Solidarity Sessions
06/05/2020 live from 8pm

What issues are cultural workers, independent exhibition spaces, institutions, and the webs of networks around them, facing in light of the corona-crisis? Join us live via W139’s YouTube channel on Wednesday May 6th, at 8pm, for an info session and open conversation on the corona-crisis and the cultural sector for artists and cultural workers.

This is an informational, interactive livestream about the current situation in the Netherlands in regards to COVID-19 and its impact on the art and cultural sector. We will be joined by several cultural workers, a lawyer, and a union representative. During this session, we’ll be discussing:

• Personal stories about the situations cultural workers are facing now. What work is being done in living rooms and on balconies around the country?
• The current situation with governmental support systems, such as TOZO and TOGS, including possible (legal) pitfalls.
• Obstacles and opportunities for funding for the cultural field, specifically for self-employed cultural workers.
• What the different organisations and platforms are doing and working on to help you.
• What the (near) future might look like and how we can plan for it.

This session is organised by a collaborative effort from Platform BK, Salwa Foundation, and W139, and has been initiated by Margarita Osipian. W139 is virtually hosting the event. In this art space a group of makers are working through this lock down and will set up a virtual environment where we can come together in their exhibition market. We hope that in this space we can openly share questions, concerns, and fears, and stand in stronger solidarity with one another. Speakers will include Jeremy Bierbach from Franssen Advocaten who are experts in immigration law, and Platform BK and Kunstenbond who are representing cultural workers and organisations and are lobbying on a local and national level. Contributing cultural workers include Eshan Fardjadniya, Alina Lupu, Julia Sokolnicka, and Yara Said. More speakers to be confirmed.

We want to share all the available information out there with you, we feel it is important to hear cultural workers’ voices in this session, and we want to ask you to send in your questions to us, so we can take them into account in preparing our answers for you. You can email us until 5pm on May 5th with your questions at info@w139.nl