We enjoyed a conversation with a representative from Amsterdam’s Virtueel Platform. This organization is an internationally-oriented, independent center whose goal is to foster new media projects in the Netherlands. They are underwriters of projects from many organizations across the country that further what they call “e-culture.”
After conversations with several groups and individuals in Amsterdam, we are understanding better the depth in the Netherlands of government support for the arts. This commitment seems driven by two key factors: first, a conviction that fostering technology-oriented projects is good for the general economy; and second, a recognition that native artistic production is a key feature in maintaining national identity in an era of what some here call “American media colonialism.”
Respected artists in the Netherlands can be confident of modest grants from the government through most years of their artistic production. The grants themselves are made through a series of panels – not unlike those at our own National Endowment for the Arts – comprised of artists, curators and experts.
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