The visual arts are not faring well in Amsterdam’s cultural policy. It was the only sector to see a decline in the number of supported organisations in the latest round of structural funding; and we have the highest percentage of applications that received a positive evaluation yet ended up ‘below the cut-off line’. That is why we are now seizing the opportunity presented by the appointment of a new ‘deputy mayor’ (wethouder) for Arts and Culture, Hendrik Jan Biemond, whose portfolio includes also Finance. We call on him and the municipal executive board and the city council to support MOKER’s Emergency Plan – if Fair Pay is included!

MOKER is a coalition of 40 visual arts institutions in Amsterdam. In their Emergency Plan, they are calling for 3 concrete policy measures to strengthen the sector, and for an additional budget of €4.4 million. According to the Emergency Plan, “this does not yet take into account the necessary catch-up on fair pay.”

As far as Platform BK is concerned, fair pay should not be the last item on the budget to catch up on, but rather a value that is a foundational point of departure when making plans. The City of Amsterdam should make it a condition for all kinds of funding, and then also make budgets available that enable institutions to carry this responsibility.

In consultation with the MOKER board, we have offered our assistance in assessing the additional costs required to ensure a healthy visual arts sector in the capital which inherently includes fair pay. More news about that collaboration will follow near the end of the summer.

In the meantime, deputy mayor Biemond can already take into account(s): the emergency needs more repair than has been planned!