1 November 2012
In 2013, the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten and De Ateliers will initiate a new partnership. The two most successful post graduate institutions in the Netherlands are joining forces. This means that both institutes in Amsterdam will collaborate on several levels.
Together, the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers offer 60 studios on two locations (within a fifteen minute walking distance). Every year, some 30 studios will become available. A residency at Rijksakademie/De Ateliers lasts one year and can be extended with another year.
Application is open to artists at the beginning of their professional development, with a focus on artists 25 — 35 years of age. Artists younger than 25 or older than 35 are also welcome to apply.
Portfolios will be selected by both institutes collaboratively. Portfolios from Dutch artists and artists based in the Netherlands will be considered by De Ateliers and the Rijksakademie in collaboration with the Mondriaan Fonds. The Mondriaan Fonds supplies bursaries to individual artists who wish to participate in Rijksakademie/ De Ateliersprogram.
All artists admitted have access to facilities of both institutions, including a private studio, workshops, libraries, artist’s talks, seminars, open studio events, administration services, housing services, et cetera. The teams of advisors (Rijksakademie) and tutor artists (De Ateliers) will be integrated gradually.
More information
August 13, 2012
Positive advice Council for Culture
This afternoon, in its recommendation entitled ‘Slagen in Cultuur, het vervolg’, the Council for Culture has given a positive advice regarding the joint request of the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers, releasing the reserved grant of € 1.5 million: € 400,000 to De Ateliers and € 1,100,000 to the Rijksakademie.
Excerpt from the recommendation:
The Council has noted with appreciation the intention of De Ateliers and the Rijksakademie to create a new ‘center of excellence for the visual arts’. The ambitions and intentions, as described in the application, build on the strength and the reputation of both individual institutions. The Council is confident that the combination of forces will lead to the (establishment of the) planned organization for excellence in the visual arts and believes that such a facility forms an indispensable part of the Dutch and international art scene.
In the application, the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers made clear that a successful cooperation hinged on the political solution to the high housing and personnel cost of the Rijksakademie. In its recommendation, the Council does not elaborate on this issue.
Also, the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers insisted that the government continue to support talent development in the visual arts after 2016. The Council does not directly respond to this request in its recommendation either."
Read the full recommendation
here (in Dutch)
August 13, 2012
Positive advice Council for Culture
This afternoon, in its recommendation entitled ‘Slagen in Cultuur, het vervolg’, the Council for Culture has given a positive advice regarding the joint request of the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers, releasing the reserved grant of € 1.5 million: € 400,000 to De Ateliers and € 1,100,000 to the Rijksakademie.
Excerpt from the recommendation:
The Council has noted with appreciation the intention of De Ateliers and the Rijksakademie to create a new ‘center of excellence for the visual arts’. The ambitions and intentions, as described in the application, build on the strength and the reputation of both individual institutions. The Council is confident that the combination of forces will lead to the (establishment of the) planned organization for excellence in the visual arts and believes that such a facility forms an indispensable part of the Dutch and international art scene.
In the application, the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers made clear that a successful cooperation hinged on the political solution to the high housing and personnel cost of the Rijksakademie. In its recommendation, the Council does not elaborate on this issue.
Also, the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers insisted that the government continue to support talent development in the visual arts after 2016. The Council does not directly respond to this request in its recommendation either."
Read the full recommendation
here (in Dutch)
21 May 2012
Comment of the Rijksakademie on the recommendations of the Council for Culture
The Council for Culture has recommended the Secretary of State for Education, Culture, and Science not to grant funding for the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten for the period 2013-2016 yet. The Board proposes that the Rijksakademie submits a joint plan along with fellow institution De Ateliers before year-end and to reserve € 1.5 million to this end. As a boundary condition, however, the Rijksgebouwendienst and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science have been asked to put forward a solution to the high housing and personnel costs of the Rijksakademie.
