Eugène Terwindt, addressed to Marinus, one senses uncertainty and a drive for
experimentation coming from Terwindt:
One may derive from this letter that Terwindt has never been confronted with such
a request and struggles with finding the right manner of addressing it. Forum was
still in the making, being not only formed by the organisation but also by its partici
pants. Already during the first days of the manifestation, it seemed that the concep
tual formula - a manifestation for professionals, amateur artists and policymakers
- added something to the discussions concerning art and its social effects. Moreo
ver, although the manifestation was primarily focussed on a public in Zeeland, the
list of participants shows that it incited national interest. With participants coming
from Gorinchem, Arnhem, Amsterdam and Rijswijk, the manifestation developed
a national character. The substantial support and attention of the local newspaper
Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant PZCthat reported on the events almost every day,
was remarkable. The circulation of Forum in this medium must have contributed
to its popularity during its execution. From the afterword in the evaluation booklet
of Forum 1977, Marinus concludes that the unexpected national interest had added
something more substantial to Forum than the organisers had initially expected:
This quote in which Marinus Boezem expressed his attempt to make Forum ap
pealing to groups outside the province, sets the tone for the ten years of manifes
tation that would follow.
218
The Art of Remembering Forum: the Local Memory
Dear Marinus, in your letter of invitation you promised, after my first written
response, to make an appointment with me to discuss several things [about Fo
rum]. - I still need this [support], in order to be able to determine what form
and content the introduction should have.1
[It seems] worthy to consider Forum 77 in its follow-up to be interpreted more
as a national manifestation, which returns annually. The decentralization of
such manifestations to the region makes sense if these manifestations do not
only focus on their own public in the region, but [also attract] larger groups of
interested parties through the use of general quality norms.
1 Letter from Eugène Terwindt, addressed to Marinus Boezem. In the archive of Marinus and
Maria-Rosa Boezem.
