With the Practice Contribution you can apply for a maximum of 2500 euros for a project with a public character. Hundreds of Rotterdam artists have already taken advantage of the accessible scheme, which has now been in existence for one year. But what does the advisory committee actually pay attention to when assessing your application? And what stood out to them in this first year? Advisors Ibrahim Alaoui Chrifi, Gracia Khouw, Frits Wielders and Romy Muijrers provide an insight into the process.

A passion for art and culture: that is what these four advisors for the Practice Contribution have in common. They have also been working in the cultural sector for years: Frits is a cultural education advisor, Gracia and Romy are visual artists and Ibrahim works at the Incentive Fund. In short, they do consultancy in addition to their busy jobs and lives. "It is great fun to see up close which artists are emerging in this way," says Ibrahim.

The Practice Contribution was created in 2023 to give Rotterdam artists an accessible and quick financial boost. "I have worked for many organizations and most schemes have many requirements and conditions," Ibrahim explains. 'This arrangement is relatively simple. This gives the artist a lot of room for their own interpretation: how can they use the contribution to strengthen their own art practice?'

As an artist, Romy recognizes the simplicity of this request. "At other agencies you often have to submit very extensive project proposals," she says. 'But with the Practice Contribution it is very clear: what do you want to make, what do you want to show, which audience do you want to reach and how much time do you think you will spend on it. That makes it clear not only for the artist, but also for us as advisors.'

Terms & conditions

One of the few concrete conditions, in addition to the fact that you must be registered as an artist with the Art Office, is that the project must attract an audience in some way. 'The Practice Contribution provides money to artists who create something with a public character,' says Frits. 'In principle, this makes the work accessible to everyone.'

This condition is sometimes underemphasized in artists' applications, Gracia knows. "I notice that there are sometimes misunderstandings about it," she says. 'The public character is a strict requirement to receive the contribution. If you can do something at an event or festival, the relevant organizations will also promote your work. That provides added value and has a positive effect on the application.'

Gracia points out another formality that is good to know. 'The Practice Contribution is intended for your own fee for your own project. If you organize something at WORM, for example, or another place that already receives Visual Arts and Design funds from the municipality of Rotterdam, you can no longer claim the Practice Contribution. The Art Office website shows which places these are. In that case you should be able to submit an application for your fee to the institution in question.'

Hot topics

All in all, most applications are assessed positively and no fewer than 2023 Practice Contributions have been awarded in 177. "I found some of the proposals very surprising," Romy says enthusiastically about the applications she assessed. 'I think it's great to see that artists are not only concerned with themselves, but organize social projects.'

Climate, inclusion and identity are common topics, Frits sees. “How we interact with the world is really a hot topic among artists,” he says. 'That hardly occurred with other schemes five years ago.' Ibrahim noticed that artists also seek collaboration much more often: 'Sometimes artists invite other artists and they reinforce each other very much.' For Gracia it was innovative that difficult subjects, such as death, are not avoided. 'Death as a theme, that stood out to me.'

Approach

Apart from a number of specific conditions, the application is assessed for artistic and substantive quality. The advisors have their own working methods when it comes to assessing this. “First of all, I read the text carefully,” says Gracia. 'Then I look up more about the artist: first on the artist's page at the Art Office and possibly on their own website. I also always look at the location where the work will be on display. I make a short report and while writing I come to the conclusion.'

Ibrahim also studies all information thoroughly. "I try to get impressions of the artist in as many places as possible," he explains. 'On the artist page, website, portfolio, social media: how does someone present themselves? I try to get as complete an impression as possible. During the search I write down all the key points and arrive at a judgement.'

In addition, attention is paid to the feasibility and financial feasibility of the idea. 'Count all the hours you spend on a project,' Frits tips. 'Framing your work, taking it to the exhibition location, the hours you spend promoting the event: it can all be counted. And if you multiply those hours by your hourly rate, you arrive at an honorarium. I see that artists sometimes end up with too low an amount.'

Educational

The advisors are not only critical while reading, but also learn from the applications themselves. 'It is very educational to get to know all the new young artists and to immerse myself in their work,' says Gracia. 'Without my role as an advisor, I would probably never have come into contact with their work. And it's fun to get to know all kinds of new places where the work is exhibited, not only in the Netherlands, but also abroad.'

The techniques that are combined are interesting for Ibrahim to see. "I see a lot of refreshing things happening," he says. 'I find it very special that artists from a certain practice master new techniques from completely different disciplines and combine them in a non-obvious way. The confidence in this is nice to see, they really stand for it.'

The content and meaning of projects is something that strikes Frits. "I'm seventy and have followed the art scene in Rotterdam from a young age," he laughs. 'So I know how art has developed in recent years. Sometimes, if it's very modern, I find that I have to really try to get an idea from the vague text about what they plan to make.'

Romy sees a lot of energy in the applications. “I'm really surprised by the amount of energy there,” she says. 'And that the artists go out and involve others in their work. That immediately makes me want to start drawing.'

Type

The advisors have already read so many applications that they have good tips for artists who still want to apply for the Practical Contribution.

• Ibrahim: 'Look around you and study the work of others. Young artists sometimes seem to have the feeling that they are the first to discover or do something, while that is not always the case. It is important to know what is there and to renew yourself. In addition, try to avoid very abstract and theoretical language. Some applications have a lot of text, but if you look at the result it is marginal.'
• Gracia: 'If you have an idea, quickly look for a location to present your work. As soon as you have agreements with the location, you can submit your application. Then you will at least be on time with your application and you will have something to work towards.'
• Frits: 'If you collaborate with another artist, you each submit your own application for your own share. Make sure that you apply and refer to each other at the same time. This way, both applications can be assessed simultaneously.'
• Romy: 'Some artists elaborate a lot or often repeat themselves. As a result, they actually say the same thing several times, while it could have been done in just a few words. Therefore, read carefully what is asked and limit your answer to that.'

Read more

• Would you like to know more about the Practice Contribution? Look at the information page.
• Are you curious about which projects have been created thanks to the Practice Contribution? Then look at the page Awarded.
• Would you like to know more about artists' experiences with the Practice Contribution? Then read this report That's how you do that.

Photo at top: Leaning Sounds by artist duo Sweet Scopes at the exhibition Choreographed Events in Garage Rotterdam.