our focus to the far south, we find Houston, Dallas and Austin; three cities in the state of Texas.

    In Dallas, we can find activities by Dutch organisations in the disciplines of Audiovisual Media, Heritage, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Music. Especially Classical Music is thriving in Dallas, since Dutch maestro Jaap van Zweden conducted 18 performances at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center as the musical director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Jaap’s story is a great example of building an international career by starting small; from Dallas, he has now moved on to New York to become the musical director of the New York Philharmonic.

    Houston is also a paradise for Dutch musical geniuses, albeit in a slightly different genre. In 2018, 24 of the best Dutch DJ’s, like Afrojack, Ferry Corsten, Oliver Heldens and Yellow Claw were performing at 8 different venues in Houston! The most popular venues are famous nightclubs Clé Houston and Stereo Live. This makes Houston a great alternative to EDM hotspot Las Vegas, where 37 DJ’s played at 14 venues.

    Austin offers many chances for different disciplines, as well as cross-disciplinary opportunities. Especially artists working on the crossroads of Design, Music and Digital Culture can find recognition at the South by Southwest festival, but I will talk more about that later on. More surprising might be that there were a dozen activities besides SXSW taking place in Austin, for example by theatre group Wunderbaum, who performed at the Fusebox Festival.

    SXSW. Photo: Ryan Loughlin (Unsplash)
    From Seattle to Washington

    Travelling to the other side of the country, (which means a road trip of 3423 kilometres, equivalent to Amsterdam - Antalya), we see a diversity of Dutch organisations present in Seattle. Architect Marten Kuipers gave the lecture ‘Seeing our Invisible City’ at the Design Matters conference, while Zara Dwinger and Saskia Boddeke’s films were presented at the Seattle International Film Festival and the work of visual artists Berndnaut Smilde and Sebastiaan Bremer was exhibited in the Winston Wachter Gallery. Elsewhere, we can think of the translations of Dutch authors that were published by Seattle-based Amazon Crossing, disseminating Dutch literature all across the U.S.A.

    Coming back to the East Coast, we see that Washington offers opportunities for Design, Audiovisual Media, Heritage, Visual Arts and the Performing Arts. For this latter discipline, the John F. Kennedy Center is a venue to follow, since the Dutch Dance Theater and the International Theatre Amsterdam performed several pieces here this year. In 2019 and 2020, the Kennedy Center is one of the main partners of the Dutch Youth Culture programme Never Grow Up!. For more information about this newsflash, read up on the programme here!

    The John F. Kennedy Center is a venue to follow since the Dutch Dance Theater and the International Theatre Amsterdam performed here
    Music festivals are so 2018

    Festivals and fairs are very important for artists who want to explore international ambitions and build an international career. Not only do high-profile festivals provide a good opportunity to show your work, but they also bring together many experts and professionals from the cultural field. Being able to network, find potential partners and catch up with the latest discourses in your field can make all the difference for working abroad. That’s probably why the focus on Dutch presence at annual gatherings keeps on growing and in 2018 already 4 of the top 10 venues were festivals or fairs.

    The most important festival is the previously mentioned South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The festival focusses on digital and interactive media, film and music, and is especially fond of cross-media projects. In 2018, there were 59 Dutch activities at SXSW, 34 music performances, five film screenings, five design lectures and debates, nine debates and workshops in digital culture, five heritage-related activities and a visual arts performance. The place to be for electronic music is definitely the Electric Daisy Carnaval, with 25 Dutch DJ’s in live action in 2018.

    LGBT flag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
    Art exhibitions and LGBTQ+ films

    At Art Basel in Miami, generally known as the primary art show for the Americans, the best contemporary and modern artworks from galleries all over the world are exhibited. It requires beating some tough competition to conquer a spot at this fair. However, in 2018 Dutch visual artists were taking their place in the spotlight with ten solo exhibitions and seven group exhibitions in Miami.

    The film festival with the strongest Dutch participation is the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, as no less than twenty Dutch filmmakers presented their work here in 2018. Dutch work was also presented at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. In fact,19 of the 49 film festivals in the U.S.A. with Dutch presence are specific LGBTQ+ festivals! If that is not a great, positive newsflash, I don’t know what is.

    Stay in touch!

    With this quick summer research in our database, I hope to have given you some positive newsflashes on Dutch Arts and Culture in the U.S.A. If you are an artist or an artistic organisation with serious ambitions to work in the United States, please read the recommendations and tips on the website of the Dutch Consulate General in New York, and check out the Frequently Asked Questions at the United States home page on our website. Here you will also find our database, so you can get started with your own research. Do let us know if you are presenting your work abroad, or if we can help you find your way there.

