{"id":966,"date":"2019-05-23T21:07:55","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T19:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/air-test.joeygrant.com\/?p=966"},"modified":"2020-03-05T11:23:19","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T10:23:19","slug":"het-vormen-van-een-netwerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airbrabant.nl\/en\/het-vormen-van-een-netwerk\/","title":{"rendered":"Forming a network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 15 November 2019, AIR Platform Brabant met for the first time at Sundaymorning@EKWC. The work meeting revolved around the various questions that arise when launching a network.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After our warm welcome with coffee and tea, in which the people behind the participating artists\u2019 residencies are meeting for the first time or yet again, it is President Ageeth Boermans\u2019 turn to speak. Based on her own experiences, Boermans recounts two anecdotes about studio visits following her submission of a grant application to join an artist-in-residency programme. She makes it clear that, for an AIR to succeed, the artist, the working process and the AIR programme must complement one another in terms of their content. Boermans then talks about the Impulse funds for AIR network Brabant, which have already been awarded for the next two years. Collaborations are borne out of a ‘warm heart for places that are able to expand’, where people can learn from one another.
The focus for the afternoon has been determined: sharing the state of affairs to date regarding setting up the AIR network Brabant foundation, the website and the launch of three work sessions on the topics of professionalism, practical collaboration and research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Esther van Rosmalen, from Witte Rook,\nand one of the initiators provides an explanation of the development of the AIR\nnetwork Brabant. This was preceded by a series of meetings, organised by bkkc\n(now Kunstloc) and TransArtists, which have been held since 2014. This series concluded\nwith the working conference ‘Working on the margins’, which focused on the\nposition of AIRs, and that of Brabant in particular, in relation to an\ninternational perspective. After the working conference, the participants\nrealised that a common need and interest does exist. This commonality centres,\namong other things, on generating visibility, familiarity and (structural)\nsupport. AIRs guarantee a large portion of the continuity of artistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first priority of the AIR network\nwas visibility, but not only to the public, as it also became clear that these\nparticular institutions had been completely overlooked by policymakers. The\nprovince had developed a regional profile with minimal attention for the workshops,\nexperimental places and AIRs. That is what AIR network Brabant has responded\nto, and now the final version, in both the Talent Development and\nInternationalisation programme, identifies the AIRS as ‘a strong basis for\ntalent (..) and international exchange through artist-in-residence programmes’\nand as part of the presentation institutes and stages2<\/sup> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AIR network Brabant is now part of\nthe eponymous foundation. The foundation consists of a board, a steering committee\nand the participating AIR programmes. The board consists of Ageeth Boermans and\nMarjolein van de Ven, and it is still looking for members and a treasurer, who cannot\nbe members of the network. Registrations or nominations from the network would\nbe highly appreciated. The steering committee, consisting of Ron Dirven (Van\nGogh AIR Zundert), Astrid Cats (TAC Eindhoven), Koen Dijkman (De Fabriek) and\nEsther van Rosmalen (Witte Rook), is the foundation\u2019s contact point and focuses\non everything related to the organisation. The AIR programmes in attendance (Daglicht\/Beeldenstorm, Gastatelier LeoXIII,\nSundaymorning@EKWC, AnnAtopiA\/the Boshut, Het Atlas Initiatief, Baltan\nLaboratories, Ecodorp Boekel and the SeaFoundation) all express their intention\nto participate in the network. Others have come to get acquainted and to explore\nthe opportunities available to them (Tante Netty, Mariengaarde, Park Tilburg\nand the Andres Schotel Foundation). Although the foundation is now operating\nunder the name \u2018AIR network Brabant\u2019, the definitive name has yet to be\ndetermined. The participants are asked to contribute ideas and to write down\ntheir proposal on the appropriate papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next two years, we will\nfocus on researching the nature and function of AIRs and building a website for\ngreater visibility. The aim of this afternoon and first meeting is to align our\ncontent and practice through work sessions. It is important to have this clear\nas a network, also because the next meeting will be open to the public. Ron\nDirven takes the floor to speak about the future website. To this end, Ron and\nEsther have sat around the table with the designers of Het Echte Werk, and, in\nthe meantime, the latter has drawn up a plan of action to accomplish this. This\nplan is based on the conditions that were introduced by the steering committee.\nThe core objective of the website is to draw attention to the AIRs, to provide\nan overview that clarifies which artists are working at the AIRs and which work\nis being created. Consideration has also been given to the target group, for\nwhich two personas have been compiled. Reaching artists and making it easier for\nvarious media to find the AIRs will play a major role in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The website\u2019s input will come from\nthe network. Options are being reviewed for ‘automatically’ publishing from the\nAIRs own websites. These will therefore be linked, creating an online network.