Gdansk nov 2009

1. Gdansk nov 2009 Barnas Hus /The Childrens House Politics, Methods, Examples

2. Culture- pass it on. As I understand, this conference deals with the questions • of access for new public groups, • of distribution of art/culture and • of equality and democracy in the field of • art and culture.

3. Democracy and politics of culture. • 1. Democratization of culture. • 2. Cultural democracy. • In the first position there is a question of bringing culture/art out to people. There is an idea of a certain unity of culture that needs to be distributed to all. A kind of educational program for the ”masses”.

4. In the second position there is question of many cultures and many qualities. An acceptance of differences. • We here can talk of workers culture, of youth culture, of ”street” culture – all with their own qualities. This position is less vertical, more horizontal/equal in view of values and qualities.

5. Cultural Policy of Norway • Politics of culture in Norway was after WW II dominated of the first position: democratization of culture: The Travelling Conserts, TheTravelling Exhibitions and The Travelling Theatre are examples. During the 1970ies we see a shift to the second position and a recognition of differences in culture. Now there were political will to recognize rock music, popular music, establishing different industrial museums and so on.

6. Today • Today we probably have a situation where both these understandings of culture live together? We see means of financing both rock music and popular cultural festivals and The Cultural Rucksack, which aims to present professional Art to every school child in the country. • And we see more and different kinds of cross over: Cross over different gengres and over ”high” and ”low” culture.

7. Traditional Art Institutions more and more focus their audience and public groups. They do this, probably because of their own interests and not because of nice ideas of the rights of every one. In a modern democracy it is probably not possible to ignore the question of visitors – in the long run. If you are not able to create interest, knowledge and participation, you sooner or later will have to close down?

8. Children – a public goup. • The Children`s House /Barnas Hus is a part of the Department of Culture of the City of Bergen. The task of the Institution is to increase the participation of children in the field of art and culture. Barnas Hus works in the ”crossroad” between the city`s whole field of Art and Culture on one hand–and the schools and kindergardens on the other.

9. The core of a Cultural Policy towards Children • In the Schools we meet all the Children and in the Kindergardens we meet most of the Children. (distribution) • A Cultural Policy for Children has to make Art and Culture a part of Everyday Life of the Children

10. Children have the rights to... • Take part in the ordinary field of Art and Culture,to meet work of art and the knowledge of art where it is: in the Art Institutions. • Bergen city has large resources on art and culture, the problem is that these are not presented to children

11. UN – on Childrens Rights: The child was seen also as an individual on it`s own right, not only as part of the family. This gave incitaments to ask about Children as Citizens....

12. Programmes. • Barnas Hus initiate and produce programmes on art and culture – to be used by the schools and kindergardens, in their educational and pedagogical work. • And we produce programmes in cooperation with museums and art institustions to ”ease” the childrens way into the art institutions.

13. Our visitors • From Monday to Friday /during the week children come together with their teachers to work in Barnas Hus or on programmes we give in/together with other institutions. • In the house of Barnas Hus we present exhibitions, workshops and theatre performances/concerts that are specially designed for children.

14. Smaller children and families. • Now we try to focus the youngest children, since art institutions seldom put up programmmes for the smallest children. • And The Cultural Schoolbag means large recourses to school children • At week ends/saturdays we present programmes for families: Children and parents/grandparents together. • We also cooperate with art institutions to design programmes that will welcome families with small children into the institutions.

15. The Childrens Weekend of Culture • Once a year we organise a cultural weekend for children • Many of the art institutions and museums participate. • Barnas Hus has the initiative and coordination, pay for the PR and take responsibilities of activities out in the open places of the city. • Such a weekend gives focus on the families as a public group,gives an opportunity to present the family programmes of the institution and through common PR/information increace the number of visitors. The families can easely find a lot of programmes designed for them and can go ”shopping” in art and culture

16. Perhaps do they find an activity or an institution/museum that has just something in it for them? And will come back again and again? • A win win situation for all.

