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There and back again sequel

So. A number of months have passed by. I have been too pre-occupied with my work in the festival industry to focus on my other activities, such as NOLA, blog reports et cetera.

However, the eagle has landed. I have gathered the energy and time to focus on what's important: the internship we talked about due next year. A few things have changed in my status however.

After careful consideration, I decided to quit my school program. It appeared too inflexible to serve my needs as adult professional already working in the field. Virtually no exams, and only group assignments made it too hard for me to combine school life with work and are at the basis of said inflexibility. The educational program was created to serve teens and post-teens on their way to become professionals in the field of art and economics, whereas I am already in that field and working hard to be able to pay for my education at all. Having not been able to finish some of the group assignments due to my work schedule eventually jeopardized the option of going abroad for my internship, since most of the work can only be done during the period in which it was originally given, and internships are only allowed after having passed those assignments.

However, I would still like to become a intern at the CAC, even more now than ever. So the question rises if it is possible to do just that independently, and id so, how to arrange for the appropriate forms et cetera to obtain a visa. From what I have learned so far, I would need the CAC to back me up when I apply for the forms needed to come over for more than 18 weeks.

So far I have contacted the CAC to see how they can help. Further more, I have contacted a visa mediation organization to help me deal with the paperwork and the system. Apart from that, I am in the process of writing a curriculum, including long-term goals. I have contacted my first grade tutor to coach me toward the NOLA experience.

And the there is work. Since I am not going to school anymore, I am looking for a job, not only to sustain my needs, but also to be physically able to go to NOLA. This is actually getting prudent.

So there you have it. The next step toward my future self.

Babastiki speelt een Snippet in de Coffee Company

speelt een Snippet in de Coffee Company

Een aangrijpend kort stuk over een generatie op zoek naar iets om echt te voelen. Over jonge schrijvers zonder grote issues, behalve dan een chronisch gebrek aan leed en euforie.

Publiek kan zowel gedachten als dialogen live en op Facebook volgen.

Gedachten, teksten en dialogen: Flarden tekst met jou erin

Voor meer informatie: www.babastiki.nl en www.coffeecompany.nl

Data:         10, 11 en 12 juni

Tijd:          21.00 uur (duur 30 minuten)

Prijs:          5 euro

Locatie: Coffee Company (Vismarkt 4) Utrecht

Kaartverkoop in de Coffee Company, reserveren via babastiki.nl

Tekst en regie: Guiot C. Duermeijer

Spel:          Annette Hildebrand, Barbara Klaaysen en Jan Willem Koen

Beeld: Margrethe Beelen i.s.m. Reinout van Schie

Techniek: Paul van der Zouwe

Productie: Pelle Groot

Met dank aan:

Sophie Kassies, Femke Bax, Kristien Sonnevijlle en Critical Mass

Mogelijk gemaakt door Elise Mathilde Fonds en K. F. Hein Fonds

Heb je facebook, neem je laptop of smartphone mee

en lees de teksten als ze geschreven worden.

  

... And back again

 May 5

Gillet solo May 5th



As I am currently attending a solo show by Helen Gillet, vocals, cello and loops, tears jump in my eyes. It feels like I am finally opening up after a winter of numbness. Gillet truely is extra-ordinary.

Since my laptop died on me upon arrival, I haven't really been able to write reports about my trip to New Orleans, LA (NOLA) just yet. I am currently typing on my iPhone, which isn't all that. So it will be as brief as I can possibly make it, and I will fill in all the fun gaps later.

So, when I arrived and got picked up by Helen Gillet, I got caught in her killer schedule. My backpack was left behind at Chicago's O'Hare airport. It took them like twenty eight hours to get that sorted and delivered to Helen's house.

Since there were bunches of people staying over in NOLA because of Jazzfest, Helen had a hard time housing me. She got me in at various friends' places ranging from awesome huge squat-like houses on the brink of the French Quarter up to the cutest little cottage in Bywater. For which I am very grateful. I hereby extend my thanks to all that have had me over. I hope I wasn't too much of a nuisance.

Sam da Dawg

However, getting to actual work took me ages. I always need a day to acclimatize, and when you unexpectedly move every other day, all the energy goes into silently settling with your new host trying to be of as little discomfort to them as possible.

