NEDNAC

Image by Clint Adair @clintadair

NEDNAC – Towards inclusive artscapes in the Nordic Region

WHAT?
With start-up network funding from Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point, the Network for the Diversification of Nordic Arts and Culture (NEDNAC) was established to find ways to strengthen artistic and cultural cooperation in the Nordic region with regard to artists and cultural workers of foreign origin, together with non foreign-born actors and institutions. Working cross-disciplinarily and including research, we aimed to increase the exchange of knowledge in this area and increase the presence of and interest in art and culture produced in the Nordic region by resident producers of art and culture of diverse nationalities and heritage. NEDNAC’s objectives were:

1. To pool our resources and skills in order to achieve our goal and maximize impact in the three countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland).
2. To identify how the artscapes differ in the three countries and how their diversification can be mainstreamed across the Nordic region.
3. To identify how we can we work with local, national and Nordic foundations and arts and cultural institutions in both the private and public sector to improve and diversify opportunities.

WHY?
According to a 2018 report by the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis, there is a distinct lack of diversity at state cultural institutions in the Nordic Region. Read more here. This trend is also visible in the mainstream arts and cultural scene in the Nordic countries. NEDNAC’s mission is to make artscapes in the Nordic region inclusive and thus improve the situation for artists of foreign origin. The network shall operate at the grassroots and policy level.

WHO?
In this start-up phase, NEDNAC is administered and managed by IMMART. NEDNAC is working with artists of foreign origin who are resident in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The member organisations/persons were:

• IMMART (Denmark)
• Fairooz Tamimi (Sweden)
• Globe Art Point (Finland)
• Culture for All (Finland)
• Center for Cultural Policy Research (Finland)

HOW?
Between November 2018 and April 2019, NEDNAC held virtual and face-to-face meetings, workshops, dinners in Malmö and Helsinki. We invited artists of foreign origin to participate in the dinners and share their experiences and work produced while living in the Nordic region. The goal of these gatherings was to better understand the current situation for artists and cultural workers of foreign origin, identify the gaps in opportunities and services provided, and figure out how they can be bridged.

OUTCOMES:

1. Should NEDNAC continue, the goal should be to focus on impacting policy, information sharing, and doing advocay work at the Nordic level in the fields of arts, culture and ethnic diversity.
2. In order to legitimize the policy and advocay work, NEDNAC members would collect and analyze primary data from the Nordic countries pertaining to the situation and needs of artists of foreign origin.
3. CUPORE and Culture for All are prepared to continue in an advisory capacity.
4. The current members should establish a list of criteria that future member organisations must fulfil, and initially actively seek out member organisations in Iceland and Norway.
5. A mission statement for NEDNAC will be formulated and published in June 2019
6. Funding will be sought in order to carry out the basic scientific research required (see point 2.) and to allow the network to operate efficiently.

CONCLUSION

Globe Art Point (Finland), IMMART – International Migration Meets the Arts (Denmark), and Fairooz Tamimi (Sweden) are at very different stages in their evolution, as is the state of the art of engagement with diversity within the arts and culture sector in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. A more comprehensive overview of the situation in all of the Nordic Countries is needed if NEDNAC is to achieve its vision, mission and goals.

IMMART has begun groundwork for collecting primary data on artists of foreign origin and the state of the art in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. In Finland, GAP and CUPORE are analysing data already collected.

TIMELINE

November 2018

• Acceptance of funding applications
• Virtual meeting of NEDNAC members

January 2019

• Virtual meeting of NEDNAC members

February 2019

• Face-to-face meeting and workshop with NEDNAC members held at Region Skåne offices, Malmö.
• IMMART Dinner with NEDNAC members and artists of foreign origin living in Sweden and Denmark held at the Satellite room at STUDIO in Malmö.
  Click here to see pictures from the Dinner.
  

March 2019

• Virtual meeting of NEDNAC members

April 2019

• Face-to-face workshop with NEDNAC members held at Globe Art Point, Helsinki.
• Artist Dinner held at Globe Art Point, Helsinki.

May 2019

• Start-up phase completed
• Reflection, evaluation and formulation of the next steps
• Identify opportunities for further funding

June 2019

• Publish mission statement
• Virtual meeting of member organizations

August – October 2019

• Applications for funding