The Dutch Secretary of state for culture, Halbe Zijlstra, has published his policy plan for the coming years on June 10th. In contrast to the official recommendations given to him by his advisory board, the Raad voor Cultuur, these historic cutbacks will not be spread out over a number of years but will take immediate effect as of January, 2013.
Next to the devastating effect for the whole field of emerging arts and innovation, this means that the Netherlands Media Art Institute is facing a 100% cut in its structural governmental funding.
Ever since the foundation of MonteVideo gallery in 1978, the Netherlands Media Art Institute has specialized in media and electronic art that seeks the creative possibilities of contemporary media and technology. Today we are an internationally renowned and all-round cultural organization, active and recognized in the areas of creation, presentation, research and conservation.
The collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute comprises over 2,000 works of more than 500 (inter)national artists and is the beating heart of the Institute. Historically, international exchange has always been an essential part of media art. At this moment, we annually distribute works from our collection to up to 35 countries worldwide. The total spectrum of activities includes exhibitions, education and research, and a high level of international cooperation.
Through such diverse functions, the Institute fulfils its role as intermediary for the media art sector: building bridges between artists, art institutions and the public: a center of expertise that makes its resources widely available.
Contrary to all recommendations and expectations we are now facing major challenges in keeping the Institute alive in order to remain an active leading player in the field of art, technology and innovation.
We are very much aware that the days of individualism are history. Alliances within and beyond the arts, partnerships and shared leadership will be key to help us through these unstable economic, political and social times.
Sign the Petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/save-dutch-media-art-orgs-govt-plans-to-slash-them-all The Netherlands Media Art Institute, being a valuable node in an international network, believes in the strength of this Institute, the sector and the potential of the artists and our partners. We are dedicated to invest all of our energy and efforts to keep media art vibrant and alive.
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