Cultural policy in Italy

Promoting Dutch culture is a team effort. The Embassy and Consulate General are part of a larger network of funds and institutions that have the task of promoting the internationalisation of the cultural and creative sector of the Netherlands. The Dutch diplomatic missions are the first point of contact for Italian cultural organisations to develop projects with the Netherlands. 
Italy is very important to the Netherlands. Italy has always been among the top countries for the export of Dutch cultural projects and for the number of international arts projects financed by the public sector in the Netherlands. Not only thanks to the presence of international events such as the Milan Design Week and the Venice Biennale, but also for the lively cultural sector, with its high artistic level and an attentive and curious audience.

Objectives

The cultural policy of the Netherlands focuses on three objectives:

1. strengthening cultural collaborations and supporting Dutch presentations in Italy
2. strengthening bilateral relations through culture
3. contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In particular, our attention focuses on projects dedicated to climate issues, initiatives that reflect on the phenomenon of migration and activities that strengthen market opportunities for the creative sector.

Approach

Our interventions are based on the demand from local operators. We do not represent specific artists or manage touring of groups or ensembles, but we try to respond to the needs of our partners. Criteria that will be applied are:

• the artistic quality of the project
• the audience it is targeted to
• the organisational capacity of the applicant
• the opportunities that a project represents to contribute to our objectives.

Priority will be given to projects of cultural organisations that respect

• the environment 
• offer fair payment to artists and operators
• integration, diversity and the rights of the public, artists and staff

Our focus is mainly on contemporary culture, but also on culture and welfare and cultural education. We are also interested in management of heritage, including digitisation.

What we can't do

It is not possible to support purely scientific projects, public relations or commercial activities. We exclude support for scientific conferences, information brochures about the Netherlands, gadgets, linguistic and cultural awareness courses. We will not financially support projects by amateur artists. We do not support activities aimed at strengthening tourism or with a main focus on popular or folk culture.

Annual program

Every year we decide on a program consisting of some major initiatives linked to particular anniversaries or opportunities and regular initiatives with specific attention to:

• the strengthening of collaborations between Dutch and Italian cultural organisations
• talent development through residency projects, tutoring, mentoring, etc
• projects that reflect on social and urgent issues

The program is the result of a dialogue with many partners in Italy and the Netherlands. We are always open to entering into dialogue with cultural operators to verify new possibilities. The fastest way is to reach out to us via mail.