After my initial stay at Helen's place, she moved me to her friend Ramona. She lives with her wonderful dog Sam and an amazing 6-piece drumkit on the edge of the French quarter, the most fun part of all of NOLA. Ramona works as a nurse in a IC unit at a hospital, working 13 hr shifts a day. It was here that I figured I'd get to work and arrange some meetings with theatre oriented organisations.

I opened my laptop and... NOTHING HAPPENED!!! Screen was completely dead. I had it in my hand 

Idle attempt to fix my Macbook

 luggage so no throwing had been involved at any airport. It took me two days to open up my computer and turn it inside out, disconnect and reconnect everything that I could find, only to find out that nothing had changed. Wat a jip.

So there I was. The weekend kicked in and I had only had one scheduled appointment, at the Contemporary Art Center (more about that wonderful organization later).

 

Pizza Speak easy

I did, however, have a lot of nighttime fun with Helen playing gigs, we went to this pizza speak easy (was it Luke's place?), where people had built a genuine Italian pizza oven and were serving to anyone that liked to attend. They had a traditional jazzband over (the name escapes me now; I will fill that in as I get back), penguin jokes, Helen playing drums as an encore, it was brilliant!



The New Orleans Bingo Show

 On friday night, we went into town with a bunch of Helen's friends to see her play at a awesome club namd One Eyed Jack's. The place looked like a 1900's whorehouse, with red velvet and woodwork everywhere, just awesome. The band Helen played with that night was called the New Orleans Bingo Show. Brilliant! Raw southern garage rock backed up by a horn section and a string section, topped off with three '20's cabaret figures visually adding to the show. Right in the middle of the set, they played bingo with the audience. The winner got put up on stage and squirted over with confetti and what not. Great show, despite the aweful sound.

One of the stages at Festival
International @ Lafayette, LA


Later that night, it was off to the Blue Moon club to see Mark Sutherland and friends perform this brilliant space jazz oddyssey. Also this name I will get back on asap.
 

The next day, it was off to Lafayette, a town some 2,5 hrs west of NOLA, for another Bingo Show gig. 

Almost as good, again with terrible sound. We had hotel rooms there, so I enjoyed the local festival there. It's called Festival International and it is a street fest, much like the season opening festivals in the Netherlands (UITfestivals).



Wazozo, May 1st



Back in NOLA, we're talking Sunday now, Helen had an all nighter at a theater club called the Allways  Lounge. Kicking off with her chancon ensemble Wazozo, she followed up with two brilliant improvisational acts. One with cello, loops and two extra voices, also looped, and the other with a full band, with two brilliantly climaxing sax players (among which was Mark Sutherland. That man is amazing!!).

So much for all the fun.



My main reason to be in New Orleans was to see if I could find an internship. See previous entrys on that subject. I managed to get two appointments, one with the Fringe festival and the other with the Contemporary Arts Center (hereafter CAC). Due to a loss in the family of my contact with the Fringe, that appointment had to be postponed indefinately. The other meeting was with Glenn Gruber and

Christine  Dunaway from the CAC.

Contemporary Arts Center



The reason that I had looked up the CAC (mainly concidered a exhibition room) was because they also have  a inbound theater hall seating two hundred people, but MORE IMPORTANTLY they have a financial department that covers more cultural institutions and activities than the CAC alone. And that appeals to me, since my mission is to learn to be inventive in implementing means of existence for cultural enterprizes on a greater scale and see my future self in a role as advisor in that direction.


On their part, the CAC were very pleased to learn that I have so far mastered production and technician roles and am familiar with marketing principles and crunching numbers. So there might both be a internship and a means of existence in there to sustain my stay. This means that my goal has been accomplished: I have found a place willing to collaborate in my mission by granting me a custom made internship.

 

NOLA Voodoo doll
depicting Goddess to help
me get the upper hand



Sadly, this is my last night in New Orleans. I have found what I am looking for in more than one way. I found rest after a jumpy, exciting but exhausting week. I opened up emotionally, and I have found an organization that is willing to coöperate with me, where I can fulfill my internship and get to know the American way of financing the Arts.

So there you have it. Thanks to all your donations, I have accomplished the first part of my dream to mould my future self.

