FAQ

The Kunstpedia Foundation.......in a nutshell

Why was the foundation established?
Kunstpedia was set up to offer a broader exposure to the fine and decorative arts. The primary aim, in fact, was to offer the arts a platform through which a wide audience could be reached, with the ambition to stimulate public interest, and the hope that it would give people that last little “push” they might need to visit a museum, go to an arts & antique fair, work as a volunteer at a museum, read more about the arts, etc.

What is the history of the foundation?
The founder of Kunstpedia has devoted a lot of time, effort, and funds towards the project. To guarantee that these efforts (and the independent character of Kunstpedia) do not get lost and is secured for the future, the project was transformed into a non-profit foundation at the beginning of 2011.

A formal non-profit organisation? Can you explain?
The Kunstpedia Foundation is recognised by the Dutch Tax Office as an Institution for General Benefit (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling ,or ANBI), and is therefore legally compelled to designate a minimum of 90% the foundations income to the benefit of the goals and aims of the foundation. The ANBI status is comparable to the 501(c)(3) IRS determination of the US federal government or the registration with the Register of Charities in England.

What is Kunstpedia’s operational structure?
The foundation executive board is formed by three members: a chairman, secretary, and treasurer. It appointed a managing director for the foundation, who reports directly to the executive board and manages all day-to-day activities.

What is the mission of the Kunstpedia Foundation?
To respectfully bring the fine and applied arts to the masses.

How does the foundation want to achieve its mission?
Kunstpedia aims to form a link between members of the general public who have potential interest in the fine and applied arts, and those with specialized knowledge, point of view, and passion for the arts.

What is considered “fine” or “applied” art?
Fine art speaks for itself, and is clearly open to the interpretation of the beholder or creator. Applied arts can range anywhere from archaeological objects and ancient tribal art to 20th-century clocks, glassware, and folk art.
Additionally, we choose to focus fully on the fine and applied arts produced or created before 1960; contemporary art therefore does not fit within the scope of Kunstpedia.

What types of content do you publish on the Kunstpedia website?
We publish a number of different types of content:

Articles - editorials with a sound art historical basis, or other types of value. These are more in-depth knowledge sources.
Reviews (blogs) - our volunteers, usually with a background in writing or journalism, visit exhibitions and report their findings, impressions, and personal opinions.
News - any announcements of upcoming or new exhibitions, eye-catching discoveries, and any other types of news-worthy items related to the fine and applied arts.
Sources - these are link directories with references to websites related to the fine and applied arts. They range from comprehensive links to collectors’ associations, price guides, fairs, and much more.

Why is the website not open like a “Wiki”? Do you implement an editorial regime?
As you might know, a “Wiki” website is one whose users can add, modify, or delete content at any time, the most renowned and popular example being www.wikipedia.org. Sadly, some disciplines within the fine and applied arts have been subjected to surprisingly well-organised forgeries; African ethnographic art, for example, being one of them. Therefore, to avoid less-ethical, fraudulent dealers using a platform such the Kunstpedia Foundation to authenticate their forgeries through well-written articles (thereby deceiving potentially- interested readers), all articles and authors are screened.

How is the foundation financed?
The foundation gratefully relies 100% on donations, be it through monetary funds or through contra sponsorship. Contra sponsorship can vary from making services or goods available to the foundation at no cost.

What are the funds used for?
Our expenses vary from covering our fixed costs related to running a website (such as the costs of a server, software maintenance, etc.) to further developing our website, obtaining the copyrights of a publication in order to publish it as an eBook, and so forth. By law, we are obliged to spend at least 90% of our income on realising the mission of the foundation. Rightfully, the Dutch tax office maintains a very strict policy, and we must therefore submit audited accounts on an annual basis.

Moreover, we have a stack of other plans we would like to eventually realise which also need funding.

What do you offer corporate sponsors in return?
We do not like to work with standard sponsor packages. On a case-to-case basis we offer measure- made return incentives; for example, a VIP tour through a museum, or admission to a limited exhibition.

Dutch entities and individuals do receive a formal sponsor statement, which gives them the right to deduct their donation for tax purposes. Individuals can deduct it for 125% from their income tax, and corporations for 150% from their corporate tax.

I would like to give a personal donation to Kunstpedia. Is that possible?
Yes, of course! Your support would be highly appreciated. For more information we refer you to our “Support Page”.

I would like to exchange links with my website. Is that possible?
We would be more than thrilled to exchange links. Mind you, we only publish links to other websites that are directly related to the fine and applied arts, as you will find on the individual webpages in the section “Sources”. Individual museums, galleries and antique dealers are, at present, not listed as such, except if they submit an article; accordingly, a link to their website is then placed in the author’s profile.

Working for the Kunstpedia Foundation

Does the foundation offer any positions?
We are always on the lookout for talented and passionate people to contribute to our project. Do you think you have something to offer the Kunstpedia Foundation? Then do not hesitate for one moment to contact us. Contact >>

What types of positions do you offer?
This can vary from columnists who wish to review exhibitions whenever it best fits into their schedule, (video) editors, or website and graphic designers, to strategic thinkers who wish to brainstorm with us on which road to follow in reaching the aims of the foundation. Specific opportunities are listed under ‘vacancies’.

