Els van der plas gives lecture 'on beauty and other unifinished things' at conference in Norway

Director of the Prince Claus Fund, Els van der Plas gave a lecture on 14 February at a conference hosted by the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design and Du store verden! DSV in Oslo, Norway. The conference was called Are there foreigners in Art? Els van der Plas gave a lecture ”On Beauty and Other Unfinished Things” , read more

Lecture Culture is a Basic Need

Els van der Plas, director of the Prince Claus Fund was invited to give a lecture about Culture and Development at the the International Conference European Network: Culture and Development in Vienna, Austria from 25-27 January 2007. Organised by VIDC (Kulturen in Bewegung) in Vienna and Kultur und Entwicklung in Hamburg. read the lecture (PDF)

Launch of Publication 'Conflicts and Tensions', the first volume of The Cultures and Globalization Series

The Committee for Culture and Development of the Prince Claus Fund advised on the development of the publication by initially organising the conference Cultures, Globalization Processes and Development in the Peace Palace in September 2004, and later supporting the editorial board of the series. On 10 december 2007 the publication was launched in Utrecht. read more

DPRN regional expert meeting on the Arab World organised by the Clingendael institute, on 16 November 2007

In line with the objectives of the Development Policy Review Network (DPRN), amongst the purposes of
the third regional expert meeting for the Arab World was the purpose facilitate and stimulate an exchange of information and experiences among a wide variety of experts on the Arab World. To present an overview of who’s who and who is doing what in the region, and an overview of current relevant political, economic, social and cultural issues and developments in the region that deserve attention from the policy, scientific and practical points of view – this time focussing on culture as an area of cooperation;
and to generate a discussion on, and provide an insight into, the challenges development
policy and practice offer to research and vice versa. Els van der Plas spoke at meeting and contributed to
the publication 'Bridge the Gap, or Mind the Gap? Culture in Western-Arab Relations' read this Publication
Read the report of the meeting

Second CD of Bolivian Baroque – Editor’s Choice of ‘outstanding new disc’

New CD of Bolivian Baroque has been selected as Grammaphone Editor's Choice for most outstanding new CD, March 2007. The Prince Claus Fund sponsored project to revive 17th century Bolivian Baroque Music has received new recognition. read more

The Power of Culture: CULTURE IS NOT A LUXURY

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Prince Claus Fund the Power of Culture published eleven interviews and a speech. 11 people from the extensive network of the Fund explain why culture is not a luxury. Also, a speech on the topic of Culture and Development by Prince Claus, the inspirator of the Fund, is included in this special edition of the Power of Culture. The Power of Culture is a website about culture and development. The site reviews art and cultural expressions in conjunction with human rights, education, the environment, emancipation and democratisation. read more on the Power of Culture

Inside Iran – A Retrospective of Khosrow Hassanzadeh’s Work

This autumn the Tropenmuseum presents a review of the oeuvre of Iranian painter Khosrow Hassanzadeh (b. 1963). Hassanzadeh’s work is well known throughout the world, but has never before been shown in the Netherlands. As one of the few Iranian artists that are successful in the West, Hassanzadeh has deliberately chosen to live and work in Iran. His paintings focus on political and social developments in his country, and tie in intimately with his own personal experiences and vision. The Tropenmuseum show features a series of paintings about Hassanzadeh’s period as a frontline soldier during the Iran-Iraq war. These and other works can be seen from 22 September at the Parkzaal. The Prince Claus Fund supported the publishing of the catalog of the exhibition. more information on www.kit.nl

Humour and Satire

The 2005 Prince Claus Award theme Humour and Satire reflects the four themes of the Fund. Spaces of freedom are created and the fact that cultural contexts differ from place to place is emphasised. Whereas one culture may laugh at a joke, another will find it tasteless. However, humour can also transcend borders. read more