Funding from Culture and art programme granted to 29 projects

The first round of Culture and Art Programme in 2021 received 191 applications for a total amount of 6 758 844 euro.

A total of 1 097 336 euro was granted to 29 applications, which corresponds to 15 % of the applications. Granted funding varied from 5965 to 100 000 euro.

The percentage of granted funding decreased significantly from 30 % in the previous round. The reasons for that are not only to be found in budget cuts within nordic cultural cooperation. The previous round included an extra funding of 1 million DKK, corresponding to 400 000 euro as a response from the cultural ministers to COVID-19. The applied total was also 1,9 million euros higher than in the previous round.

Anna Sparrman, the chair of expert group for Culture and art programme describes the current round as follows:

This application round included many large applications in the range of 50 000–100 000 euro. Balancing between small and large projects is a demanding process. The expert groups intensive discussions led to a result with a diversity of projects, countries, agents and different cultural and artistic expressions. The most important aspects in the assessment are the artistic quality of the projects as well as how they live up to the guidelines in the Nordic co-operation programme on culture policy.”

Some examples of projects that were granted funding

Cultural history meets Eider-farming and ecology in the Arctic

EXPERIMENT – EIDER creates a multi-disciplinary art exhibition about a mutually beneficial human-animal relationship between eider and humans in the Arctic. The project develops through a creative dialogue between artists, curators, Eider-farmers and scholars. The aim is to document, learn and share experiences from different Eider-farming traditions across the countries where the tradition of collecting Eiderdown is still vivid: Denmark, Iceland and Norway. Experiment – Eider creates awareness of this unique arctic heritage and raises questions regarding wildlife and global warming.

Learning from a room of a Roman empress

LIVIA’S ROOM is a cross aesthetic performative project looking for answers on what one needs to know of one’s past in order to steer into the future. In a broader perspective it is about whom has power in different rooms. A polyfon work of art combining art installation, concert and theatre is created through a process that is sustainable on many levels, together with a platform where academia and art meet in new ideas and dialogues. The project will grow interest in women’s history and new directions in performative mediation in the Nordics. Livia’s room is based in Bergen and involves actors, agents and partners from Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Artistic sustainability and mentoring for young professionals in the dance field

The aim of NORDIC DANCE NET is to develop artistic thinking and extend the production and performance cycle of contemporary dance in Nordic countries. Nordic contemporary dance lacks big scale productions by the next generation of choreographers. In its current state, the initial production of dance works is expensive, life cycles are short, and few works find their way to wider dissemination and meet larger audiences. Nordic Dance Net responds to these challenges.

Accessible art for open urban spaces

NORDIC LIGHTS is a collaboration between Nordic light art festivals and Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. As a part of Nordic Bridges, the project will produce new light artworks by leading Nordic artists and present them for audiences both in Toronto and in the respective Nordic capitals in 2021-2023. All participants have a common goal to develop and present the best of contemporary light art in public space to wide international audiences. The project fosters sustainability regarding accessibility, gender equality, climate change and economic models in arts.

You can find all projects that have received funding on Nordic Culture Points website.

Application rounds twice a year

Culture and Art Programme supports Nordic cooperation within art and culture. You can apply for funding for a collaborative project with artistic or cultural quality which promotes a multifaceted and sustainable Nordic region. The grant programme is administered by Nordic Culture Point.

Funding is being distributed twice per year. The next application round is from 10.8-13.9.2021. Please note that the application deadline is at 15.59 Finnish time.