It is comforting to know that I will probably be back in NOLA for a longer stay, next year.

This city really got to me.

New Orleans only two days ahead

The deadline for my flight is nigh. I am excited, as well as a little stressed out. Too much to do still, too little time. I am currently working on my portfolio, my English CV, and packing my stuff. But it's Easter too, so there's a family brunch planned for tomorrow.

Ricky Hendriksen gave me the idea the other night to compose a portfolio, to have something to show what I have been working on up until now. It will consist of interesting things like my festival merchandiser period for Thanks Merchandising, my touring days with bands such as Within Temptation, Orphanage and the likes, my production job for the Dutch Insomnio ensemble, my various festival coordination gigs, but also what I do when I'm not at work, my days playing drums in Necrotaph, and, of course, my going back to college. So this is going to take a day.

Oh - I went to this Katzenjammer gig in Tivoli, Utrecht the other day, mindblowing band. Four wild Scandinavian women going at it playing all sorts of instruments ranging from balalaika and banjo to glockenspiel and wastebin. Check out this song right here to get the Janis Joplin chills!

Traditions of cultural governance and financing.

As a college student in art and economics, I am interested in traditions of finance in an ever-changing socio-political environment. The Netherlands (and perhaps all of Europe) have been a haven for cultural exploration in the sense that so much of what has occurred in the post-WWII decades have been government funded. This situation is rapidly transitioning  due to the change in political climate, which has switched from social to market-based, liberal views.
Most government funds in the arts have been, or will be by this year, withdrawn, without the implementation of a different tradition of funding on a greater scale, like community-based, or crowd-based funding.

This means that smaller, perhaps more experimental organisations, but also educational initiatives and cultural parties for various (ethnic and non-ethnic) groups of younger members of society, will have a very slim chance of survival. Organisations large enough to have an inbound marketing department will, in spite of having difficult times ahead, survive at the cost of the smaller businesses. Furthermore, on the whole, risks will be avoided, creating a loss of jobs and many other unforeseen consequences. Costly programs, for example, that do not generate a short term economic gain, such as educational arts programs will be dropped. Previous 'befriended' organizations will now regard one another with suspicion.

In the long run, audiences will diminish due to the lack of educational initiatives. A person does not value a discipline in art without getting acquainted with the proper codes and history of that art form.

In other parts of the world, where a tradition of government-based funding does not exist, they have a different tradition in collecting money for the cultural industry. The United States, for instance, has a community-based system, with churches, commercial businesses, corporations and philanthropists taking up the role of fundraisers for purposes of welfare, cultural activities (of a religious, social, artistic nature, or otherwise). There is much to be learned from this way of thinking in a declining social political climate. This is a paradigm that differs from our European way of thinking.

There is much to be learned in this field. Not only: ‘How do they do it?’, but also, and maybe more prudently, ‘How do we get a majority of the population to change their paradigm?’, from paying taxes for  the cultural industry (among others) to a more philanthropic way of thinking. How can we create a social platform of peoples, corporations and other potential groups on a scale large enough to generate funding for the existing cultural industry?

For this purpose, I went looking for a region in the United States that has a thriving cultural industry (despite America’s current dismal socioeconomic situation) and I came to the conclusion that New Orleans not only has such, but also that New Orleans is situated in a poorer region that has just encountered two major crises in the past ten years. So it is interesting to see how the community at large copes with these circumstances and how it affects the cultural field.

As a professional, taking work booking interesting acts in a variety of places, I am also a location manager for various cross-media festivals throughout the Netherlands, as well as having done various other production-related activities, such as stage management.

In the past I have worked with bands such as Within Temptation and the like, contemporary ensembles, underground initiatives, merchandise companies, venues, as well as pop-, rock-, classical-, jazz- and theater festivals. I did pre-production for many of these initiatives and I booked acts for some. I have been a sound tech, theater tech, runner, backliner, merchandiser, and tour manager.


As a person I am very dedicated to the people I surround myself with. I concern myself with other people's wellbeing, but even more with my own and their integrity on the whole. I am process-minded and philosophical: I reflect a lot. The thing that makes me tick is people’s ambitions, their enthusiasm in achieving goals. It stirs me up and that propels me constantly to my own next level.

