The Treaty of Utrecht in the Summer

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

HOOG CATHARIJNE ART CENTRE

Hoog Catharijne as an art centre? Absolutely! From the 20th of June to the 22nd of september, Hoog Catharijne will become the beating heart of a huge international festival featuring the visual arts, performances, fi lms, lectures and presentations. As the renovation of the shopping centre nears its completion, artists from Africa, Asia, South America and the West will exhibit works at well-known and lesser-known locations within the complex. Some of those works will be large and overwhelming, others subtle and thought-provoking. The artists will draw inspiration from the strength of the informal, hidden economy and the economy of the future. In 2013, Hoog Catharijne will surprise and stimulate both international art lovers and casual passers-by. The station will become far more than just a place to catch a train: come and see for yourself!

COMMUNITY ARTS

Community arts projects seek to engage groups who might otherwise have little contact with arts and culture. The focus is not on the artist or performer, but on the community itself. Arts and culture are brought into the very heart of that community. Utrecht already has a thriving community arts programme and the Treaty of Utrecht Foundation has established a leading centre of expertise and workshop: ‘CAL Utrecht’. In 2013, we shall look back on the last seven years of the ‘Community Arts Lab’ with no fewer than ten new research projects and an international conference. Special attention will be devoted to artists who use community arts as a conciliatory instrument, and who are extending the boundaries of what art can achieve. The basis of peace is having the courage to share knowledge and experience. During the conference, the national ‘CAL XL’ is scheduled to present the best work of the coming three years in a local, regional and international perspective.

ART IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Utrecht has a thriving artistic and cultural life. The city is home to some 90,000 practising artists, both professional and amateur. Arts and

culture are certainly not confi ned to the gallery, theatre or art house cinema. They can be seen everywhere, including the local neighbourhoods. It is those neighbourhoods which lend the city colour, excitement and diversity. After all, most people live in the outlying districts rather than in the city centre. The cultural connections between the city and the neighbourhoods, and between the individual neighbourhoods themselves, are therefore extremely important. We hope to involve everyone in the 2013 programme.

The Treaty of Utrecht Foundation is a partner in, or co-producer of, various local cultural activities and events. They include the ‘ARK Festival’ on Kanaleneiland, ‘Domstad Fusion’ and ‘Tandemfestival’ in Overvecht. We are also helping to organize the ‘Cultural Caravan’, a touring festival with music and dance which will visit several city districts over the coming years. The festival is designed to promote intercultural dialogue. In Zuilen, we are helping to promote interaction between local residents, artists, musicians and dancers. Together, we shall create some three hundred new artworks for the neighbourhood. Alongside various local cultural organizations, we are also helping to bring talented youngsters in touch with ‘Roots & Routes’, an international European network of musicians, dancers and media talent.

The Treaty of Utrecht is not only working to establish the cultural programme for 2013, but also – and more importantly – the strong cultural infrastructure which will remain afterwards. We are actively assisting various cultural networks in the neighbourhoods and working to promote the creative economy. Alongside various partners and cultural organizations, we help to ensure the long-term future of various local cultural projects.

PROUD OF LEIDSCHE RIJN

Today, Leidsche Rijn is known as a major new housing development. But the district has a rich history; there was a settlement here at least three thousand years ago. Leidsche Rijn has therefore been given a special place within the Treaty of Utrecht programme. 2013 will see the opening of the Castellum Hoge Woerd cultural centre in which Roman archaeology, nature education and art will go hand in hand.

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The events to mark the launch of the centre represent a unique collaboration between the City of Utrecht’s Department of Archaeology, its Department of Nature and Environmental Education, and numerous cultural organizations from Leidsche Rijn and the rest of the city.

A FLOURISHING ART PROVINCE

There will be countless activities throughout the Province of Utrecht in 2013 and the Treaty of Utrecht Foundation is working alongside several local area authorities in the province. In Amersfoort, for example, we contribute to the international ‘Global Village’ music festival. Woerden will stage its Historic Games in 1713 style, while Soest and Zeist will be looking for young local talent. Veenendaal traditionally organizes an annual cultural programme, with each edition focusing on one of its many ethnic communities. August 2010 saw the launch of the ‘100% Outdoors’ festival at Huis Doorn. The Utrecht Centre for the Visual Arts (CBKU) brings the arts and regional development together in projects such as ‘Zangsporen’ in the Ronde Venen district.

Since 1982, the summer solstice has been celebrated in over 130 countries with the ‘Fête de la Musique’. From 21 June 2011, the Utrecht region will do likewise. The amateur art centre Zimihc, POKEU (the federation of art education institutes in the province) and countless local music schools are joining forces to organize the event, at which professional musicians will play alongside amateur enthusiasts.

THE GARDEN OF UTRECHT

As a visiting Chinese dignitary once commented when enjoying the view from the Dom Tower, “You have a nice city in a beautiful garden.” Utrecht is indeed set amid beautiful scenery with many locations of special historic interest. The castles in the region offer an ideal backdrop for artistic and culture events. Kasteel Amerongen, Slot Zuylen, Huis Doorn, Kasteel de Haar and Kasteel Groeneveld have joined forces in the ‘Garden of Utrecht’ project, which takes Health, the Good Life and Hospitality as its theme. These historic houses once formed the link between the city of Utrecht and the Dutch countryside, and between the city and the rest

of the world. The elite who lived in them brought culture into region. This is amply demonstrated by Peter Greenaway’s multimedia presentation Repeopling the House at Kasteel Amerongen, in which the famous director gives an impression of life at the castle on Midsummer’s Day 1672.

FORTIFICATIONS WHICH APPEAL TO THE IMAGINATION

The Utrecht Fort line is part of an extensive system of fortifi cations originally intended to protect the economic heartland of the Netherlands against foreign invaders. Its forts offer a wealth of cultural opportunity. Some are relatively close to Utrecht or nearby towns, while others are located in a rather less accessible ‘no man’s land’. Each has its own atmosphere and identity, and each has its own modern-day occupants – from soldiers to bats. The Fort Line presents an ideal podium for new connections between the past and the present and between cultures. The area epitomizes the history of war and the desire for peace. We shall invite local residents and visitors to discover the Fort Line for themselves, aided by the work of various artists. Project partners include the New Dutch Water Line project bureau. The dividing lines between public and artist, podium and surroundings will disappear: the spectator becomes part of the performance, nature becomes part of culture.

EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL

Sport, like culture, brings people together. The Olympic Flame is the symbol of mankind’s ongoing desire for unity. Between 14 and 19 July 2013, Utrecht will be the stage for the European Youth Olympic Festival, which will keep the Olympic ideal alive in a year in which no international Olympiad is scheduled. This festival will be a top sporting event for young athletes aged between 13 and 17. When not on the track or fi eld, they will be able to enjoy an extensive programme of events, including hip-hop parties, rap battles, new media presentations, theatre, skating and ‘panna’ matches (a form of street football which originated in the Netherlands). The spectacular opening ceremony will be held in the Jaarbeurs on 14 July and will represent a collaboration between sports and cultural organizations from the city and region. Culture and sport: a winning team!