Theme CA 2010: More and better jobs

By Leen La Riviere, chairman of the CNV Kunstenbond (Christian Artists)
In the last 15 years more and more has been written about the growing importance of the cultural sector as new ‘employment-engine’ for cities. ’Cultural cities, cultural industries’ seem to have become a ‘magic word’. But what is the reality? Recently you could read in several nations of Europe sentences like: ‘no culture without the arts, no arts without artists’. So work for artists seem to be on the decline. The source of all those interesting new job opportunities (we hope this to be true) lies within the new provisions and new infrastructure creating a wide range of job opportunities for artists*. This seminar wants to think about more and better jobs for this cultural sector, besides the narrow view of “l‘art pour l‘art”. How can we step out the classic tunnel view. This seminar hopes to widen vision and opportunities.
*’artists’ has been defined as workers in every field of art, culture, commercial design, dtp, media, e.g. workers which are ‘cultural capital’

Sunday August 1
The clash of reality and dream – Prof. Calvin Seerveld (Canada/United Kingdom)

Going to a conservatory/professional art school/academy students are still educated in the very romantic view of 100 years ago: the artist as ‘supernatural being’, the world waiting for this new elite of geniuses. The history of this elitish, prima/donna attitude. But leaving ‘school’ today the clash with reality is very, very hard: nobody in the real world is waiting for this ‘cultural elite’. Reality is, that an artist has to work very hard, do a lot of things to find work. Most professional artists have a large number of short jobs to make life work. The consequences are hard: no pensionplans, no securities/insurance, bad housing, almost impossible to raise a family. This seminarday we explore the real panorama from past tille present: lessons to learn!

Monday August 2
Breaking out of the tunnel – Richard Hughes (United Kingdom)

Not long ago a musical needed for their orchestra a number of violinplayers. Those musicians refused this work (as they answered arrogantly that they had been studying classical music), it became a national shame, as those musicians were living on wellfare. Now such persons have to accept every type of work. So breaking out of the narrow view on vocation: the first step is to understand that your art study is only the basis for a much wider possible development. So for a visual artist there is nothing wrong to create websites. Dancers can find work in product presentations. Other artists can be trained for therapy. Arts can play roles even in hospitals. Artists can become inspiring focuses in every type of mostly boring conferences. So can you see possible employment around you? Learn networking, change your websites, better presenting of portfolio’s. So how to work on attitude and learning marketing skills. This lecture is the voice from the real world.

Tuesday August 3
New instruments and provisions – Dr.Zsuzsanna Török (Hungary)

The cultural sector is ultimate flexible. New skills must be learned, but besides those new skills, we need as well special provisions and/or understanding about:
- quality of work versus dangerous aspects (like too heavy loads or too long hours or poisoned materials in the working place of visual artists)
- work and no contract
- Flexicurity: how to get the right insurances, pensionplans, etc
- coping with income instabilities (doing 100 jobs a year)

Wednesday August 4
The new artist AD 2010 is born today (a metaphore) speaker to be announced.

To cope with the new work demands, to cope with a changing Europe, to cope with flexability, to cope with mobility, to cope with arranging insurance, retirement, familyneeds, taxes, to create your own life long learning, to care for your health: we welcome this new cultural worker.