The Schools of Arts of AP Hogeschool are concerned about the proposed savings on culture of the Flemish government. A government that cuts budgets in this way, intervenes in the excellence of our arts and in the future of the sector. In particular, the drastic reduction in project grants has important consequences for the opportunities for young artists in Flanders.
The Schools of Arts train artists with excellent artistic personalities and entrepreneurial spirit. Once graduated from our professional and academic programmes, they can build a career, thanks to their diverse set of skills. Innovating the field of work, the social contribution with artistic practice, services in the cultural sector and the education of young, old and diverse audiences in the form of teaching, workshops and social-artistic projects are some of the professional possibilities for which project grantshave been applied for.
What is a project grant?
The project grant is the instrument of the Flemish government to give young artists and new artistic projects a starting fee. It is a necessary investment to start a project. The functioning and distribution of the project subsidies have been adjusted several times in the course of the past years. Today we see that both young makers and more established artists appeal to this form of financing. This subsidy never covers the full cost of production but is an essential incentive for organisations to raise additional financial resources. The project grant always generates a return on investment, the income that indirectly (via VAT, labour costs, etc...) flows back to the government.
The sudden saving and has dramatic consequences for the programming and development of the arts in both the very short and the long term. The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp insist on a consultation with the government on this issue.
Read also the point of view of Oko (Committee Art Organisations) here.
Sign the petition here.