Promoting Culture and the Arts in Norway
Cultural Planning Based on the Mission of FIHRM
Dignity for artists and access to art and education are the motto of the Norwegian nation. In that context and under those premises, the Arts Council Norway was born. This is an independent body that grants subsidies to artistic and cultural projects throughout the country. What it does is manage the Norwegian Cultural Fund and advise the state on cultural matters.
In addition, scholarships can be requested from the Arts Council Norway, and its information is public and freely accessible to all citizens. That is why it is possible to consult the latest decisions made by the entity.
The institution is part of the FIHRM network, a network that encourages various cultural and social spaces to address sensitive or controversial issues related to human rights. It also promotes the exchange of working methods, new ideas, and initiatives in a supportive environment.
What Is the Arts Council
The purpose of the Arts Council Norway is to stimulate the various current artistic and cultural expressions, and to contribute to the creation, preservation, documentation, and accessibility of art and culture for as many people as possible. To this end, it manages the Norwegian Cultural Fund and advises the state on cultural matters.
How It Is Composed and How It Works
The Council consists of ten members appointed by the King in Council. In addition, it appoints approximately twenty-five committees that process applications or registered titles for public procurement plans.
Both the Council and the committees operate with total independence from the authorities, which ensures that politicians cannot influence who or what receives subsidies. The institution administers around 40 grant and acquisition programs.
The Arts Council’s Honorary Award
Every year, the Council grants its Honorary Award to a person who has made an important and lasting contribution to Norwegian art and cultural life. The award was created in 1968 and currently consists of 700,000 Norwegian kroner and a commemorative statuette.
The bronze sculpture of the lion, created by sculptor Elena Engelsen, was presented in 1994 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Arts Council. Since then, it has accompanied the award, which had its last presentation this year.
What Is the Honorary Award
It is endowed with 700,000 kroner. Since 1994, the winner also receives a bronze statuette. In 2024, it was decided that the award would have a new visual presentation.
The Arts Council Norway announced an open pre-selection for new works of art. Up to five artists will move on to the final stage of a closed competition and will each receive 40,000 Norwegian kroner to develop their proposal. The winner will create the new statuette for the Honorary Award.
Norway and Its Proposal: Culture for All
The Norwegian state understands that cultural consumption provides entertainment and a sense of community, which is why it invests in various areas of the country’s cultural sphere. Participation in cultural life and the use of cultural offerings contribute to cohesion and interaction among different social groups, constituting a relevant part of everyday integration.
Civil society and cultural life facilitate the creation of diverse and communal meeting spaces and represent important areas for achieving better everyday integration.
The concept of everyday integration refers to integration through daily contact in formal and informal meeting spaces, including cultural life and participation in volunteer organizations.
Culture as Public Health
An important report by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2019), which summarizes more than 3,000 research articles worldwide, finds scientific evidence that the arts and culture promote good health. Many municipalities struggle against exclusion and school dropout, and in this area as well, culture and sports can offer positive and affordable results to reintegrate young people into society.
Repairing the damage caused by exclusion and unfavorable youth environments costs society much more than working on prevention. Leisure clubs and libraries are easily accessible services, especially important for many young people.
The arrival of old age is something that all municipalities are preparing for. Investing in good local cultural services can therefore have a preventive effect and, consequently, constitute a good investment in the social economy.
Similarly, public libraries are a popular cultural option among people of immigrant origin. The country regards libraries as “houses of democracy.” These spaces serve as meeting and learning places.
Just like cinema and other cultural offerings, literature and reading — along with other forms of entertainment — are affected by digitalization, since access to knowledge that once required visiting cultural institutions is now possible from home.
Leave a Reply