The Rijksakademie regards the cooperation with fellow institution De Ateliers as obvious and proposes in its grant application a collaborative model in which both their building and infrastructure are shared. As the Council affirms, the Rijksakademie provides a unique blend of artistic, technical and theoretical facilities and expertise for the development of top talents. The Council also underlines that this cooperation should be maintained in the distinctive profiles of both organizations.
The Rijksakademie is a healthy organization. Since its autonomization, it has successfully partnered with foundations, companies and individuals, both at home and abroad. Income from fundraising has risen sharply in recent years. Artists contribute as well, both in a financial and a material sense, for instance by donating work to the Rijksakademie. There are various collaborations with the corporate world, including at the intersection of art and innovation. This allows the Rijksakademie not only to increase its financial base, but also to create a broader involvement in the context of talent development. With respect to audience development, the Rijksakademie collaborates with partners such as the Stedelijk Museum, and organizes public events such as Rijksakademie OPEN. Lastly but certainly not least, the Rijksakademie can boast an impressive service record in the Dutch and international art field.
In any event, the plan to reserve € 1.5 million for two institutions confronts the Rijksakademie with substantial financial cuts of at least 55%. This also brings the continuity of this more than 140-year old institution under serious pressure. The current offer, and consequently the number of residency places, can no longer be guaranteed, and the actual operation is very much hindered by the prevailing uncertainty. An allocated budget from the Mondrian Fund, as recommended by the Council, may bring relief.
The Rijksakademie will further disengage from its responsibilities in terms of the management of State Collections and the Prix de Rome and will concentrate on the residency program. The first steps have been initiated to transform the current structure into a smaller, more efficient, and flexible organization. These are painful decisions that concern co-workers who for many years and with tremendous effort have contributed to the strong reputation and position of the Rijksakademie.
The Rijksakademie hopes to continue the talks with both De Ateliers and the Ministry and concretise plans as quickly as possible; this in view of both the continuity of the residencies and the institution’s accountability to its (financial) partners.
For an overview of the recommendations made by the Council for Culture, please visit
this link (in Dutch)
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1 February 2012
Plans for the future
The policy plans for the Dutch Ministry of Education and the Kunstenplan Amsterdam for the period 2013-2016 were submitted last week. The spearheads in both plans are collaboration within the art disciplines and alliances in the fields of technology. science and innovation. In addition to this the Rijksakademie aspires to greater openness and transparency, both locally and internationally, and cultural entrepreneurship is integrated further within the organisation. Successful fund-raising forms the basis for this.
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24 November 2011
Mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan spoke at RijksakademieOPEN 2011
Mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan spoke at RijksakademieOPEN 2011. He emphasised the importancy of the Rijksakademie for the city of Amsterdam and the Dutch economy. He called the Rijksakademie "the Harvard of visual arts".
Watch the video registration of the speech
here (in Dutch)
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24 June 2011
We need everyone in The Hague this monday
A protest will take place on the Malieveld in The Hague this monday June 27th, from 10 a.m. on against the draconic cuts in Dutch art funding.
On this day two debates will take place in Parliament: from 10 a.m - 2 p.m. a debate on the media policy, and from 3.30 p.m. - 10 p.m. a debate on the cultural policy.
It really can make a difference when it's visible how many people care about the arts. Show the politicians that a rich cultural life is a very important part of society, and that artistis and art lovers are no outsiders. Show that you care!
Here you'll find all the actions that take place against the draconic cuts in Dutch art funding.
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24 June 2011
Artbomb
Today (Friday June 24) at noon, residents of the Rijksakademie wil participate in the
Artbomb intervention. Many art locations across the world will be blanketed in coloured smoke.
This visual act will be a sign of resistance against the growing disdain for the arts within societies and governments worldwide, and a sign of support for colleagues who face major cutbacks.
The Rijksakademie will be one of the locations, next to many others like the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Kunsthalle Bern and het Van Abbe museum in Eindhoven.
The intervention started already in. It was already noon local time in Australia, China and Indonesia. Take a look at the pictures
here
More information and overview of all the participants
www.artbomb.nl
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24 June 2011
BOIJMANS OCCUPIED!