17. Defines as a resource center • Much of our work and programmes do not take place inside Barnas Hus, but elsewhere: in different city spaces or art institutions/museums. • We take care so we do not ourselves develop a kind of museum or gallery only for children.

18. Important to reflect on: • How do we think of art..what is art for? What is art for children? • How do we think of childhood...how is the childhood of postmodernism? • How do we think of learning....how do we learn?

19. When planning art programmeswe find it important to... • Create a focus • Create an incitament..a motivation ..to start the own investigation/research/creation of the child • To make a ”contract” with the teachers...on roles and participation

20. Exs: ”The Challenge of Conteporary Art” in Bergen Kunsthall. • Developmental work. • We cooperate with an institution for several years – often a time span is of tree years.

21. We experience and try different methods on mediating art to children • The ”challenge programme” lasted from 1997 to 2000 and 90 teachers and 2200 pupils followed the program over the periode. • We learned how to work to make teachers feel comfortable when presenting contemporary art. • Today Bergen Kunsthall is running their own presentations for children

22. In Edvard Grieg Museum, we developed a guide for children and families: • Follow the Frog! • The frog as a childrens guide in the museum... ...where is the frog now?....

23. European Cultural Capital of 2000: what about the childrens participation? • My town-Our towns. • 1998 -2000 • International-local • Inspiration/invitation • Educational materials • The city through the eyes of children: • Children as citizens • 61 of 100 schools/21 000 of 30 000 pupils

24. Bergen as Story Teller • After 2000 educational programmes on the city was made permanent. We now run tree programmes on the city for school children: • 1. The City Detectives • 2. The Mediaval City • 3 The World Heritage Site: Bryggen • For kindergardens: Bjørgvin 1281. And from 2008 also a new programme Tree Ruins

25. The Queens Crown -a touring exhibition • Touring to kindergardens and schoolclasses. • About 2 weeks • Drawers with stories, different materials for activity • Transported in a private car • Presented by a ”crown guardian” the 1.th day.

26. When teaching children about art.......... • -how is it possible to preserve the integrity of both the children and the art? • -what happens when the focus shifts from the artist`s intention or the artwork`s autonomy to the child`s encounter, here and now, with art in the gallery space? • The artist as teacher?

27. Barnas Hus has created series of exhibitions/programmes using striking exhibition design as a key tool for presenting contemporary art. • Like scenography on stage or an installation, our exhibition room has been transformed in order to emphasize key aspects of the art works.

28. Our goal is two-fold: • -to allow children to meet art in an unexpecting setting, and to allow artworks to meet children on the children`s own terms. • -Art need time. Children need time. • -Our exhibition design create a room for experience and reflection: The faculty of perseption is sharpened and the hole body is used.

29. Design for dialoge.. • An exhibition design can require a differentiated pattern of movement, a contrast between motion and stasis, it may entail looking at art from different angles and under varied lighting conditions, or that certain details are emphasized in order to initiate a conversation.

30. The ”thinging” of things.. • In ” the Origin of the Work of Art” Martin Heidegger points out that a thing`s actuality or being, is not noticable until it is used or ”put to work”. Applying this insight to how artworks are presented in our context, we could perhaps rephrase it by saying that artworks must be used in order to bee seen,

31. or at least have been used at some point in the past in order for the child to grasp its use. We want to bring art to life, to put it in contact with the user, the child. A challenging exhibition design triggers curiosity and the desire to discover new things – children use artworks and the space around them – the things acquire meaning/new meaning.

32. When the goal is to help children perceive art, to use it, the exhibition design can emphasize any one of an infinite number of ways to think about art. The gallery space challeges perception. • Our art educational program is based on dialoge - art converse with the space around it / the exhibition design. The educator and the children converse.

33. The setting create a space for wonderment and experience. We discuss art in the room, what we see, what we do not see and things we can imagine – imagination ruptures the physical framework. • The artwork is handmade, it contains stories and affects us when we confront it, when we use it as a part of a creative process – when reflecting over it or working in the workshop.

