Where do we go from here?

SPEAK OUT

The initiators of Where do we go from here? are Speak Out, a group of thirteen young people from various backgrounds, ranging from trainee art teachers to museologists and artists at the start of their career. Between November 2007 and April 2008, under the auspices of Witte de With, they have been making preparations for a serious, stimulating debate on art.

MAGAZINE

Speak Out used personal disclosures, columns, cartoon strips, drawings, interviews and other contributions to investigate ‘the value of art’ from different angles. What does art mean? How important is it? What is it worth? And how can this be expressed?
The magazine is available free of charge at Witte de With and at various universities, colleges, libraries and art institutions throughout the Netherlands. It can also be ordered from Witte de With for €4, including postage and packaging. (The magazine is published in Dutch, with one interview in English.)

WEBSITE

The Where do we go from here? website is an online platform where knowledge, opinions and personal experiences regarding contemporary visual art can be shared. Young people will mainly provide their own input, sharing experiences and opinions by uploading text, pictures and short films. The site will also provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge in a more academic framework: students’ essays and theses on contemporary visual art can be published directly.
Editors are: Annemieke Olthuijs and Dorothé van Tits.
See www.wheredowegofromhere.nl.

CENTRAL THEME OF ‘WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE’: THE VALUE OF ART

Where do we go from here? will investigate ‘the value of art’ from three different angles. The first angle is the value of innovation. Should art always be innovative? What does innovation mean? And is ‘innovative’ art automatically of greater value than other art? The second angle is the value of the audience and the individual viewer. Is art made for a select group of people or for a ‘broad audience’? And is it they who decide what art is worth? The third and final angle is the commercial or economic value of art or, perhaps more accurately, the value of the ‘output’. This is not just a question of money, but of all the other things that art can – perhaps should – convey. How are these issues viewed by young artists, curators and art audiences? Where should they – and do they want to – position themselves?

The members of Speak Out 2008 were Nina Boas, Vincent Cardinaal, Katinka van Gorkum, Winny de Jong, Rik van der Pluym, Hugo van de Poel, Karin Schipper, Pim Top, Marlou Vrijsen, Gino van Weenen, Aline Yntema, Lise van Zaalen and Weronika Zielinska. Web editors are Annemieke Olthuijs and Dorothé van Tits. Speak Out was led by Belinda Hak.