Deventer Op Stelten PRO-Days 2026

The pilot edition of a new professional platform within Deventer Op Stelten

On 3 July 2026, Deventer Op Stelten hosted the pilot edition of DOS PRO-Day – a new professional platform bringing together artists, cultural practitioners, policymakers, researchers, funders, entrepreneurs, and representatives of European cultural networks to explore the role of arts and culture in shaping the future of cities.

The central question of the day was: How can culture move from being supported to being structurally embedded within urban development? Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive audience polling, DOS PRO-Day created an open space for dialogue between the cultural sector and urban decision-makers. Participants explored how artistic and cultural practices contribute to civic participation, public space, local identity, wellbeing, and sustainable urban development.

Throughout the day, one challenge kept resurfacing: although the value of arts and culture is widely recognised, it is still rarely reflected in the structures, funding models, and decision-making processes that shape cities. At the same time, one idea continued to emerge: meaningful urban change often begins with ambitions that initially seem impossible. Reimagining the role of arts and culture therefore requires not only new policies and partnerships, but also the imagination to think beyond existing systems.

Speakers & Contributors

The programme featured contributions from leading voices from the Dutch and European cultural sector, including:

  • Ischa den Blanken – Moderator; theatre maker, author and philosopher
  • Marleen van Dalen – Contributing Moderator (online); Policy-maker for Economy, Media & Culture
  • Martijn Westerbrink – Director, Events dEVENTer
  • Adrie van Essen – Artistic Director, Deventer Op Stelten
  • Sjoerd Bootsma – Former Co-Artistic Director, Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018; Former Artistic Director, Arcadia
  • Viktorien van Hulst – Director, Performing Arts Fund NL
  • Ása Richardsdóttir – Secretary General, IETM; Chair, Perform Europe
  • Josine Gilissen – Director, Theaterfestival Boulevard
  • Bart Ellenbroek – Binnenstadsmanager, Stichting Deventer
  • Cor Wijn – Managing Consultant, Berenschot; Author of De Culturele Stad
  • Ad Bergsma – Psychologist, author and researcher on happiness
  • Martijn Holtslag – Artist and Producer
  • Johanneke ter Stege – Artist and Reflective Observer

Artistic Reflection

Throughout the day, artist Johanneke ter Stege listened, observed, and reflected on the conversations. The event concluded with an original song, created especially for DOS PRO-Day, capturing the ideas, questions, and atmosphere of the day.

Continuing the Conversation

The pilot edition demonstrated the value of bringing together diverse perspectives across culture, governance, and urban development. Rather than offering simple answers, DOS PRO-Day created a space for new questions, new connections, and new ways of thinking about the role of arts and culture in urban decision-making.

Photo Gallery

A selection of photographs capturing the conversations, working sessions, networking moments, and evening programme.

Photography by Floor Schut


Info

3 July 2026
13:00 – 18:00

Location: MIMIK film Theater en Cafe Deventer, Achter de Muren Vispoort 8-10

Free with registration

A soft opening format structured around thematic tables and guiding questions connected to the central themes of the day.

Participants are invited to move freely, observe, reflect, and engage in informal conversations before the programme begins.

Welcome and framing by Deventer Op Stelten and Events dEVENTer.

Introducing the central question of the day:

How can culture move from being supported to being structurally embedded within urban development?

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A live participatory mapping exploring:

-Which sectors are represented

-Where decision-making power sits

-How participants relate to urban governance processes

The live poll creates a shared understanding of the perspectives and positions present in the room before moving into discussion.

Culture Beyond Programming: When cultural practice functions as infrastructure

How do cultural practices shape urban life beyond cultural programming?

 

This session explores how festivals, artistic initiatives, and long-term cultural projects contribute to economic activity, public space, civic participation, and city identity — often functioning as forms of civic, social, and economic infrastructure without being recognised as such.

 

Contributors from:

-Cultural festivals and event organisations

-Long-term cultural legacy initiatives

-Local business and city marketing sectors

-Artistic and cultural production practices

 

Key themes:

-Culture as civic infrastructure

-Long-term impact versus project logic

-Public space and urban belonging

-Cultural ecosystems and city identity

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A live audience poll exploring:

-Where cultural value gets lost in decision-making

-What factors determine decisions in practice

-Which investments are most difficult to defend today

The results are visualised in real time.

From Funding to Decisions: How culture becomes strategy

If the value of culture is widely recognised, why does it still struggle to influence structural decision-making?

 

This session focuses on the gap between evidence and implementation, examining how cities and institutions can integrate culture into long-term governance, planning, and investment frameworks.

 

Contributors from:

-Municipal and regional government

-National cultural funding institutions

-European cultural policy and cooperation networks

 

Key questions:

-Where are decisions actually made?

-Why does cultural value fail to translate into policy?

-What institutional conditions enable structural integration?

-What needs to change beyond individual projects?

Where does change become possible?

Participants work in mixed groups around one central question:

What would need to change structurally for culture to function as infrastructure in practice rather than rhetoric?

The outcomes are shared with the room and become part of the lab’s collective conclusions.

 

A synthesis of the key insights, tensions, and unresolved questions emerging throughout the day.

The session concludes with a poetic reflection by Johanneke ter Stege and a collective moment of individual commitment, inviting participants to reflect on one decision, action, or question they will take forward.

For registered participants and contributors.

Backstage visit and conversation with PAN.OPTIKUM.

The company is internationally recognised for large-scale participatory productions in public space that connect artistic creation, community engagement, and urban participation.

 

PAN.OPTIKUM live performance in public space