I am confident that I can achieve just about anything, as long as I feel that I am monitored without (or with suspension of) judgment, yet I remain open to suggestions and coaching from others. I have the same work approach towards others…allowing others to work according to their own style, yet offering suggestions where appropriate. I also work well in a stressful environment, and can remain calm in stressful situations.  I can be that person that inspires you to get the best result out of your personality, your existence. I never judge. I am relaxed. The more stressful the situation, the more tranquility I radiate.

Having worked for rock bands, contemporary ensembles, festivals and theatre productions over the past 18 years (I am 35 years of age), I can say I have, production-wise, seen and done a lot, and it is time to move on. My focus now lies on my education, and I only use my skills to maintain a basic income to support my studies. My goal is to transcend from the typical stage manager type that I have become (a true stage manager can be easily spotted by his peers some three hundred yards away) to a conceptual advisor, a connector between key individuals and organisations from different worlds in the arts industry.

Streamlining all my feeds

Just testing folks. However, THIS is interesting.

There and back again: I GOT THE TICKET!!!!!

Since I currently am broadening my horizon and expect that not only Dutch people will read what I have to zay, I will continue posting in English. Isince this is my second language, I could do with a little help on my grammar. Please, feel free to give me pointers in the Reactions section or by email, whichever suits you best.

Now, how about a status update:

I GOT THE TICKET!!!!!

Thank you all so much! I will be leaving April 26 and be back on May 6. I will harass organizations, catch some sun, post lots of pictures and generally show my face in the New Orleans community. "Hear ye! Hear ye! The Dutch guy has arrived!"

So far, I sent some emails to the following organizations, hoping they will be able to help me in my quest: The New Orleans Fringe, the Contemporary Arts Center (Which sounded to me somewhat like the Eindhoven TAC, not only in name but also in ideas and mission), the New Orleans Arts Council,

The Fringe is a Theater (arts) festival that is based upon the (original) Fringe festival in Ireland. Eight performing groups were excluded from another festival in Dublin but decided they would perform anyway. They found inexpensice venues on the fringe of Dublin and just went ahead.
The New Orleans Fringe states in its mission that it " nurtures emerging and established performing artists by presenting fun, fearless and affordable theater to the community and creating ties between artists, audiences, businesses and local organizations." (excerpt from http://www.nofringe.org/mission.html) Their mission and vision on art and the cultural economy really speaks to me. It differs from most Dutch arts festivals in that the Fringe triest to be a bridge, or platform, between the community consisting of art users on one end and the performers and artists looking for audiences on the other. In the Netherlands, a gap has appeared between cultural providers and their audiences whereas ties with money providers such as the government were more prudent.

The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is a exhibition space that also provides in performing arts from jazz to theater companies and back. In their mission and vision they state that they " are nationally recognized as a leader in the presentation and support of contemporary arts, artists and emerging art forms. In doing so, [the CAC] will explore and involve the diverse cultures of our communities." (excerpt from: http://www.cacno.org/about.html) OUR communities. So they also place their communities in the heart of their mission, rather than the importance, or implicit value of the displayed and performed art in itself. They link it to what really matters; the communities they serve.


(...)
(To be continued)

There and back again: The long awaitend English version

What is this about

As a college student in Art and Economics at the Utrecht School of the Arts, I am interested in traditions of finance in a changing socio-political scenery. The Netherlands (and perhaps all of Europe) have been a haven for cultural exploration in that sense that lots of what has been going on in the post-WWII past have been government funded. This situation is changing rapidly due to the change in political climate, which has switched from a social, all for one approach to more market-based, liberal views.

The Dutch situation

Most government funds have been, or will be by this year, withdrawn, without implementation of a different tradition on a greater scale, like community-based, or crowd-based funding.

This means that smaller, maybe more experimental organisations, but also educational initiatives, will have a very slim chance of survival. Organisations large enough to have an inbound marketing department will, in spite of having a hard time ahead, survive at the cost of the smaller businesses. Further more, on the whole, risks will be avoided, creating loss of jobs and opportunities.