    Previously we published an interview with the cultural attaché of the Netherlands in New York: Joost Taverne. Read it here.

    Disclaimer Database

     

    File: 
    file type icon Factsheet United States 2018.pdf

  • Cultural attaché Beate Gerlings on the cultural field in Germany: "Culture is an important part of life and society"

    Berlin, Germany

    Photo: Unsplash
     
    Photo: Unsplash

    Cultural attaché Beate Gerlings on the cultural field in Germany: "Culture is an important part of life and society"

    A year on the job is a series of interviews with cultural attachés about their experiences. This edition: Beate Gerlings in Germany.
    15 July 2019
    By Renske Ebbers

     

    A year on the job. In this series of interviews, we ask cultural attachés holding office in the focus countries of the International Cultural Policy of the Netherlands about their experiences. How do these attachés help Dutch art and culture? What were their expectations when they were posted abroad, and what challenges have they faced? Last in this series an interview with Beate Gerlings, Cultural Attaché of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Germany.

    Beate, you are almost a year into your posting as cultural attaché in Berlin. Can you tell us something about your expectations beforehand, were they met?

    "I already have a few cultural postings behind my belt, years ago at the policy unit within the Ministery of Foreign Affairs and on secondment as deputy director to DutchCulture from 2008-2010. Before that I gained international experience outside of the cultural field, before joining the MFA, working in South-Africa and with Doctors Without Borders, and at the Ministry’s Africa Department.

    Anyway, after having been engaged in International Policy from those perspectives, I was eager to also do a stint at an embassy, and get involved in the implementation side of the International Cultural Policy. And it has been, as I expected, great to renew my acquaintance with the cultural field in the Netherlands and to dive into the great unknown of German arts and culture. I loved the policy making side of things, but I’m now thoroughly enjoying the more practical trade of cultural diplomacy."

    Germany is not just Berlin! There are amazing opportunities in other parts of Germany as well
    So you were well prepared for the cultural attaché position, and then you were chosen for the Dutch Embassy in Berlin. How did you feel about working at that post and moving to Berlin?

    "Berlin is of course the jackpot for a cultural attaché, because you are in the most relevant country for the Netherlands when it comes to internationalisation in culture, as it is the biggest market for Dutch artists who are looking beyond the Dutch borders. And of course, Germany as Kulturnation, as country of thinkers and poets where culture is an important part of life and of society, is a Candyland for everyone active in the cultural field.

    Throughout my career, I have always stood with my back to Germany, like more Dutch people, and have always been more Anglo-Saxon oriented. Fortunately I had the time to prepare well and to improve my German as well as my knowledge of the country. Learning the language is crucial in gaining a real understanding of a country and its people, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to make such an in-depth investment."

    Rembrandt’s Strich in Kupferstich Kabinet Dresden. Rembrandt as a source of inspiration for other artists, amongst others Marlene Dumas and Willem de Rooij. The exhibition can be visited from the 14th of June until the 15th of September 2019.
    Were there any concrete projects that you started working with, when you began your position?

    "I really have the advantage of a strong team with very good people, some of whom have been there for many years. They have been steadily expanding their knowledge and building their network and are working very strategically. In that sense I also stand on the shoulders of my predecessors. I see how everyone has added something to the presence and visibility of Dutch arts and culture in Germany.

    I try not to think in terms of projects, and more in terms of our strategic objectives and added value. More than in specific projects, this lies in our daily craftsmanship: cleverly using our networks, identifying opportunities, stimulating the German side with ideas and tempting them to look towards the Netherlands for their programmes. And on the Dutch side, providing information and insight. I believe strongly in creating demand by organising for people to have the knowledge and the networks to work together."

    I believe strongly in creating demand by organising for people to have the knowledge and the networks to work together
    Have you been able to build new relationships, or identify chances for the Dutch cultural field?

    "The very active commitment to the Kunstverein network for Visual Arts, is really starting to pay off. The typical German phenomenon Kunstvereine offers a unique prospect for Dutch artists as an intermediate step towards museum exhibitions. We organise a lot of curator visits to the Netherlands, and now also work together with the Mondriaan fund to achieve more institutional partnerships between Kunstvereinen in Germany and Visual Arts institutions in the Netherlands. I

    think that this long-term approach is well suited to the German context; to not jump too much from one opportunity to the next and instead be a very reliable, recognizable partner. We have also been building very steadily on another priority discipline: literature. In 2016, the Netherlands was Gastland at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, we worked towards that for years and the effect on the interest in Dutch literature and the number of translations is still visible. We are now looking into scaling up our presence and visibility at the Leipziger Buchmesse and the wonderful Leipzig Liest festival, which is more geared towards the public."