\nThis will guarantee the continuity and topicality of the website. The output\ncan be read on the website and shared on the social media of the participating\nAIRs. Furthermore, a newsletter will be prepared from the items that appear on\nthe website. The last point that has been discussed with the website builder\nconcerns its design. Various websites are suggested for inspiration. The\nsimplicity of websites such as witterook.nu and transartists.org, the\ndirectness of the AIR bnb website, the ease of use of nomadlist.com and the\nstyle of the website of the Hong Kong International Photo Festival are all\nidentified as inspirational models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the above issues, Ron switches\nto a plenary work session that lasts approximately fifteen minutes. In this\nsession, various questions arise that are subsequently discussed, such as: \u2018The\nfacilitators target group has not been mentioned, but is it represented?\u2019 The person\nposing the question is thinking of sponsors, subsidisers, companies and\nindividuals who wish to contribute financially or materially to the network.\nThis can be offered on the website as an offer in kind. The participating AIRs\nhave varying powers of communication, how do we deal with this?
\nThe network assumes that, although some AIRs have a communication officer and\nothers perform this task as one among many, the practical aspect is exceeded by\ntheir (AIRs) own need to fill the website and keep it up to date. All of the AIRs\ncould benefit from a solid, shared and current website. This is a core value to\nbe observed in the development of the network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the posts be edited and, if so,\nby whom?
\nThose present unanimously indicate that it will be good if one person takes\ncare of the editing. This person will also review the content of the submitted\ntexts. Who this is going to be and whether there is a budget for it remains unclear.\nWhat are important values for us regarding the website? The flexibility to stay\nup to date, overview, international representation, being invited to discover,\npermanent information about the institutions must be easy to find, and the\nreach must be measured and made transparent to the participating AIRs. You will\nbe asked to consider setting up an RSS feed, such as trendbeheer.com uses. How can\nwe arrange for the website to contribute to the internationalisation of the\nAIRs?
\nThe offering of English texts is deemed necessary. There is a discussion about\noffering the website in two languages (NL\/EN). Diverse participants think that\nan English-language website would be a great option. This raises questions\nabout who will translate the Dutch texts and verify the content, and about how\nwe will find and pay for this person. Someone suggests that because the\nRegional Profile finds internationalisation important, they will want to\nsupport this initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are we going to fund this\nwebsite? How do we view advertisements, for example?
\nFor the next two years, we will use the Impulse funds for communication.\nAdvertisements are seen as an option for a later date, provided that they match\nthe content of the website. What can be done to make the website and the\nnetwork a success for the participants? Here, findability by artists, the public\nand the media as well as visitor numbers are mentioned. The findability for the\nlast groups will be measured by, for example, registrations for the AIRs or\nquestions from journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dani\u00eblle van Zuijlen is present as a\nguest speaker within the context of internationalisation and setting up a\nnetwork. She describes her experiences in Ghent (Belgium) concerning the empty\nspace that has arisen there between the museums and the small art initiatives.\nTo create intermediate steps, cooperation with both has been sought. Working\ntogether rather than speaking only at a discursive level has been productive.\nFor example, jointly setting up an AIR and organising a route that connects\nvarious art groups that utilise public spaces bequeathed a practical form to an\ninitial strong introduction and shared audience. As a result, the various\nqualities and methods of all the participants are now clear, which offers scope\nfor continued or new collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of this is Kunsthal Ghent,\nwhich opened in January 2019 and will host six AIRs annually. The policy is to\nmove art to the outskirts of the city. And the demand for the importance of art\nfor the neighbourhood is growing, rather than the other way around. The\nKunsthal responds to this. At the same time, it will also function as support\nfor contemporary arts and artists in the city. In addition to the AIRs, a\npresentation programme will be prepared at this location by several permanent\nand various changing artists’ initiatives of Ghent. As a tip for AIR network\nBrabant, Dani\u00eblle indicates that the visual aspect literally helps to create\nmore visibility and insight. She briefly shares her experiences with creating\ndocumentation from the various institutions and makers. This documentation acts\nas a business card while simultaneously forming an archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the tour through our guest\nlocation, which is led by our host Ranti Tjan, we gain insight into the\nselection method, financing and the work made by the various artists and\ndesigners during their sixteen-week AIR at Sundaymorning@EKWC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astrid Cats provides a brief\nintroduction to the three work sessions that will begin shortly afterwards. The\naim of the work sessions is to formulate principles for AIR Network Brabant. On\nwhat basis do we start? A plenary feedback takes place as a conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionalism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Led by Ron Dirven, the ‘Professionalism’ working group set off for a studio. The key question here is: What do we mean by professionalism? Knowing this will mean that we can use this definition when assessing then admitting and registering new AIRs to the network.