A different approach

Other parts of the world, where a tradition of government-based funding does not exist, have a different tradition in gathering resources for the cultural industry. The United Statest, for instance, have a community based system, with churches, commercial businesses, corporations, and philanthropists picking up the role of fundraiser for purposes of for instance welfare, cultural activities (of religious, social, artistic nature or otherwise) et cetera. There is much to be learned there, in that it is a paradigm that differs from our European way of thinking.

Altering a tradition

There is much to be learned in this field. Not only: ‘How do they do it?’, but also, and maybe more prudent, ‘How do we get a majority of the population to change their paradigm?’, into a more philanthropic way of thinking. How can we create a social platform combining peoples, corporations and other potential groups of on a scale large enough to generate fundings for the existing cultural industry?

Internship

For the purpose of answering questions of such magnitude, I find it necessary to go to the United States to gather information on this subject first hand. I went looking for a region in the United States that has a thriving cultural industry, and I came to the conclusion that New Orleans hás such.

For internship purposes I want to find a organisation in New Orleans to go to next year. Goal is to be able to stay there for about 5five months.

For this reason, I am going there April 26 to show my face and talk to people and organisations. This visit will be brief; I will head back to Europe May 5^th. The ticket alone cost €750 (about $1060). The stay is covered.

The idea is as follows

Since studying full time makes it hard to generate enough money to live on, and I am not sponsored by any fund because I am too old to go to college (according to social belief), I came to the conclusion that I have to generate money to go to New Orleans through my personal network, which is YOU all. And since some of you don’t speak Dutch, this is the English version of what has been on my blog previously.

Now. Herein lies my question:

Are you willing and able to support me in my goal by donating any figure ranging from €10 to €50, or do you know people that can help me out with pointers on the subject or anything, please drop me a email at pelle.themanforthejob@gmail.com

Thank you very much for your time so far, and I hope we can talk soon.

Love, Pelle

Daarheen en weer terug: Update #3

De laatste week was een hectische, vol deadlines voor groepsopdrachten en voorbereidingen voor het Tweetakt-festival. En ik maar tussendoor proberen te mailen aan mijn geldschieters... Gisteren was ik er klaar mee, heb tot twee uur achter mijn computer gezeten en iedereen gemaild.

Ticket is inmiddels geboekt, voor €750 (!) vlieg ik 26 april naar New Orleans, en kom 5 mei terug. Om de één of andere onzinnige reden ga ik via O'Hare Airport (Chicago, Ill) in plaats van het meer gangbare Kennedy Airport (New York, NY). Als je op Google Map kijkt, dan kun je zien dat het een omweg is van een paar uur. Als je bedenkt dat de Verenigde Staten boijna net zo groot is als heel Europa, dan is het vergelijkbaar met een vliegreis naar Madrid via Berlijn.

Daarheen en weer terug: update #2

De kogel is door de kerk! Ik jeb een ticket gevonden voor €750 inclusief reisverzekering en annuleringsverzekering. En ik heb (als ik de toezeggingen mag geloven :p) ongeveer €410 binnengehaald. Dus nu is het tijd om contact op te nemen met iedereen en afspraken te maken. Check je mailbox! ;)

Qua te benaderen organisaties ben ik iets verder: er is in Nee Orleans een Fringe festival (met mijn iPhone is jet lastig links in blogs aanmaken, dus hier kom ik later op terug. Google ondertussen gewoon op New Orleans en fringe en dan kom je er ook). Kort samengevat is het een kunstfestival verspreid over de hele stad. Een springplank voor jonge professionals in zowel de kunsten als de ondersteunende beroepen als techniek en kunstmanagement. Omdat het over de hele stad is verspreid hebben ze veel belanghebbende partijen en een budget dat ergens vandaan moet zijn gekomen. En daar wil ik misschien wel tussen gaan zitten.

Er zijn echter nog wel meer initiatieven die ik nog niet nader heb kunnen onderzoeken. Hierover later meer...

Lieve groeten,

Pelle, the man for the job.

Daarheen en weer terug - Update

Het aantal reacties op mijn hulpvraag was onverwact! Dank hiervoor. Sommigen omder jullie vroegen zich echter af wat nou eigenlijk de bedoeling is, en wellicht heb ik dat niet duidelijk genoeg omschreven. Wat ik bij deze met liefde nog een keer toelicht:

Volgend jaar wil ik mijn eindstage voor mijn opleiding in New Orleans doen. Om me te oriënteren en mijn gezicht te laten zien bij diverse organisaties waar ik stage zou kunnen lopen wil ik er echter dit jaar in april een weekje heen. Dit is echter een kostbare zaak.

