The Government's intention is that more people should have access to and take part in culture regardless of where in the country they live. The main Project Aga Rum (Taking Place) took place 2016-2018 in areas with low voter turnout and other socio-economic challenges. The aim was to increase democratic participation and to enable more people to contribute cultural growth and develop other parts throughout the country. The investment amounted to a total of SEK 26 million and was characterized by a broad population influence.
In the Aga Rum initiative, the Public Art Agency Sweden produced Konst hander as an example of how to work with artistic configurationin 15 residential areas around the country. Konst hander was designed as a "collaboration on art" between Public Art Agency Sweden, professional artists, local partners and residents in Sweden's "million programme" housing estates with low electoral turnout. Konst hander came to focus on permanent art installations in the selected residential areas. Applications to work with Public Art Agency Sweden and the professional artists were open to groups, organisations and public actors. According to Public Art Agency Sweden, the collaboration was to take the form of a reversed commissioning relationship in which local civil society were to take the initiative and commission the art produced. Public Art Agency Sweden laid down three overarching objectives for the initiative:
* Producing concrete examples of public art in the areas
* Developing methods
* Spreading awareness of the lessons learned and results of the initiative
Overall, the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis believes that Konst hander has contributed to a broader concept of culture within the framework of state cultural policy and that new groups have been involved in the work of artistic activities and design in public environments.
2 860 000 USD
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Public Sector
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Civil Society Organization (CSO)
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It is recommended that studies of the relationship between socio-economic factors and cultural habits as well as the long-term effects of the investment have to be made. It is also recommended that future investments be characterized by greater clarity and long-term perspective. Several of the evaluations also point to the importance of meeting places.
The general assessment is that the project has produced long-term results, strengthened local civil society actors and encouraged the general public to encounter art without compromising on artistic integrity. Lessons learned for the agency's own operations concern everything from difficulties for civil society in working with the agency's opening times and contract templates to the fact that simplified application procedures, with longer deadlines and information meetings contribute to greater civil society engagement, as manifested in a large number of applications. Therefore, the Public Art Agency Sweden believes that Konst hander should be made as a permanent project, but with a focus on small towns and smaller cities where the Public Art Agency Sweden in other initiatives have difficulty reaching out.