Everyone agrees that the purpose of the AIR should correspond with what the network stands for: offering a temporary workplace for experimentation to professional artists from all disciplines and to amateurs or students, provided they have the ambition to become a professional artist. Any commercial impact by the organisation must be subject to this (aimed at supporting the visual arts). As far as the professionalism of the organisation is concerned, those present conclude that AIRs are offered in a myriad of ways. The programme offered by the AIR takes priority for admission to the network. Is there continuity? Which artists are coming and under which preconditions will the work take place?
Conditions are taken to mean: requesting a contribution from, or payment of a fee to the artist, offering a temporary workplace where the environment plays a demonstrable role in the artist’s work process \u2014 at least during the AIR. And offering the artist a place to stay is an added bonus, by targeting the most intensive use of the AIR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical collaboration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The content of this working group,\nprovided by Astrid Cats, revolves around practical aspects of AIR network\nBrabant. The session kicks off with the following question: Why this network in\nparticular? As mentioned earlier, it mainly to be here and to get to know one\nanother (like AIR). Together, we will work on improving the visibility of the\nAIRs for artists and the media, as well as for the public and policymakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a network, we can refer to each other.\nThis makes us, as AIRs, places where the artist can always move on to. An\nadditional goal is to use the network as a kind of quality mark with which we\ncan guarantee quality and can share knowledge externally. By sharing knowledge\nabout, for example, finances and opportunities for makers, we could submit\njoint applications to Mondriaan and other funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been talk of implementing\nprojects together, which could, for example, be an AIR week whose results are\nthen shown during the annual Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. From the Brabant\ncontext, international operations are also possible in this way. This is\ndifficult to capture within a name. It should have more depth and be more\nspecific than, for example, TransArtists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What might the purpose of joint research\nbe, and how do we shape it? Esther van Rosmalen leads the work session on\nresearch. Is the aim of the research to provide direction or justification?\nCurrently, AIRs are sometimes excluded from the subsidy programmes. We\nattribute this to the subsidy providers having an insufficient understanding of\nwhat AIRs entail. That is why this position must be improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we use it to nourish our policy\nso that we can continue? For whom can we conduct the research? The research can\nhelp one look ahead. It is crucial that we draw the attention of young talent\nto the AIRs, and the Mondriaan Fund is an important source of information in\nthis respect. From the point of view of the AIRs, the number of visitors is not\nimportant; the artist and his or her work process are central, and the AIR does\nserve a function in this. With this in mind, alumni and teachers can also\nundertake part of the research conducted by the AIRs or share results and\ninsights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More substantively, questions are\nasked about the direction that the research can take. The network believes that\nAIRs are becoming increasingly important within the arts field. They want to be\nable to demonstrate this. What is the value of a residency? Why do artists\nparticipate in them? Can research provide a way to interrogate the position of\nthe AIRs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what other ways are AIRs used?\nThis includes, for example, Google, which, as a company, offers an AIR. Outside\nof one’s own circle, how is the function of a residency viewed? The conclusion\nis that the research must contribute to strengthening the AIRs\u2019 right to exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Jorieke Rottier<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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