Ik heb mezelf tot doel gesteld €500,- op te halen door vrienden, kennissen en familie aan te spreken. Het mogen giften zijn en leningen. De lening lijkt me duidelijk, deze wordt teruggeschonken. De giften echter, wat krijg je daar in godsnaam voor terug, behalve een leuk verslagje, een bedankje en een lieve blik: Welnu, het volgende.

Eind juni of begin juli hou ik een groot zomerfeest. Precieze invulling moet nog aan gewerkt worden, maar ik zit te denken aan een openluchtlocatie als een fort, met feesttent, hapjes, drankjes, live muziek (Denk aan singer / songwriters), dichters en kleinkunst. En bijvoorbeeld een diner voor de sponsoren.

Dit feest zal de geldelijke waarde vertegenwoordigen van het totaal aan giften, maar de intrinsieke waarde zal veel groter zijn natuurlijk. Per slot van rekening zit ik op een opleiding waar ik van veel gratis hulpbronnen en contacten gebruik kan maken.

Als er nu nog vragen zijn, dan ben ik altijd bereikbaar via de kanalen die jullie allemaal bekend zijn.

Met dank,

Pelle

Daarheen en weer terug: Fonds voor vliegticket naar New Orleans

Lieve familie en vrienden,

Primo

Ten eerste druk ik bij deze mijn dankbaarheid uit voor de steun die ik altijd al heb mogen ontvangen. We zijn door diepe dalen gegaan en hebben ook hoge pieken gekend. Veel problemen hebben we overwonnen, en als ik voor mezelf spreek kan ik zeggen dat de fundamenten zijn gelegd en ik ben nu dan toch eindelijk toe aan het uitbouwen, of vormgeven wat de rest van mijn leven gaat zijn. Door studie en het expliciet maken van wat me nou wérkelijk bezighoudt kom ik er steeds weer op uit dat alles voor mij draait om cultureel en sociaal engagement, en dat mijn kracht ligt in adviseren en uitvoeren.

Het culturele klimaat in Nederland

Sinds ik theatermanagement aan de Hogeschool voor de Kunsten studeer, en er een onderneming in productionele coördinatie in de culturele sector op nahoud is er veel veranderd in het cultuurpolitieke klimaat in Nederland. Zoveel, dat instellingen als festivals, ensembles, concert- en theaterzalen, culturele werkplaatsen en broedplekken in hun bestaansrecht bedreigd worden, met in hul kielzog alle professionals, bedrijfjes, opgebouwde know how, initiatieven, noem maar op. Versplinterd reageren ze allemaal (terecht) paniekerig en boos, en gaan in het klein (voor de eigen organisatie) opzoek naar andere vormen van werving van gelden en hulpbronnen in de samenleving dan die tot nu geboden werden door de overheid. Maar een Groot Coherent Plan ontbreekt. Voormalige verwanten worden concurrenten.

Stage

Als student zit ik in de unieke gelegenheid om, in de vorm van een stage in het derde jaar, uit te zoeken hoe organisaties het elders dan Nederland aanpakken. Plekken waar alles vanuit de gemeenschap wordt opgezet, in plaats van vanuit de overheid.

Ik wil in mijn stage volgend jaar ontdekken hoe de theatersector in een land en in een dergelijk politiek klimaat zich staande houdt. En deze kennis meenemen naar Nederland.

De Verenigde Staten is zo’n plek. Alles wat daar speelt, kunst beoefent, onderzoekt, leert, exposeert, is ontstaan uit de gemeenschap. Nergens een cent subsidie te vinden. Hoewel het politieke klimaat beduidend armer is dan hier in Europa, is het wel bij uitstek het geschikte land om uit te vinden hoe de kunstuitingen die er wél zijn, hun kop boven water houden.

