The Dutch photography organization Noorderlicht is under risk of closure due to a major cutback of financial support from the national government, which will make it impossible to keep the organization running.

Noorderlicht is a platform, a gallery, festival, and publisher that hardly needs introduction. It is well known for its groundbreaking exhibitions and publications. Noorderlicht also organizes educational activities ranging from masterclasses for professional photographers to visual literacy courses for schoolchildren. With this wide variety of activities, they are well known within and outside the photographic community. Noorderlicht's programming is among the most intelligent and thought-provoking in the world today (in the opinion of Lens Culture).

There is a possibility the government decision will be reversed, and Noorderlicht is preparing a new application, to be sent to the Advisory Board on Culture of the Netherlands. To support this new application, they hope to present the Board, and the government, with national and international letters of support for Noorderlicht. They have asked all relevant institutions in the Netherlands to express their support, and we are asking you to write your own letter of support.

Would you be willing to write a letter on the letterhead of your organization and send a scan of it directly to marc@noorderlicht.com, and the original by mail to the Noorderlicht office?

We would like you to express in as few or as many words as you want what the value of Noorderlicht is to you and the photographic community.

As the new application is to be sent in within the next two weeks, they hope to receive your letter of support by email before 4 June, if possible. Should this be too tight, they would still like to receive your letter, before 18 June.

Email your scanned letter to: marc@noorderlicht.com

Send via post your original letter:

Noorderlicht
Akerkhof 12
9711 JB Groningen
The Netherlands

Throughout the years, Lens Culture has featured many projects that were initiated and created by Noorderlicht. You can see these in our archives: Metroplis — The City in the Urban Age, Land — Country Life in the Urban Age, Warzone, Human Conditions, Picturing Eastern Europe: an overview of photography — before and after Communism, and photobooks they co-published: Soul and Soul 1969-1999, and Cruel and Unusual.

You can also show your support via Facebook and Twitter, and by sharing this message with all of your colleagues. Thanks!