The city has many statues of iconic Amsterdam figures and if it is up to the Jordaan, another one will soon be added. For example, the neighborhood started a petition to create a statue of the recently deceased neighborhood cat Ramses in Westerstraat. Nearly four hundred signatures were collected. We ask Nils van Beek of Curatorium Amsterdam whether that is sufficient to realize the image.
Not only Ramses’ owners Arnold van Maanen is having a hard time with the loss. This was evident from the hundreds of expressions of support from the neighborhood that he has received recently. “Heartwarming,” he says. But it doesn’t stop there. To fill the gap left by Ramses and to honor him for eternity, the neighborhood started a petition for a statue in Westerstraat.
Van Maanen already knows what the statue should look like: “It should be a solid bronze statue, also the real size of Ramses. We will remove the whiskers, because I think they will break off quickly,” says Van Maanen.
Whether that statue actually has a chance of being created depends on the action plan, says Nils van Beek, secretary of the Amsterdam City Curatorium. This organization provides advice on art in open space and deals with around 200 to 250 large and small issues every year. Three quarters are about existing works of art, a quarter about new ones. “We are not a referee and do not determine who deserves a statue and who does not. We look at the city and whether something fits in a place,” says Van Beek.
His advice is to keep it simple and small-scale. So that no hassle is required with permits and the neighborhood can also take care of the image itself. Also in the financial field. “The initiative is already supported, perhaps they can all contribute something, then you will go a long way towards covering the costs. I think it is also important that there is a good design,” says Van Beek.
Van Maanen takes the tips to heart and hopes above all to complete the picture financially. “We will continue until we succeed, we will not give up,” he says. The Centrum district says that the petition has been received with enthusiasm and has now contacted the initiators about the design, financial resources and location.