News item | 04-11-2022 | 15:20
Making culture more accessible, fairer remuneration for cultural and creative professionals, and using creative thinking power more on major social issues. These will be important principles of cultural policy in the coming years. The Council of Ministers has approved the Multi-Year Letter on Culture from State Secretary Uslu (Culture and Media). In this letter, entitled ‘The power of creativity’, the State Secretary explains how she intends to use 170 million euros from the coalition agreement for the cultural and creative sector in the coming years.
In addition to the existing culture budget of 1 billion euros, the government invests 170 million euros annually in strengthening the Dutch cultural and creative sector. That money is deployed along five lines:
Strengthen the position of cultural and creative professional
A strong sector cannot do without a healthy labor market and fair remuneration. In order to contribute to better remuneration, 19.1 million euros per year will be made available for the next two years, and 34.1 million euros on a structural basis from 2025. In doing so, the State Secretary sets an example for fair remuneration. She also expects the sector itself to reach fair agreements in places where this is not yet the case.
State Secretary Uslu also invests heavily in opportunities for starting makers through the funds and through special programs for talent development, for example.
Use of creativity in social issues
The renovation of the Netherlands requires our maximum brainpower. At the moment, the creativity of designers, for example, is still too little used in the major social tasks of the moment, such as the energy transition. On a small scale, there are plenty of examples of fashion designers using recycled plastic for garments, or architects building completely sustainably. State Secretary Uslu is therefore investing in ‘design research’, so that design can be used better and more widely. With this she wants to further develop the methodologies of research by design and stimulate their application in tackling social issues.
Accessibility
Culture is everywhere and belongs to everyone and must therefore also be experienced and experienced by as many people as possible. This means that there must be quality offer throughout the country and that everyone who wants it can participate in culture – especially young people. The government is investing extra in accessibility, to remove both visible and invisible barriers, and to promote diversity. Part of this is also the extra investment of ultimately 58.7 million euros in libraries.
Digitization
Digitization offers great opportunities for creating and presenting art and for reaching a larger and new audience. The cabinet is making money available to help makers make the most of the possibilities. For example, by investing in infrastructure and innovation, and by stimulating knowledge sharing.
Heritage
The government believes it is important to pass on the past to young generations and to be aware of the many different stories about our history. That is why, for example, there is extra money for subsidy schemes to maintain monuments, with special attention to the Caribbean part of the kingdom. State Secretary Uslu is also making money available again for the Heritage Deal. In addition, the cabinet is contributing to a National History Museum and a National Slavery Museum.