Bergen municipality – Millions for visual and interdisciplinary art

Bergen municipality has set aside more than NOK 37 million that artists and cultural practitioners can apply for in 2024.

It is now clear who will receive allocations within two of the 39 grant schemes. Visual art and interdisciplinary art will be awarded around NOK two million for 50 projects in the year’s first round of awards.

Support for studios and display opportunities for visual art

In this round of applications, 34 applications were granted in the field of visual arts. The applications maintain a professional and qualitatively very high level. A large number of them relate to grants for operations and premises and reflect a need to strengthen artist-run exhibition venues, studio communities and production premises.

An example is The Unfinished Institution, which received NOK 90,000. In addition to offering workplaces and good production facilities, they also have public activities with exhibitions and professional events.

Gard Frantzsen at The Unfinished Institution says that the support from the municipality will help to keep the rental prices at an affordable level, so that artists can continue to work in the studio community at Laksevåg.

– We can now build on the foundation we have laid, and further develop the association and dare to venture further within the professional area that means so much to us, says Frantzsen.

– This year, Bergen municipality has prioritized giving support to studios and display opportunities for visual art because many artists struggle with high costs and expensive infrastructure, says section manager for art and cultural development, Tine Rude, at the City Council’s department for industry, culture and sport.

In addition, established actors such as Pamflett, Bergen Ateliergruppe and S12 Galleri og verksted have received support for necessary operation-related support in addition to their fixed operating support.

New artist-led projects

In this round of applications, priority is also given to support for new artist-led projects that explore different display formats and contribute to high activity in the visual art field. For example, artist Laura Gaiger receives support for the establishment of the Bergen Freskoverksted in Ytre Arna.

– This is a completely new cultural offer for artists in Bergen who want training and production opportunities within the traditional fresco technique, says advisor and subject manager Steinar Sekkingstad at the Section for Art and Cultural Development.

Most of the applications from individual artists concern exhibitions, and more than half of the awards in the year’s first round of awards go to exhibition support.

– The applications are characterized by a wide range of artistic expressions, techniques, approaches and methods. They also encompass a wide range of genres from painting and photography to sculpture and performance art, says Sekkingstad.

The exhibitions are mainly shown in Bergen and in Vestland county, both at established institutions and artist-run exhibition spaces, but support is also given to Bergen-based artists who exhibit in Oslo, Ålesund and Lillestrøm, among others.

Support for interdisciplinary art projects

In the interdisciplinary field, support was granted for 16 projects. The applicants usually come from the art fields of visual art, performing arts or music, with interdisciplinary collaborations. A significant part of the applications concern grants for operation and year-round programming at artist-run exhibition venues.

An example is Northing, which received the largest award of NOK 100,000. This is a platform founded by architect Ben Wenhou Yu and designer Yilei Wang, which focuses on cultural exchange and collaboration between East Asian and Norwegian art. They have an extensive program for 2024, with exhibitions, events and participation in international art fairs.

– The grants are a form of recognition of our contribution to the city’s cultural diversity and the quality of the content we offer the public in Bergen, says Ben Wenhou Yu, general manager of Northing.

High level

Another main part of the application pool for the interdisciplinary field comes from interdisciplinary event series, concert series and club concerts. Among others, the Sound Gallery’s concert series Digital Signal receives support. Among larger individual projects, for example, support is given to Bergen Kunsthall for an outdoor performance project with the artist Florentina Holzinger.

Book production, art books and self-publishing also form a significant part of the interdisciplinary scheme. Among others, Pamphlett receives support for this year’s edition of the art book fair Bergen Art Book Fair, which is the largest of its kind in the Nordics.

– What characterizes the applications in the interdisciplinary area this year is that they generally maintain a high artistic level, says Steinar Sekkingstad.

Hard competition

In this year’s first round, 90 applications for visual art were received, of which 34 were approved. In the interdisciplinary field, there were 40 applications, with 16 receiving support.

Section manager Rude says that even though the level of applications is high, the municipality must prioritize carefully within tight financial limits.

– We work hard for the art city of Bergen to have a strong visual and interdisciplinary art field, which asserts itself artistically in an international context, says Tine Rude.

See overview of grant recipients

There will be more awards throughout the spring of 2024, which will be discussed on our website.

LINK: See continuously who receives awards for professional art and culture here.

Facts: Grants for visual and interdisciplinary arts

• Bergen municipality has set aside NOK 37.3 million that artists and cultural practitioners can apply for within 39 different grant schemes in 2024, in two rounds.
• In 2024, Bergen municipality has set aside NOK 1,708,956 for visual art and NOK 1,176,620 for interdisciplinary art.
• The grant framework for visual art has increased from NOK 1,458,965 last year, while the framework for interdisciplinary art has increased from NOK 1,026,620.
• The applications are processed by the Section for Art and Cultural Development in the City Council’s Department for Industry, Culture and Sport, in accordance with current guidelines.
• When processing the applications, emphasis is placed on professional qualifications, artistic level, ability to innovate, and budget balance.