Sunday, June 26 11AM - 5PM,
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam will be occupied by the manifestation
BOIJMANS BEZET! Artists, politicians, museum directors and art lovers come together to express their concern about the cuts in the state funding for the arts.
Els van Odijk, director the Rijksakademie, will be one of the speakers.
More information (in Dutch)
www.schuileninhetrijks.nl
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23 June 2011
Open letter and reading by Jeremiah Day:
Culture In Context: Preserve What Has Been Learned.
"This is an open letter to be published in the next days attempting to re-frame the issue away from budgets towards a sense of the broader stakes.
This thursday morning at 10:00 AM Rezi van Lankveld and I will host a reading of the letter and make a statement of solidarity in defense of the Dutch cultural heritage in front of the Van Gogh museum, to share this debate with the many guests who come there. There are of course many actions this week, but please join us manifesting solidarity with the legacy of Van Gogh and those who strive to foster and defend contemporary cultural production in the Netherlands."
Letter (
pdf)
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21 June 2011
The petition continues!
More than 5100 people signed the petition already. Latest comment from Edo Dijksterhuis (director Art Amsterdam):
"
The Rijksakademie is a unique institution of international standing. It is the Olympus in the field of not only Dutch but also international visual arts. To pull the plug on this center of excellence wouldthrough The Netherlands back to a state of mediocrity and blendness."
But we'll keep on collecting signatures and statements, so please keep on forwarding the petition!
Link to petition
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Sign the petition
After 141 years, the existence of the top institute Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten is being threatened by the Dutch Government. The intention to terminate governmental support as of 2013 endangers the future of this crucial source of top talent in the visual arts.
The internationally acclaimed residency program has enabled artists like Breitner, Mondriaan, Karel Appel and more recent Michael Raedecker, Folkert de Jong, Fiona Tan, Meshac Gaba and Yael Bartana to make an essential contribution to the local and global art scene. The institute holds unique State Collections on artistry which date back to the 17th century.
Please support us to secure the future of the Rijksakademie.
Please sign the petition and leave a personal message.
Forward the petition and link it on your website. Every vote counts.
Sign the petition
June 20th, director Els van Odijk will hand over the petition to the Committee for Education, Culture and Science of the Dutch parliament.
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11 June 2011
On Saturday afternoon 11 June, Els van Odijk, director of the Rijksakademie let the public know what we think of the plans of the Secretary of Culture. The radio program OPIUM was broadcasted on radio 1 from 2.30 - 4.30 p.m.
Listen to the
program (in Dutch)
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10 June 2011
This letter (
pdf) has been sent to Mr. Zijlstra and the member of the Parliament, signed by the boards of directors, managements and representatives of:
De Zaak Nu – on behalf of the presentation institutions
SKOR | Stichting Kunst en Openbare Ruimte (Foundation for Art in Public Spaces)
NIMk – Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst (Dutch Institute for Media Arts)
The post-academic institutions – de Ateliers, Rijksakademie and the Jan van Ecyk Academy
The collector Martijn Sanders and the patrons Maurice van Vaalen and Rob Defares
The artists’ action group, ‘Schuilen in het Rijks’
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10 June 2011
Response to severe budget cuts by Ministry of Culture
Today we have received a letter from the Secretary of Culture in which he proposes severe budget cuts. The Rijksakademie is funded for a substantial part by the Ministry of Culture.
The letter announces that it will terminate its support for post academic institutes, to which the Rijksakademie belongs, completely. The Secretary proposes that from 2012 fifty residencies for visual artists will be funded for the next 4 years, but doesn’t clarify which artists, in which institute under which criteria. We are kept in the dark.
The Prix de Rome will be taken away from the Rijksakademie and finds another home, after having ‘belonged’ to the Rijksakademie since 1870.
The news is devastating. The Rijksakademie is the oldest institute in the Netherlands with a worldwide reputation in facilitating the development of top talent.
We want you to know that we will do everything in our power to turn the tide.
