Two out of three Dutch people surveyed think the cultural sector should become more sustainable. This emerges from new research commissioned by the Boekman Foundation. The fact that people want sustainability does not mean that they immediately embrace every initiative. They mainly support measures that do not directly affect them or the cultural maker. With the Boekman Foundation's research,...

The proven effect of art on general health is still underutilized in the Netherlands, according to the white paper Arts in Health.

Bookman Extra #44

As a union of the creative and cultural sector, the Arts Union is actively concerned with the developments of generative AI and its impact and consequences the impact and consequences on the creative field. The organization is committed to fair and humane laws and regulations for the development of generative AI so that it does not...

Patronage is on the rise in the Dutch visual arts. From a few tens to many millions, generous donors scatter money and goodies. Success stories and excesses often make the papers; a grand prize, a beloved statue, a case of tax evasion. But the larger structures of patronage as a phenomenon are almost never discussed.

The romantic idea of the artist working in seclusion still exists and captures the imagination. Think of the writer retreating to an attic room or the painter entrenched in a studio. Today's reality, however, is different. What motivates artists and creatives to work together? That question...

"This fall's Bookman," issue No. 136, is about art and care. And about social artistry, care-ism and caring, according to the subtitle.

In the publication Rijkscultuurfondsen in de regio, available online, the six national cultural funds, including the Mondriaan Fund, explain their current role and approach to providing access to art and culture for all Dutch people.

The Boekman Foundation has again published numerous publications in recent months, including the summer edition on the future of art and culture, the spring edition on art education, and editions of Boekman Extra on diversity in the cultural sector and on impact available online.

Pictoright created an online special on the rights surrounding art in public spaces.

How do we put making practice at the center of the cultural ecosystem? That was the central question during the symposium The Art of Making on Jan. 17, organized by Renée Steenbergen, Veem House for Performance and Platform BK. Esmee Schoutens wrote a report for Platform BK, of which we publish an abridged version.

This winter's Boekman is about research and data. What do all the data and research collected in the cultural sector tell us? Indicators such as audience reach or own income can provide a one-sided perspective on quantitative results without considering their impact on an institution's policy.

Founded in 1963, the Boekman Foundation is the independent knowledge center for art, culture and policy in the Netherlands. The foundation researches trends and developments in the cultural sector and cultural policy and publishes on a regular basis. Below are some recent publications.

In the publication Museum Figures 2021. Trends in the museum sector, the Museum Association calls on governments to enable museums to invest in a sustainable future.

The theme of this summer's Boekman is "artists and power," and it deals with transgressive behavior and unequal power relations in the arts and culture sector. 

Recently a collection of inspiration was published by the fourteen advisory councils of government and parliament, in which society and politics are called upon to ensure that current and future young generations can look forward to a hopeful future. Each advisory council highlighted a vision from its specific role, as did the Council for Culture.

The Boekman Foundation has released a number of publications in recent times.

Reader by Platform BK on the precarity of working people in the visual arts.

The spring edition of Boekman (#130) is about local cultural policy, following the municipal elections earlier this year. Several articles discuss the possibilities and impossibilities of local cultural policy and the relationships between national government and municipalities and between municipalities themselves. Also discussed is research by Berenschot commissioned by the Association of Netherlands Municipalities...

The Boekman Exploration 'Origins and development of the Basic Cultural Infrastructure' appeared last September and offers a brief review of the origins and establishment of the Basic Cultural Infrastructure (BIS). What subsidy criteria did successive ministers use to flesh it out? The cultural policy of Ronald Plasterk (2009-2012), Halbe Zijlstra (2013-2016), Jet Bussemaker (2017-2020) and Ingrid van Engelshoven (2021-2024)...

The report The Status and Working Condi- tions for Artists, Cultural and Creative Professionals is the result of a brainstorming meeting organized by Voices of Culture on April 27 and 28.

The SHIFT Environmental Sustainability and the Arts Annotated Bibliography is a guide to key resources, literature, and inspiring examples for developing environmentally sustainable arts practices.

A safe, inclusive and accessible language for everyone in the arts and culture sector.

The GALA Funding and Resources Guide - Second edition is the updated edition of the guide first produced in 2015 as part of the EU-funded project, Green Art Lab Alliance (GALA).

The Boekman Foundation devoted the summer issue of Boekman 127 to culture and sustainability: how can the cultural sector contribute to a greener world? "The authors in this issue of Boekman show that culture is ideally suited to make people more aware of sustainability. By making cultural buildings and organizations as environmentally friendly as possible, but also...

Art in urban development. Exit- reflections on the farewell of Ronald Stokkel is a publication of the municipality of Leiden.