The labour market for self-employed people in the cultural and creative sector is under pressure. How can this labour market be made fairer and future-proof? That is the central question in the podcast series Fair Enough?!, an initiative by the Boekman Foundation and Platform ACCT. In three episodes, makers, researchers and policymakers engage in conversation with each other about the daily reality of self-employment in the cultural sector.
13 April 2026
Who is responsible for fair working conditions in the cultural sector? In a field where many makers work independently and institutions, governments and funds operate on tight budgets, that responsibility is fragmented. And yet a healthy working environment requires that commissioning clients, funds, policymakers and makers all play their part within the system themselves.
In the third and final episode of Fair Enough?!, our colleague Anne Hendriks (fair practice specialist) is a guest. Together with the other guests, she explores forms of collective solidarity, ranging from fair practice codes and shared risk-bearing to sector-wide advocacy, intergenerational support and self-reflection. How do we create space for structural change without always placing the burden on the individual maker?
The first two episodes explore the human and structural aspects of self-employment in the cultural sector. Episode 1 focuses on the artist’s mindset: when does passion become self-sacrifice? In episode 2, the focus shifts to knowledge sharing. There is a wealth of knowledge available on funding, copyright and legislation and regulations, but does it actually reach the self-employed?
Episode 1 De kunstenaarsmentaliteit – Marijne Tesser (host), Maartje Stapel (visual artist), Martijn Arnoldus (researcher) and Noud van de Rhee (programme manager at Platform ACCT)
Episode 2 Fair knowledge – Marijne Tesser (host), Eva Broekmann (word artist and student), Marc Prüst (researcher and teacher), Maxime van Haeren (Boekman Foundation researcher)
Episode 3 Solidariteit – Marijne Tesser (host), Anne Hendriks (fair practice specialist at the Creative Industries Fund NL), Marloes van Houten (choreographer, dancer and programme director of Creative Arts Therapies at Hogeschool Utrecht), Helleke den Braber (professor at Utrecht University specialising in patronage studies)
All podcast episodes are in Dutch.
The series was produced as part of the Community of Practice Arbeidsmarkt, where makers, researchers and policymakers came together to discuss how the labour market for self-employed cultural professionals can be made fairer and more future-proof. More information can be found via the Boekman Foundation and Platform ACCT.