    I think it's very interesting that you say, it's not about what I came up with in the past year, it's about what has been happening in a very sustainable and structural way for years. Do you also have your own ideas that you are trying to implement?

    "In the field of the creative industry, the third priority discipline, I really want to bring focus. We have been somewhat delayed by circumstances, but we are now looking at two topics; design & circularity and design & public space. We are developing a more strategic approach towards profiling the Dutch design expertise in these fields."

    Dutch Ambassador speaks at the 'Buchpremiere' of Daan Heerma van Voss at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Berlin. Photo: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Berlin
    You mentioned that some circumstances can cause delays. What challenges do you have to work with, to sail the course you want?

    "The three royal visits to a number of Bundesländer we’ve organised in the past ten months have had considerable impact on the deployment of our capacity. But at the same time these visits are a very effective way of profiling the Netherlands, not only economically but also culturally, and we make sure that these visits give a sustainable push to what we are already doing."

    In addition to your team in Berlin, there are also consulates in Munich and Düsseldorf. How do you work together?

    "Indeed, the German ‘culture team’ has a colleague in Munich, and since recently a colleague in Düsseldorf. Germany is too large a country to cover only from this, let´s say eccentrically located capital in the North-East. But we really work as a team, we develop plans together and discuss ideas together."

    The culture of remembrance; Erinnerungskultur and Vergangenheitsbewältigung, is an important aspect of working in Germany
    You mentioned that culture has a special place in Germany society, and that it is important to profile the Netherlands as a cultural country. Is that why you also travel a lot in Germany yourself?

    "In Germany, culture is very closely linked to public administration and politics. And government officials and politicians are not worried about being perceived as ‘elite’ when they are seen reading a book or visiting an exhibition. They are also very much present at cultural events and openings. And they expect us, as Dutch representatives, there too, you have to be there! And whenever we can, we (whether it is the ambassador, myself or a team member) also step onto the stage at an opening.

    Opening speeches, Grußworten, here in Germany are not quick and jolly words of thanks, you are expected to provide in-depth exploration of the subject, and display above-average Bildung and rhetorical finesse. Without at least three to five of such speeches, an opening is not a proper opening. Personally I really enjoy these openings, and also hugely enjoy delivering those speeches myself, and thus conducting ‘diplomacy by Grußwort’."

    What Dutch activity in Germany in the coming period are you looking forward to?

    "For the Berliner Festspiele at the end of the summer, Dutch video-art duo Metahaven from Amsterdam is invited to do a wonderful immersive project in a temporary dome. And the Concertgebouw Orchestra is part of the Musikfest with a Louis Andriessen program, who just turned 80 by the way. In the Netherlands he is perhaps the best known modern composer, and I find it very exciting that he suddenly gets attention here.

    Of a completely different nature is the subject of dealing with heritage acquired in a colonial context, as topical and sensitive in Germany as it is in the Netherlands. We work towards forging common approaches by museums in both countries and cooperation between the German Minister of State for Culture and Media, Monika Grütters, and our Minister for Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven, who have both expressed the need for closer European cooperation."

    Royal Visit to the Babelsberg filmstudio's in the filmset of Grand Hotel Budapest May 2019. Photo: Jasper Kettner
    With a background as a historian, you are also interested in our shared past, which is perhaps not always easy to discuss?

    "The exhibition Jewish persecution in photos in the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam will come to the Topography des Terrors in Berlin. A photo exhibition in Berlin, about the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands, partly financed by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That is really very special, then you are indeed talking about dealing with a complicated past. The culture of remembrance; Erinnerungskultur and Vergangenheitsbewältigung, is an important aspect of working in Germany."

    Do you have a word of advice for Dutch cultural makers who have the ambition to work in Germany?

    "Germany is not just Berlin! There are amazing opportunities in other parts of Germany as well, in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Leipzig and in the medium-sized cities. Look for instance at the work of Dutch Wunderbaum in Jena. It is worthwhile to look further than Berlin, or to look closer-by than Berlin really!

    In addition, sustainability is really important. Take the time to build a contact. Invest seriously in collaboration. And speak German. It is possible without, but it opens doors and gives you a huge plus in likability. Moreover, competition is fierce, you do have to come up with a good plan. Germans basically do not need Dutch arts and culture, they can fill their programmes and their spaces perfectly without us."

