Assignments

In the article by Gijs Frieling and Rogier Brom, which we are reproducing in its entirety in this issue of BK Information publication, you can read about the past and present of the percentage scheme for the visual arts at Atelier Rijksbouwmeester. The article is an introduction to the Boekman Foundation's investigation into the functioning of that scheme.

The playing field for art commissions is changing, and that includes the Chief Government Architect. For example, many organisations which used to belong to the government have been privatised, as a result of which their commissioning policy has changed. The Chief Government Architect has started working with art commissions in a different way. For example, where there used to be open tenders, nowadays committee members nominate artists to be placed on a long list. The visual arts themselves have also changed, so that commissions are now handled in a different way.

Our readers also see the commissioning landscape changing. We are increasingly hearing noises about changing commissioning practices. That is why we are looking for more information on this subject and we are appealing to you.

We would like to hear from visual artists who regularly or less regularly carry out commissions in the public space. How do they get their commissions, who are their clients, what is the process like and what about funding and maintenance? We love to hear the stories of artists who have something to say about this. We collect everything and depending on the nature of the information collected, we look at how we can share it via BK Information.

Secondly, we like to hear from clients - municipalities, companies, cultural organizations, individuals. We ask them to let us know how they go about their work these days. How do they choose the artists for a particular commission? How do they formulate the assignment and how does the process work? What kind of commissioner are they? And what can artists do to get into the spotlight. We have already discussed this with a few organisations. We are happy to continue.

All kinds of stories around assignments in the visual arts are very welcome to us. As said, we collect everything and eventually bring the information back to our readers.

We'd love to hear from you.