Art and culture in party programmes
What do the party manifestos say about art and culture?
On 17 March, we will be going to the polls for the elections to the Lower House of Parliament. The party manifestos have been drawn up and published, at the time of writing sometimes still in the form of draft plans. What are the party manifestos about art and culture? We have listed a number of things so that you can take them into consideration. Only the programmes in which art and culture policy is given attention are discussed below, and only the parts that (may) concern the visual arts sector, in alphabetical order.
50plus
In the chapter Culture and (Social) Media 50plus writes among other things that cultural innovation should be stimulated, that art and cultural institutions/companies should be helped by more production assignments for public broadcasters and that they should be stimulated to program more performances during the day.
Download the complete program of 50plus
By1
The chapter Art, culture and media opens with a paragraph in which the party states that it "wants to fight for a flourishing art, culture and media sector that reflects Dutch society and is accessible to everyone." Bij1 believes it is important that artists and creatives can make a living from their work and that there is room for critical and creative thinkers. She wants to make more funds available and structurally invest more in art, culture and media. The Work and Income Act for Artists (WWIK) will be reinstated and structural efforts will be made to eliminate poverty in the sector. There will be strict supervision of compliance with the Fair Practice Code and sufficient additional resources to introduce this code and make it binding. Existing (cultural) sanctuaries will be recognised and preserved. New sanctuaries will receive practical and legal support. There will be strict monitoring of compliance with the Diversity and Inclusion Code. There will be a representative and inclusive recruitment policy for decision-making positions within media and culture funds. Cultural and media institutions should pay attention to Dutch colonial history and the history of slavery, from the perspective of the former colonies. Admission to museums and cultural institutions will be free. There will be a culture budget for every child in the Netherlands. Art and culture education will become a compulsory part of primary, secondary and vocational education. Participation in leisure time must also be made more accessible for every child.
Download the complete program of Bij1
CDA
In the chapter A land of values and traditions the party writes about culture. This party is strongly about identity and connectedness, in which language, culture, religion, traditions and folklore play a role. The party wants to break through the polarisation it sees through shared experiences, in which art and culture have a role. The party is in favour of a new national historic museum. After the crisis, the CDA will use a recovery plan to ensure that "makers, institutions and companies in the cultural sector can pick up the thread and enrich, surprise and entertain society again. The party wants a better regional distribution of resources and facilities for a full cultural offering and believes that the current emphasis on diversity in the offering is impossible without also protecting and preserving the unique examples of Dutch culture.
Download the full program of the CDA
Christian Union
In the paragraph Culture and heritage The Christian Union states that art, culture and creativity enrich life and society. Art is for and from everyone and the party believes that it is important to make it accessible, particularly for young people. Amateur arts and cultural education are an important part of this. All children should receive cultural education and every child should have access to culture, even outside school hours.
The principles of the Fair Practice Code serve as a guideline for a healthy labour market in the sector. Talent development is the basis for a good cultural climate, which is why breeding grounds, professional art education and post-academic institutions are given a central place in the cultural policy. Talented artists deserve the chance to build up a professional practice. The government supports this with funding such as guarantee schemes and revolving funds. The Christian Union wants a fairer distribution of government subsidies for cultural institutions throughout the country.
Download the complete program of the CU
D66
In the chapter Art and culture as the foundation of our civilization D66 sees the creation of art as an inner necessity and as a driver for individual and social development. Everyone should be able to enjoy it and creators deserve a better social position and more appreciation. "D66 stands for a revaluation of the art and culture sector involving the entire sector." The party wants to strengthen the shaky financial basis of the sector and wants fairer remuneration by ensuring that more money ends up with the creators themselves. There will be more room in national cultural funds for individual artists and small collectives. The system of subsidies will be simplified. Knowledge about the sector will be increased and the 1% regulation will return. It is important to promote Dutch art and culture abroad. D66 wants better preconditions to make the sector financially stronger and the Fair Practice Code will be given more priority, with extra financial resources released for this. It will be easier for all cultural institutions to borrow from banks. The low VAT rate for art and culture, as well as the Giving Act will be maintained; donating to art and culture will become easier and more attractive. D66 wants the cultural sector to have a formal relationship with both OCW and Economic Affairs. Cultural education will have the same priority at every school. The sector will become more diverse and investments will also be made in the sector outside the Randstad. D66 is in favour of the establishment of a Slavery Museum or Institute and encourages other cultural institutions that focus on the black heritage.
