Conference: The Funding of the Arts

The Cooper Union. Photo: Abbott Miller.

Friday, June 10, 2011 at 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The evening will be concluded with a reception.
The Cooper Union - New York, NY
RSVP at: newyork@pvda.nl

The New York chapter of the Dutch Social Democratic Party – the ‘PvdA’ -presents in collaboration with the School of Art at The Cooper Union: “Who Serves the Arts Best?”.

A debate on public and private funding of the arts in the United States and the Netherlands. Due to rigorous cut backs in arts funding by the current government in the Netherlands, Dutch arts institutions and artists are looking to the United States to explore ideas for supplementing their budgets. Who serves the arts best, and how do we actually measure that? In one-on-one conversations, followed by a moderated panel, museum directors, chiefs of art institutions and foundations, policy makers, deans of art schools and artists will debate the transatlantic divide and build on a template for the future funding of the arts.

Farai Chideya (Radio Host NPR) will be hosting this afternoon of conversations and presentations and introduce the audience to several thought provoking discussions between prominent representatives of leading cultural institutions in the US and in the Netherlands.

Glenn D. Lowry (MoMA) and Axel Rüger (Van Gogh Museum) will start off the debate on cultural institutions by discussing the differences between the so-called Dutch ‘Rijks museums’ — substantially funded by the State — versus the many museums in the United States that work with a board of trustees and rely on private resources. Questions about funding models for the concert hall and the theatre, and their challenges in a changing world increasingly oriented towards consumerism and mass culture, will be debated by Clive 
Gillinson (Carnegie Hall) and Melle Daamen (City Theatre Amsterdam).

How can cultural foundations pursue a public mission in the field of art and culture, and in what way is this possible without a subsidy system? Are cultural philanthropy and US-style fund raising desirable instruments to introduce in the Dutch cultural system? Is public funding diminishing in the Netherlands (and Europe), but getting more popular in the US? Nicolas Baume (Public Art Fund), Gitta Luiten (Mondrian Foundation) and Katie Hollander (Creative Time) will share their perspectives.
 
Policy makers in the cultural field, such as Rick van der Ploeg (Professor of Economics and former Dutch Secretary of Culture), will give their views on the future of the role of government in the arts in these times of budget cuts and reform. Can art revitalize the flagging economy and “be a source of jobs and economic stimulus,” as Rocco Landesman has argued (NEA), or is it a luxury that government should target first when making decisions on budget cuts?

Saskia Bos (The Cooper Union) and Mark Wigley (Columbia University) will engage in a conversation about funding and education, and open a session with educators, an artist, architect, designer and a theatre director. What does public and private funding mean to artists? Will the concept of cultural enterprise awaken the businessman who lives in many artists and spark creativity even more, or will it leave less room for innovation and lead to more mainstream productions? 

For information please contact Gerald van Wilgen at vanwilgen@mac.com or 856-261-1673