Keep W139 in the heart of Amsterdam
This is a call from poverty street... because that's what it will be if W139 has to leave here. The city center becomes sour under monoculture. Authentic Amsterdam places disappear or have to move to the periphery. The continued existence of W139 is also threatened and with it the artistic freedom of the city center.
Petition
We
Amsterdammers, residents of the Red Light District and inner city, artists, art lovers, expats, etc
establish that:
- 'The W' has existed since 1979 and, like large museums, is open 7 days a week and admission is free.
- There is no other place in the Netherlands that attracts such a diverse audience.
- Being a conscious advocate of risk and experiment is a unique quality.
- Little imagination is needed to think about what will happen to the building if W139 has to be closed, sandwiched between the Beurs, Bijenkorf and Dam and the world of sex, drugs & shopping.
and request
Don't let the city slide down any further. Is that the direction we want to take? partly prompted by covid? Save this stage for hundreds of artists (for example: Melanie Bonajo, Rob Scholte, Ulay, Barbara Visser, Fiona Tan, Kati Heck, Ruangrupa, Remy Jungerman, Carlos Amorales, Michael Tedja, etc) and keep the jobs of the W139 staff.
Preliminary support of ? 200,000 is needed. Not much for a metropolis where the imagination once really had a foothold.