Arts Council Norway changes name to Arts and Culture Norway
While the ten-member publicly appointed body responsible for managing the Norwegian Cultural Fund will continue to be known as the Arts Council Norway, the directorate tasked with supporting the culture sector at the central government level has now changed its name to Arts and Culture Norway.
"We are clarifying the different roles, though our social mission remains the same," says Executive Director Kristin Danielsen.
The directorate that is now called Arts and Culture Norway performs a number of administrative and development tasks in the cultural sector on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality. Arts and Culture Norway will manage the award of various grants and engage in knowledge production, as well as having responsibility for the museums sector and a number of other cultural institutions. Arts and Culture Norway is the national coordinator for greater diversity in the arts and culture sector, facilitates international cultural cooperation and promotes innovation in the arts industries. Arts and Culture Norway also acts as the secretariat for the Norwegian Culture Fund, the Government Grants for Artists scheme, the Audio and Visual Fund, EEA Grants and Creative Europe.
The Norwegian Cultural Fund is administered by the Arts Council Norway at arm's length from the government. Previously, the directorate and the council have had the same name. However, with effect from 1 January 2023, only the appointed council will be called the Arts Council Norway.
Will highlight the directorate's advisory role
"This name change will highlight our role as the government's directorate and key advisory body on matters relating to the arts and culture in Norway. It will now be easier to see who makes the various decisions and which tasks the directorate and the appointed council perform for the Norwegian cultural sector as a whole," says Executive Director Kristin Danielsen.
Arts Council Norway was established in 1965 to promote contemporary society's artistic and cultural expression and help ensure that art and culture is created, preserved, documented and made accessible to as many people as possible.
"For us at Arts and Culture Norway, this means working to foster an innovative and multifaceted arts and culture sector, encourage more people to make use of the arts and culture and show how important the arts and culture are for society," says Danielsen.
Arts and Culture Norway has a staff of 150 and offices in Oslo, Trondheim and Bodø. The name change will have no impact on the directorate's tasks and organisation or the number of employees.