Visual artists in the city want more studio space. They drew up a petition for this purpose, which was presented to the municipal council. Groningen scores low in terms of affordable practice and work spaces.
Wilma Vissers grew up in Heerlen, Limburg, and has lived in Groningen since 1985. After attending the art academies of The Hague and Den Bosch, she found her place at the Groningen academy and graduated in graphics and painting: “I wanted to see where I liked it, which turned out to be here.”
She lives with her boyfriend in the Oosterpoortwijk. Wilma does not come from an artist family and her brothers are gardeners and musicians. She describes her work as ‘abstract, minimalist and based on nature.’
Exhibition in Paris
Wilma recently exhibited in Paris and will soon go to Ireland, where her work will be on display for a month.
In 2008 she exhibited in Moscow: “But of course you can’t go there anymore. Putin was supposed to come to the opening, but fortunately he didn’t. Wilma also organizes exhibitions for other artists, including in the Portiersloge in Haddingestraat. “Very nice, you can see what there is to see from the street.”
Her work is widely viewed and sold, but the latter mainly happens abroad: “The Netherlands is known as the worst selling country in Europe in this field. Must have something to do with our commercial spirit. Everything has to yield something here.”
Compared to the rest of the Netherlands, the business climate in Groningen – for visual artists – is unfavorable, according to Wilma and her colleagues from three forms of collaboration of visual artists. Groningen has only 26 permanent studios per 100,000 inhabitants. For comparison: Maastricht has 166, Utrecht 161 and Arnhem 137 per 100,000 people.
Wilma sees the maintenance of those facilities as her first task
Groningen once donated five buildings with 60 studios to housing associations. These five buildings also house a dance studio and two spaces where art is shown. The donation was accompanied by a request to expand the file.
Nothing came of the latter and now the continuation of this donation is threatened. Wilma works in one such building, on Hofstraat, next to the former Borgman school. Every now and then she puts that work aside to read a book she brought with her: “Reading is a hobby. Just like cycling, walking and traveling.”
Housing association Lefier collects the rent from the artists and wants to convert the building into residential apartments: “We have been offered replacement space by Lefier, but we have no confidence in that.”
Confidence in the municipal council
Wilma does have confidence in the city council, but she is by no means convinced: “Art keeps a city center alive. If homes are built everywhere, it will become a dormitory town. Many people who are here also give lessons.” The petition has now been presented to the municipal council.
Wilma wants to get rid of the uncertainty surrounding the building where she has been working for years: “We want all temporary buildings to become permanent, no studio spaces to disappear and studios and incubators to be added.”
Lefier’s response (via Lizette van Dijken): ‘These buildings are expensive to maintain and manage, especially if we want to become more sustainable. And the rents are actually low. As a result, we have a negative return. So social money is leaking away and we don’t think that is responsible as a social landlord. Alternative housing for the artists is a condition. We will not put artists on the street. We want to offer a suitable location. We do this, of course, in the first place in consultation with the artists themselves. We work together with the municipality and the Artists Tenants’ Association.’
Tags: studios city Compared rest Netherlands Groningen unfavorable visual artists
