The Den Bosch city council approved the new plan on Tuesday evening, under which artists must ask ‘permission’ to stay in their studio after five years. The aim is to distribute studio space more fairly, so that young artists can also have a workplace. Responsible councilor Mike van der Geld is accused of not having spoken enough to those involved and was asked to do so.
Many artists are uncertain about their future and offered a petition on Monday that has been signed by more than 1,100 people. They are also concerned about the criteria on which it will be decided whether an artist can stay or not. The artist is assessed after five years of lease. If that goes well, you can rent for another five years, but after that it’s over.
However, a majority of the parties supported the proposal: only the PVV, the Den Bosch Groenen, Party of the Animals and the SP voted against.
Approach needed for flow
According to the councilor, the new approach is desperately needed to enable advancement for artists, makers and doers. Not much will change in the short term for current tenants. They can continue to use their existing workplace. From 2025, there will be a transitional arrangement of up to five years for tenants in buildings managed by the Atelierbeheerstichting.
This way, everyone should have enough time to prepare for the new situation. What exactly this will look like for individual tenants may differ from case to case.
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Unrest among artists, because the municipality wants fresh blood in its studios