Mijn doel is om eind april dit jaar in New Orleans kennis te maken met een aantal mogelijke stageplaatsen. Ik wil dus dáárheen, om te netwerken, mogelijkheden te onderzoeken om daar volgend jaar een half jaar stage te kunnen lopen bij een interessante instelling.

Momentum

Mei is het begin van het festivalseizoen. Dit betekent dat ik vanaf mei tot en met september geld ga verdienen voor het najaar van 2011, mijn collegegeld ’11-’12, en het doorkomen van de werkloze winterdip van januari / februari 2012.

Daarnaast mis ik door sommige festivals een aantal lessen op school. Dit betekent dat ik alle andere activiteiten die ik heb moet proberen op vrije dagen te plannen. Als vanzelf kwam ik toen op de periode Koninginnedag – 5 meiviering uit. Bovendien worden de vliegtickets later duurder omdat we dan steeds dichter bij het vakantieseizoen komen.

Waarom New Orleans

Zoals reeds gesteld, in de Verenigde Staten hebben ze nooit overheidsbemoeienis gekend in de culturele sector. Desondanks worden er wel culturele initiatieven ontplooid, zij het in mindere mate en met meer moeite dan hier.

Ik heb gekozen voor New Orleans om een aantal redenen: Ten eerste ken ik hier mensen en is het op die manier, via deze mensen, eenvoudiger om aan contacten, onderdak, een netwerk en wat dies meer zij te komen. In de tweede plaats kent het cultuurlandschap in New Orleans gevarieerd en rijk in aanbod, ondanks de armoede, Catrina, en beperkte staatsbemoeienis. Het komt écht uit de gemeenschap. Een beter voorbeeld van selfmade is niet snel voorhanden.

Drawbacks

Nu zijn mijn financiële middelen echter beperkt. Januari / februari zijn traditioneel de maanden waarin er winig gebeurt op cultureel gebied, dus dan (nu) komt er geen geld binnen. Dit betekent dat ik er pas rond april weer bovenop ben wat betreft levensonderhoud. Omdat ik te oud ben kan ik niet lenen van de overheid voor mijn studie. Doordat het een voltijdsstudie is kan ik slechts genoeg geld in mijn ‘vrije’ tijd verdienen om in mijn levensonderhoud te voorzien, maar niet meer. Ik kan dus het geld voor een ticket naar New Orleans niet ophoesten. Daar heb ik jullie hulp bij nodig.

En nu komt het

Een retourticket New Orleans eind april / begin mei kost iets onder de €700,-. Verblijf daar is gratis, want ik kan logeren. Ik ga er van uit dat ik rond 200 euro zelf kan betalen. Dit betekent dat ik een gat heb van €500. Stel, ik krijg tien vrienden en familieleden zo ver dat ze €50,- doneren of lenen, dan gaat het project eerste project, daarheen en weer terug, slagen. Daarom wil ik weten of of jij bereid bent me te steunen met een dergelijk bedrag, en of je het wil doneren of lenen. Als ik genoeg toezeggingen heb gekregen (of nog meer) dan kan ik een uiteindelijke prijs berekenen per persoon, en dan mail ik de donateurs in spé persoonlijk om een afspraak te maken en betalingsmogelijkheid te bepalen.

What's in it for you??

Voor niets komt de zon op. Daarom organiseer ik begin juli een feest voor de donateurs met eten, artiesten en drank, véél drank. Waarom zo laat? Omdat het dan zomer is, en een buitenlocatie zoveel sfeervoller is dan iets binnen. Je kan erop rekenen dat het geld dat niet geleend is maar geschonken, geïnvesteerd wordt in dit feest. Donateurs krijgen hiervan in april bericht. Uiteraard doe ik ook wekelijks verslag van de stand van zaken op dit blog.

Graag ontvang ik je reactie vóór woensdag 2 maart, dan hebben we de tijd om in alle rust alles met elkaar te regelen en te boeken. Je kunt me mailen op pelle.themanforthejob@gmail.com, onderwerp: Daarheen en weer terug.

Niet alleen donaties en giften kan ik overigens goed gebruiken, ook verwijzingen naar mensen of instellingen die me kunnen helpen en tips zijn meer dan welkom.

Hartelijk bedankt voor jullie aandacht, en ik zie met plezier jullie reacties tegemoet.

Liefs, Pelle