What young artists think about dwindling arts and culture funding in the Netherlands

Minerva Academy © Sophia von Seebach

Many proposed budget cuts and new tax regulations by the Schoof administration could mean the loss of millions of euros for artistic and cultural institutions. One of the main concerns for cultural institutions is the possibility of new value added tax (VAT) rates being imposed on the cultural sector.

This tax is to be introduced in January 2026 and would mean that the VAT rate on cultural goods and services, books and sports will increase from 9% to 21%. The tariff for cultural experiences and goods has been 9% for years to make them more accessible. Raising the VAT rate would force ticket prices to rise, and likely impact the amount of visitors. Additionally, there are proposed budget cuts which could largely decrease funds available for artistic and cultural development projects.

A Call for Greater Recognition of Art’s Value

Bart Rutten, the artistic director of Centraal Museum in Utrecht, said to The Art Newspaper “they are forcing us to consider ourselves as consumer goods—and that is, of course, not why we are here on Earth.”

Students at Groningen’s Minerva Art Academy share concerns about the future of their chosen profession with looming budget cuts. “I feel scared, to be honest,” said Mahsa Hosseini, a masters student at Minerva Art Academy. “It’s the first solution to these financial problems, I would say, to cut off art because [the government thinks] it’s not important,” she said to The Glass Room.

Hosseini said that she thinks of art as a crucial part of life. “Especially in the world now, we have so many activist artists who are reflecting about the issues going on, and I think that’s essential for society,” she said. However, she also said that art has historically been undervalued by governments. “Governments think that it’s not important, but I think that’s wrong,” she said.

Another student at Minerva, Ada Bordean, echoed the cultural importance of art. “[Art] just nourishes your soul,” she said to The Glass Room. Bordean, an international student, said that she was disappointed by the proposed budget cuts as she left her home country, Romania, because the state does not provide much funding for their artistic and cultural institutions.

Groninger Museum Interior © Daniela Ivančáková

Art’s Uncertain Path

However, Bordean remains hopeful that artists will find a way to continue their craft, with or without government funding. “Art can be made in so many different ways, you don’t have to have so much money,” she said. “It can survive.”

Hosseini similarly said that art will prevail but that there needs to be a change in the way people value art in society. Although she is not sure how it can be done, she said that the trend of art being the first institution to lose its funding has to change.

“I don’t know what can be done to change this mindset,” Hosseini said, “but I think it’s worth the fight. What would we do without art?”