Public Art Consultancy in the Nordic Countries

The seminar tackles multiple topics related to curating and project managing public art projects. An online presentation of the Helsinki Biennial at Vallisaari Island is included in the seminar.

Date: Friday 11 June 2021, 10:00–14:30 (UTC +03:00)
Venue: Online. A link will be sent on 10 June 2021 to all who have registered for the event.
For whom: The seminar is open to professionals involved or interested in public art processes, from the public art consultant, curator and coordinator’s perspective.
Language: English.
Seminar fee: Seminar is free of charge, but a registration is required. Please register no later than 10.6.2021 at 12.00 through the link below or here.

Speakers include
Nora Ceciliedatter Nerdrum, Head of the arts section and curator, KORO Public Art Norway
Kristiina Ljokkoi, Curator of Public Art, HAM Helsinki Art Museum
Åsa Mårtensson, Project manager – Knowledgehub public art, Public Art Agency Sweden
Henri Terho, Special advisor, TAIKE Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Linda Wallenberg and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, initiators, NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy

Moderated talk by
Christine Antaya, arts writer, Sweden

Webinar program 11 June

10.00–11.05 WEBINAR PART I

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO HANAHOLMEN – THE HOST OF THE SEMINAR
Aino Kostiainen, Programme Coordinator, Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre

INTRODUCTION TO NNAC – NORDIC NETWORK FOR ART CONSULTANCY
About the network for freelance public art consultants and curators from Finland, Norway, and Sweden. A three year project supported by Nordic Culture Point.
Linda Wallenberg, Curator and Public Art Consultant, Linda Wallenberg konst, Sweden, and initiator NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy
Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, CEO, ArtPlatform, Sweden, and initiator NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy

INTRODUCTION BY MODERATOR
Christine Antaya, arts writer, Sweden

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE ROLES OF PUBLIC ARTS CONSULTANTS IN FINLAND
Henri Terho, Special advisor, TAIKE Arts Promotion Centre Finland

HOW DOES PUBLIC ART HAPPEN?
Nora Ceciliedatter Nerdrum, Head of the arts section and curator, KORO Public Art Norway

11.05–11.10 BREAK

11.10–11.20 NETWORKING SESSION
Coffee break with your Nordic colleagues in break-out rooms

11.30–12.50 WEBINAR PART II

HOW ART CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTS
Reflections on art consultancy in the light of a commission on knowledge
Åsa Mårtensson, Project manager – Knowledgehub public art, Public Art Agency Sweden

WHEN DOES ART CONSULTANCY MATTER?
Discussions in break-out rooms

THE INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
A panel discussion on public art consultancy in the Nordic countries from the perspective of the national public art agencies in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. What are the benefits and challenges of the freelance public art consultant and curator, and of the Nordic perspective?
Nora Ceciliedatter Nerdrum, Henri Terho and Åsa Mårtensson
Moderated by Christine Antaya

12.50–13.20 LUNCH BREAK

13.20–14.05 PREVIEW PRESENTATION OF THE HELSINKI BIENNIAL AT VALLISAARI ISLAND
Introduction to the first Helsinki Biennial. The biennial presents 41 international artists or groups of artists from both Finland and around the world in maritime Helsinki. Helsinki Biennial opens June 12, 2021.
Kristiina Ljokkoi, Curator of Public Art, HAM Helsinki Art Museum

14.05–14.15 CONCLUSION
Linda Wallenberg and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, initiators, NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy

Organizers: NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy, HANAHOLMEN Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, HAM Helsinki Art Museum and TAIKE Arts Promotion Centre Finland. In collaboration with KORO Public Art Norway and Public Art Agency Sweden
With support from: Nordic Culture Point

NNAC is a network for art consultancy, initiated 2019 and made possible by a three-year network funding from Nordic Culture point. The aim is to create a new mobile arena for professional freelance art consultants within the contemporary public art field in Nordic countries, and to develop and strengthen the role of the art consultant in relationship to public art production, artists and clients such as municipalities, regions, state agencies and private actors. The network will act through a series of seminars and workshops, which takes place in conjunction with: Oslo Biennal First Edition 2019, Helsinki Biennial in 2021 and Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (GIBCA) 2021.Read more about NNAC

Situated in the archipelago and surrounded by site-specific art works by prominent Nordic artists, Hanaholmen has tangled the topics of public art since 2016, when a project called Mera Konst (More Art) initiated, highlighting the role of municipalities in Public Art projects. Read more

Read more about Helsinki Biennial, an international contemporary art event presenting around 41 artists or groups of artists in maritime Helsinki. Helsinki Biennial will be held in summer 2021 in the unique surroundings of Vallisaari Island.

Information about the event
Linda Wallenberg, linda(at)lindawallenbergkonst.se, +46 734 24 84 96
Aino Kostiainen, aino.kostiainen(at)hanaholmen.fi, +358 40 551 9933

Cover photo: The art work TRO HOPP KÄRLEK (“Faith Hope Love”) by the visual artist Eva Lange is part of the art project “Two Lands – One Future” which highlights the close relationship that has continued for hundreds of years between Finland and Sweden. Photo by Jakke Nikkarinen