34. Dialoge and workshop • An artwork can be the springboard for a discussion that leads back to the artwork or it may lead to a more generell discussion, the meaning of which is determined by the children themselves. • Not everybody is good at taking part in the dialoge. Not all children think and speak aloud. Some experience through actions.

35. Some experience through actions: simple workshop activities related to the artworks. The finished object is less important than the process – to try out possibilities and conversely: to recognize limitation. The instructions/assignments are challenging despite their simplicity: the children have to make choices

36. Touching the World -The hands want to see, the eyes want to caress. J.W.von Goethe. (As quoted by Lauretta Viniciarelli: Watercolors. 1998) • The Dancer has his ears in his toes. Friedrich Nietzsche. (So Sprach Zarathustra) -The Eyes of the Skin Book title by the architectJuhani Pallasmaa

37. Kom i Form med Gunnar S. Gundersen • The stage setting is ”outer space” – abstract shapes and razor-sharp precision: How is it possible to give children an immediate experience of an artist`s pictorial universe?

38. Drama and Story telling • Where are the Books and Stories coming from? • The Theatre Walking in Closet/ The Walking in Closet of the Theatre • Playing with Shadows • Aurora Borealis /Aurora Julealis

39. Aurora Julealis • Aurora Borealis is a frame for a story telling festival in desember.

40. www.bergen.kommune.no/barnashus • Programmes per season • Budgets –around 4 mill NKR/125 000Euro • Staff: art history,architecture,story telling and art. Permanent: 4,6 • 25 000 visitors per year • The Cultural Rucksack • The Cultural Cengurusack

41. DKB • The cultural kindergarden sack is runned by Barnas hus- a project of art for pre school children. Established 2006.

42. The Cultural Cenguru BagThe Cultural Kindergarden Sack • The City Council decided Desember 2005 to put on a ”Cultural kindergarden bag” for preschool children. • The project was settled for tree years and the first programmes in the kindergardens was on August 2006. From 2009: running for tree new years • The project is administered by Barnas Hus. The board: both department of culture and of kindergarden and schools

43. The project is a cooperation between the department of culture and the department of kindergarden/schools, to implement a focus on small childern in the cultural department and a focus on art in the department dealing with kindergardens.

44. The Objectives are two: • -increase artistic work in kindergardens and develop kindergardens that work with art integrated in the ordinary /running daily work. • -to cooperate with artistic and cultural field of the city, to implement small children into their repertoir and programmes: both productions and methods of mediating art for children 0-5 years old.

45. The Head of the Project • -is educated both in art and pree school pedagogy and have experiences from both fields. • ”Pilot kindergardens” was choosed:10 the first year and increased to 15 the second year. • A ”Bank of Artist” was built up: Art Institutions and Artists have been invited to participate...

46. Artists wanting to work in the project are ”selected” and ”paired” with ideas of programmes of the kindergarden. • Artists will write out the project content, methods etc – after meeting with the pedagogical staff. This will secure the artistic intentions in the projects

47. Art Institutions are producing performances /concerts both on a professional stage and work with the children in the kindergardens. Either before the professional meeting/experience or after. • Some ”models” of how artists, children and pedagogical staff can work together in a creativ process:

48. 1. • Professional dancers or musicians give a performance. Either in the kindergarden or in the theatre/conserthall. Afterwards parts of the ensemble works with the children over some time in the kindergarden.

49. 2. • The kindergarden visist the artist in the studio to see how the artist is working or visit the artists exhibition in the gallery. Afterwars the artist is working with the children in the kindergarden for some time.

50. 3 and 4. • The kindergarden visit the Art Museum for a special programme, the museum pedagogues or artists work with the children and the staff in kindergarden afterwards. • The kindergarden work with an artist over time, and make a performance/ exhibition in a professional arena together with the artist