A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Clayde Menso the newly appointed director of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK) for TEDxAmsterdam. It was a very inspiring conversation on his vision on the role of art in society. Below you can read the interview.
At TEDxAmsterdam, our partners are very, very valuable. First, they make it possible for us to create a diverse program five times a year. Second, they are a great help in realizing the TEDxAmsterdam Award. Third and last but certainly not least: the way they share their visions inspires us to think and do things differently. That’s why we like to present to you interviews with inspirational thinkers, working at leading positions in our partner’s companies. This week, we like to present to you Clayde Menso, the new director from The Amsterdam Fund of the Arts.
To reach the office of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK in short) you have to take three stairs, which is quite a task with my immensely heavy bag pack. But once I entered the light, open space all of that is forgotten and I can enjoy the many colorful design objects, eye-catching material studies and the stunningly beautiful view of the IJ that the AFK office has to offer.
From this friendly environment, the AFK supports visual artists, photographers, dancers, performers, (play) writers, filmmakers, cultural organizations, schools, community theaters, established venues and amateur groups; in short- as they say themselves – anyone with a good idea that has artistic value and needs some support in order to fully blossom. One of the highlights for the AFK is the annual presentation of the Amsterdam Prize for the Art the most important art award of the city for artists or institutions that make an exceptional contribution to the arts in Amsterdam. The prize has, just to give an example, in the past been awarded to TEDxAmsterdam’s speakers Claron McFadden and Daria van den Bercken.
