article: Doekle Terpstra
Chairman of Council for Dutch Colleges

Not just as the chairman of the Council for Dutch Colleges, but also as Frisian I am enthusiastic about the Media Art Friesland Festival, the sparkling event for national and international ‘art with a plug’. This unique festival in the north of the country in my eyes symbolises the strength of a sector that gives an enormous boost to the crucial developments in our country. We must do everything in our power to strengthen the knowledge society, realise innovations in business and strengthen the social cohesion. Colleges largely contribute to the increase of higher educated people and more and more businesses and organisations benefit from the knowledge existing or being developed at colleges.

Approximately 20,000 college students in the Netherlands are currently enrolled at a course in the art sector. In the past year I visited several academies. Each time I was impressed by the immense inspiration and creativity of the people I met there. The ‘artist with a plug’ is a true innovator who constantly looks for new roads and builds bridges between traditional disciplines. With this he not only gives off new innovative impulses in art, but also in other sectors. I therefore believe that we can be proud of the Dutch art education. On working visits abroad I keep noticing how the Dutch art academies are spoken about with much regards. This appreciation for our art education also shows from the relatively large amount of international students that enrol at our academies. I am convinced that the visitors of the Media Art Friesland Festival will experience the same amount of inspiration.