Creative perspective for Amsterdam
Part of
Keywords
Inspiration and tools for cultural contributions to the city's social tasks
In Motion 645, the council called on the college to involve the arts sector in solving Amsterdam's social challenges. [...] In response to the motion, Berenschot was commissioned to explore for each policy portfolio how art and culture can be deployed to represent social challenges or find solutions to issues. In this report, we first outline the background to the question in the Amsterdam context. We provide an overview of all the domains studied. We then provide the municipality with action perspectives for using cultural contributions to deal with current social issues. We show practical tools for bringing the right people to the table, for tackling problems using appropriate processes and methodologies, and for creating conditions to drive the deployment of cultural contributions to Amsterdam issues in all urban domains. The municipality can primarily help by creating leeway for initiatives. We then provide an overview of relevant issues across the full breadth of policy domains and area-based programs. We describe the possible or already existing use of art and culture in this regard, using inspiring examples for these issues. This report concludes with an overview of methodologies from practice and a list of our discussion partners. The separate appendix lists more than 60 examples, arranged according to policy portfolios and city districts, including the makers, partners and financiers.
In the November 2023 council meeting on the Outline for the 2025-2028 Arts Plan, council members called for further strengthening the position of arts and culture in the city. Council members stated in Motion 645 that arts and culture are of cross-domain, positive influence on the city and its residents. They see cultural activities being used in other domains such as education, healthcare and social as solutions to social issues. At the same time, they see that the college primarily funds cultural activities in the city from the earmarked budget for the Arts and Culture domain and will continue to do so in the coming Arts Plan period.
In Motion 645, the council calls on the college to involve the arts sector in solving Amsterdam's social challenges. The motion builds on the advice of Berenschot in the report In de Schijnwerpers (In the Spotlight) commissioned by the Permanent Parliamentary Committee for OCW of the Lower House to involve other domains in (the financing of) art and culture. In response to the motion, Berenschot was commissioned to explore for each policy portfolio how art and culture can be deployed to represent social challenges or find solutions to issues. The social and physical policy domains from the Coalition Agreement were examined, as well as the area-based programs of four city districts. Discussions were held with stakeholders about each domain and examples were collected.
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Creative perspective for Amsterdam. Inspiration and tools for cultural contributions to the social tasks of the city'.
Including appendix 'Appendix with examples of cultural contributions to the social tasks of the city'.
Report for the City of Amsterdam by Berenschot (November 12, 2024).
Bastiaan Vinkenburg, Lotte van Zuijlen, Sam Branten and Emma Fuchs
Source: Meeting December 5, 2024 Council Committee on Finance, Arts and Diversity (Municipality of Amsterdam)
Image credits ©
- 645.23 Motie Moeskops c.s. inzake Kunst als oplossing (8 november 2023) Betrek de kunstensector bij het oplossen van de maatschappelijke opgaven van Amsterdam.
- 'Creatief perspectief voor Amsterdam. Inspiratie en handvatten voor culturele bijdragen aan de maatschappelijke opgaven van de stad.' Rapport voor de gemeente Amsterdam door Berenschot (12 november 2024)
- 'Creatief perspectief voor Amsterdam' Appendix met voorbeelden van culturele bijdragen aan de maatschappelijke opgaven van de stad. (12 november 2024) Door Berenschot in opdracht van de gemeente Amsterdam