Should I have a background in the arts or art history?
That is most certainly not necessary. Is it not true that the majority of art aficionados have no formal education in the arts? It is almost safe to assume that 99% of art collectors and lovers are autodidacts.

I want to contribute, but I live in Kyrgyzstan. Is this a problem?
Where you reside is of no importance as long as we can communicate with each other through the net. So whether you are based in Rio, London, Tel Aviv, Tehran or Bangkok, it makes no difference.

How much time/effort do you expect from me?
The time and effort you want to put into assisting the foundation in reach her aims is completely up to you. If you have time at your disposal and are you willing to spend a number of hours a week on assisting us, that would be great…just as great if you can only dedicate a few hours a month writing a review.

How much can I earn?
The almighty question! As we fully rely on donations, at this stage we cannot offer any financial compensation. There are a number of perks we can offer, however, which we will not disclose at present.

Authors

Why would I want to publish on the Kunstpedia website?
Why not! It is most worthwhile, if, of course, you underwrite our aims of stimulating the interest in the fine and applied arts. On top of that, we will do our utmost to generate the public attention your article deserves (not to mention, public attention to you, personally!).

How can I submit my article?
The process is very simple. If you do not have our direct contact details, you can submit it through the 'Submit an article' form.

How many articles can I submit?
You can submit or propose as many articles as you like. The more the merrier!

What subjects would be of interest?
The topics of articles we would be interested in publishing are very, very diverse. If you were so inclined, you could potentially submit a paper with a high art historical value to more populist subjects such as ‘How to Distinguish the Difference between Forgeries and the Real McCoy’.

Can I submit articles I have written in the past?
Yes, of course…if you think they are of value and an interesting read.

How many words should an article contain?
An art history article should contain a minimum of 750 words, and preferably be illustrated.

As a gallery or antique dealer, can I submit articles?
We would most certainly welcome articles from the trade itself. The only restriction we have is that, under no circumstances, may the article contain a commercial message.

Who owns the copyrights of the articles?
The copyrights on all content remain--under all circumstances--with the author, and this is duly stated as such at the end of each article.

Museums, collectors associations, etc.

What type of content can we publish on your website?
We celebrate diversity! Content can range from press releases and news items to articles and videos, etc. The only restriction we have is that the subject should be directly related to the institute you represent, or treating all fine and applied arts dating before 1960.

How do we get our news / press releases published?
Very simple. If you do not have our direct contact details, you can submit it through the following form >> (link to form)

Can we advertise an exhibition on Kunstpedia?
Unfortunately, at present we do not offer any advertising opportunities. If you want to generate interest, it would be far better to submit an article or news item. If you do not have our direct contact details, you can submit it through the 'Submit your press release' form.

Do you accept invitations to review exhibitions?
Yes, indeed. Our columnists are always interested in reviewing exhibitions, provided it is not too far from where they reside…unless, of course an airline ticket and accommodation are offered ;-)

In which language(s) can content be published?
Content on the Kunstpedia site is primarily in English and Dutch. However, having said that, French, Spanish and German are also welcome, as followers of the website come from all walks of life. It is truly global.

In what other ways can the foundation assist?
An excellent question. Apart from all the content we make freely available through our website, we would also be more than happy to aid, in any way we can, in generating exposure for specialized groups and organizations. For example, for a few museums we arranged a six-page article in an arts & antiques magazine; for a collectors’ association, we organised exposure in a print magazine; and we have organised international publicity for a number of publications.

All of this is keeping with the base goal of stimulating interest in the fine and applied arts.

We are a museum and would like to exchange links. Is that possible?
We would be more than happy to exchange links. At present, however, we do not have a source list with link referrals to individual museums. Indirectly we refer to museums through a list of national museum associations.
Museums that submit an article, however, are offered the opportunity of having a link to the museum website incorporated into the profile of the museum, under which the article is published.

We are not a museum and would like to exchange links. Is that possible?
Yes, most definitely, if your organisation is directly related to the fine and applied arts. We would be more than happy to place a link on one of the pages which can be found under “Sources”. Should you be interested in submitting editorial content, a link will also be incorporated in the author’s profile, under which the article(s) is published.

Terms of Use...in a nutshell

May I copy and paste content from your website?
For personal and non-commercial use, as long as the text and the image are given the appropriate credit (which in all cases is the copyright holder, being the author of the article or the creator of the image), and the source is referred to, then yes.

For more details we refer you to our ‘Terms of Use’

What is the privacy policy of the foundation?
We will translate the legal mumbo-jumbo into layman’s terms: all personal details which are submitted to the foundation for the purpose of subscribing to our newsletter; downloading files; or simply by establishing contact with the foundation through any of the forms, is considered confidential. Such details will therefore under no circumstances be sold or made directly available to third parties.

I would like to contact an author directly. Can you give me his/her contact details?
No, we do not supply contact details of any of the authors or volunteers. We would be more than happy to convey your message. It is up to the author / volunteer to contact you directly or indirectly through the Kunstpedia Foundation.

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FAQ

The Kunstpedia Foundation.......in a nutshell

Working for the Kunstpedia Foundation

Authors

Museums, collectors associations, etc.

Terms of Use...in a nutshell

The Kunstpedia Foundation.......in a nutshell

Working for the Kunstpedia Foundation

Authors

Museums, collectors associations, etc.

Terms of Use...in a nutshell