    What I will take with me, I think, is really not shying away from in-depth engagement and content
    You have a few years in Germany, before you return to the Netherlands, or perhaps to another country. What are you going to take with you from the German mentality and way of working? The German pünktlichkeit?

    "I am pünktlicher than a German, so in that respect I fit in really well here! What I will take with me, I think, is really not shying away from in-depth engagement and content, instead of the Dutch way of taking ´grote stappen, snel thuis´. To take more and smaller steps, to really read the book, and to dare to have a conversation with each other about it. I plan to take that with me."

     

    Cultural Attaché Beate Gerlings of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Germany.jpg

    Cultural attaché Beate Gerlings of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Germany

    Do you want to know more about a cultural exchange with Germany? Find everything here.

  • Culture Talks - Connecting Creatives

    DutchCulture organiseert Culture Talks met cultuurprofessionals uit binnen- en buitenland.

    DutchCulture organiseert regelmatig Culture Talks. Culture Talks zijn inspiratiesessies, workshops of lezingen waarin cultuurprofessionals uit binnen- en buitenland met een internationale blik hun kennis en ervaring delen met geïnteresseerden.

    We nodigen sprekers uit die internationale experts zijn op het gebied van cultuur, media en erfgoed. Dit kunnen kunstenaars, curatoren, trendwatchers, beleidsmakers, wetenschappers, journalisten en makers zijn. Vaak maken de sprekers onderdeel uit van een breder programma van DutchCulture, zoals  van onze internationale bezoekersprogramma’s. Tijdens de Culture Talks is er altijd ruimte voor vragen, uitwisseling en kennismaking. De Culture Talks vinden plaats op het kantoor van DutchCulture, of bij een van onze vele partners in heel Nederland.

    Culture Talks zijn altijd gratis toegankelijk. Hou onze agenda in de gaten voor de volgende Culture Talk! Wil je zelf een Culture Talk met een van onze gasten inpassen in je programma? Neem dan contact op met j.hendriks@dutchculture.nl.

    In 2017 organiseerden we de volgende Culture Talks:

    19 december - programmamakers Mizuho Ishii en Yumiko Fujimoto (JP) en beeldend kunstenaar Seyit Battal Kurt  (NL) over artist-in-residencies in Japan

    26 oktober - Wies Ubags (NL), correspondent Latijns-Amerika over Brazilië en haar slavernijverleden

    12 oktober  – internationale gasten over Liveable Historical Cities

    3 oktober - internationale experts over Fair Practice in de kunsten  

    21 september - IPHAN (BR) over cultural landscapes

    15 september - Marie Le Sourd (FR) van On the Move over internationale culturele mobiliteit

    23 juni - Tom Ruller (USA), de directeur van de New York Archives

    21 juni - Matthew Covey (USA), expert op het gebied van kunstenaarsmobiliteit naar de VS

    16 juni - Zahira Asmal (SA) over hoe Kaapstad een werkelijk inclusieve stad kan worden met al haar culturen, geschiedenissen en identiteiten

    7 april - Aukaanse Marron delegatie uit Suriname 

    15 februari - Zuid-Afrikaanse delegatie over narratieven in Zuid-Afrikaanse musea

     


  • Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), considered one of the 10 best think tanks in the world, has a tradition of excellence in research, innovation and consulting in administration, economics, law, social sciences, and applied mathematics. FGV has academic cooperation agreements with renowned institutions all over the world, which include research, joint projects and exchange of students and professors.

    FGV was founded in 1944. With the initial aim of preparing qualified personnel for public and private administration of the country the FGV overstepped the boundaries of teaching and the advanced areas of research and information. 

    There are schools in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília.

    |

    Contact



  • The Calvert Journal is an award-winning online magazine dedicated to exploring the culture and creativity of the New East: eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia. 

    Today, thanks to a rising generation of artistic talent, the New East is in the midst of tremendous change. This is the inspiration for The Calvert Journal, which has established itself as the leading authority on contemporary culture, creativity and travel in the region, delivering a mix of daily features, news, interviews and photography.

    The Calvert Journal aims to offer an inspiring, carefully considered take on the people, places and creative projects of the region. Our vision is to bring context and insight to a part of the world that, despite its richness, often goes underreported. 

    Based in London — and with content-sharing partnerships with international titles including The Guardian, Business Insider and The Moscow Times — we tell the story of the New East’s contemporary culture via a network of writers and contributors stationed across its many countries and time zones.

    |

    Contact



  • USP, as the major institution of higher learning and research in Brazil, is responsible for educating a large part of Brazilian Masters and Ph.D’s. 

    |

    Contact