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Covid-19 Update: A message from Joost Taverne, Cultural Attaché
Wed, Apr 1 - Thu, Apr 30 2020
Dear reader,
To all Dutch and American artists, performers, art institutions, and other interested readers, I hope that you are safe and in good health. These are difficult times for everyone, but it is also a humbling reminder of the importance of arts and culture in our daily lives. We wish everyone much strength, and hope that our artistic community will weather this period of social distancing and emerge ever so strong.
The Dutch-American arts and cultural relationships have blossomed over the years, but we now temporarily live in a new reality. International cultural exchange has come to a halt, to ensure the safety of all involved during this Coronavirus pandemic. Our own offices in New York and elsewhere in the United States have emptied in accordance with the official guidelines, but my team and colleagues are all working remotely, and are available via the many technological means that we have at hand. Do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions that you may have.
For the time being our Contribution Program for Dutch cultural projects in the United States is suspended. As we have collectively entered this new phase of uncertainty, postponements and delays of projects, we will await a time when it is prudent to restart the contribution program again. I will keep you informed when this eventually takes place.
In the interim our office is also down-scaling our social media presence. For the moment we will only focus on relevant Coronavirus related messages from official Dutch government channels, but in the coming days we will hope to add some cultural content on our various DutchCultureUSA channels. Please stay tuned.
Lastly, Dutch artists and institutions can find below a brief list of links to messages from Dutch national funds and institutes that may be relevant. American institutions and individual artists and performers that are in need of support, make sure to visit the websites of the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts, which are putting together some helpful resources.
All good wishes,
Joost Taverne
Cultural Attaché
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