The Netherlands

(See Factsheet about the Netherlands)

In 2000 Motivaction International b.v. (research and strategy) carried out a research on the practice of the amateur arts in the Netherlands. 36% of the Dutch population between the age of 15 and 80 spend over 50 minutes per week on one or more expressions of the amateur arts.

When spread over the different disciplines this results in:

Audiovisual:	14%
Visual:	15%
Dance:	8%
Music:	12%
Literature:	3%
Theatre:	1%

(Added up this is more than 36% because of the ones who practise more disciplines)

The greater part of the amateurs is organised in theatre companies, music ensembles or dance groups. And even individual artists, such as painters, writers or moviemakers are often members of a club. And the Netherlands wouldn’t be the Netherlands if the greater part of those clubs weren’t members of a federation of clubs.

The federations look after the interests of the joint associations, they take care of tuning to each other, they negotiate with tax authorities and unions, they discuss matters of copyright and they manage libraries. Federations can also function as organisers of festivals and competitions.

The Dutch amateur arts stand out because of their diversity. The six disciplines mentioned above can be endlessly divided in specialist disciplines, varying from paper folding to jewellery design, from playing a mouth-organ in an ensemble to twirling, from tango dancing to classical ballet.

National institution

Kunstfactor is the national organisation for the development and promotion of the amateur arts. Whether it concerns amateur societies or art institutions, courses or staff, Kunstfactor offers support, advice and education, and helps to improve quality and infrastructures. The organisation furthers the interests of more than six million amateurs who are active in the arts, from pop musicians to photographers and from theatre makers to jazz dancers. But Kunstfactor also negotiates with national and local authorities, policy makers and opinion makers, and stimulates debate about the significance of the amateur arts. More than 80 specialised staff maintain numerous contacts with those active in the field.
Kunstfactor was launched on 1 January 2007. It was established through a merger of Theaterwerk NL, the Landelijk Centrum voor Amateurdans (LCA), the Stichting Beeldende Amateurkunst (SBA), Stichting Schrijven, and Unisono. Kunstfactor has an active policy to ensure that programmes, audiences, staff and committee structures form a reflection of Dutch society.

Government

Dutch national government formulates policy goals for the field of the amateur arts. This policy is formulated for a period of four years.

Apart from national government, the 12 provinces also finance the amateur arts. Mostly these are means for incentive projects. The most important public financing institutions, however, are the municipalities; they are responsible for maintaining the local infrastructure.