GreenLeft
The culture chapter of the GroenLinks party is entitled The Value of Culture. GroenLinks believes that this value is being disregarded, which is demonstrated by the lack of support for the sector in times of crisis. The party therefore wants to invest in art and culture, with extra attention for inclusion, diversity and young talent, and with decent working conditions for artists and people behind the scenes. The budget for art and culture will be increased. The distribution across the Netherlands will be fairer and there will be more attention paid to talent development, young makers and cultural incubators. The subsidy system will be more transparent and offer more certainty. Among other things, it will be possible to apply for a subsidy for eight years instead of four. The institutions' own income will play a smaller role. People who work in the sector deserve fair pay, better working conditions and more security. Producers and people working behind the scenes will be given permanent contracts wherever possible. The Fair Practice Code will be converted into legislation and the sector will be compensated for this. Cultural institutions will become more inclusive and accessible. The basis for this is the Cultural Diversity Code and the UN Convention on Disability. Every young person up to the age of 18 will receive their own cultural budget and cultural education both inside and outside of school will have more budget and possibilities.
Download the complete program GroenLinks
PvdA
In the chapter Our plan for art, culture and media for all The PvdA emphasises the social importance of art and culture and the fact that behind the wealth of our art and culture lies too often the poverty of the maker. The PvdA emphasises the intrinsic value of art and believes that more money must be provided to the sector on a structural basis, not only through national government, but also through municipalities and provinces. The Fair Practice Code will become the standard, the costs of implementation will be borne by the state, and there will be collective agreements on remuneration and employment conditions. The party will facilitate affordable studio space and invest in facilities for talent development. The party will use subsidies to provide existing institutions and makers with security and to give new makers the opportunity to build up an existence. In doing so, attention will be paid to a good regional distribution. Art and culture will be made more accessible for all young people up to the age of 25 and for people with a disability. The national museums will open their doors free of charge for one day a month. It is important that the sector represents the diversity of Dutch society. There will be more investment in art in the public space. After the current crisis, much support is needed, also for non-subsidised institutions and for the makers.
Download the complete program of the PvdA
Party for the Animals
In the chapter Smarter, wiser and more beautiful The party wants to involve the sector in social issues and therefore opts for its recovery. The party wants to involve the sector in social issues and therefore opts for its recovery; more money must be allocated to the sector so that art and culture become accessible to every Dutch person, including those living outside the Randstad. The national government is encouraging municipalities to make cultural participation a permanent part of their welfare policy. Well-spread, accessible, affordable and varied facilities must be created at the local level. Museum visits should be financially accessible for all citizens. Culture and music education will be given a fixed place in the curriculum of primary, secondary and intermediate vocational education. Furthermore, "we will proactively seek out collaborations with various social networks, councils and institutions from the cultural domain in order to think along with us about challenges in our society."
Download the complete program of the PvdD
SGP
Dutch museums, monuments, traditions and cultural activities deserve support and protection, with governments focusing primarily on elements in that culture that have a public function, such as monuments or a characteristic village or townscape. The acquisition of their own income should (surely) be paramount. The SGP believes it is only logical that the Dutch government should pay particular attention to the Dutch language, history and culture. Wherever possible, the government should take opportunities to bring back to the Netherlands masterpieces of Dutch cultural history, such as paintings by Rembrandt, and when granting subsidies, the accessibility of museums for the disabled and recognition of the efforts of volunteers should be a point of attention.
Download the entire program of the SGP
SP
In the chapter A learning country The SP explains that art and culture should not be a final element in the budget, but rather a basis for our civilisation. The party wants to ensure fair payment and social security for all creators in the creative sectors and will lay this down in a legal code. The SP advocates the creation of a national historical museum that will show how different ideas have collided to form today's society. More attention will be paid to art education in schools. All national museums will be accessible free of charge. The regional museums will be free one day a week.
Download the complete program of the SP
Volt
Volt wants the government to protect what is valuable but not directly economically profitable, culture is one of them. Since 2009, government contributions to culture have dropped by €600 million. Volt wants to reverse these cuts. Volt wants to bring back pleasure in reading and wants to make extra money available for this, as well as make music education more central in primary education. More diversity means that Volt wants to abandon quantity requirements, such as the number of visitors.
Download the complete program of Volt
VVD
Within the chapter Education and Freedom culture is discussed, including the extension of the Geefwet (gift legislation), the world top and the importance of everyday culture. It also states that "more and more cultural entrepreneurs are not dependent on government subsidies". The VVD would like to continue the line of making culture more accessible. Deed of Enlightenment that are exhibited in an accessible location. The party will work towards a better regional distribution of cultural subsidies, partly in order to stimulate co-government investment in culture. More funds will be made available for the preservation and development of popular culture. The party wants to exhibit more art by lowering the threshold for artworks from depots to be shown on loan in other museums. The party wants to dispose of part of the artworks from the national collection that are currently in the depots, in order to create extra space for the renewal of collections.
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