Last November, both a conference and a symposium were held at the Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús. Both events addressed important issues in museum work, where Thóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director of the Museum Council, gave a presentation on behalf of the Museum Council along with a number of other interesting speakers. You can listen to recordings of the events and find links and the program below, but this was, on the one hand Symposium on the grant environment for art museums in Iceland and on the other hand Policy Strategy: Strategy Development in the Cultural Sector.
The Reykjavík Art Museum regularly hosts conferences that focus on discussing professional issues concerning museums and museum professionals. On November 14, an event was held. Policy on strategic planning in the cultural sector and how such strategic work is utilized in museum work. The conference was a collaborative project of the Reykjavík Art Museum, the Reykjavík City History Museum, and the Master's Program in Cultural Management at the University of Bifröst, with support from the Museum Fund.
The occasion was that many cultural institutions have recently renewed their strategies with new focuses for the coming years, and the conference was intended to examine that strategic work and how it is utilized in museum work. Various questions regarding the strategic planning process were raised, and there was a discussion about what belongs in a museum's strategy. Museums identify the opportunities and challenges of the future in a dynamic and ever-changing cultural environment when developing their strategic plans. Older strategies must be reviewed, an assessment made of what has been achieved, and multiple goals considered in a holistic way.
The conference featured speakers and participants from nationally recognized museums and representatives from the city's cultural life, including Njörður Sigurjónsson, professor at the University of Bifröst, Héðinn Unnsteinsson, strategic advisor, Ólöf Kristín Sigurðardóttir, director of the Reykjavík Art Museum, Guðbrandur Benediktsson, director of the City History Museum, Anita Elefsen, director of the Icelandic Herring Museum, Sigurjón Baldur Hafsteinsson, professor of museology at the University of Iceland, and Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, executive director of the Museum Council.
Here you can find a recording from the conference.
On November 21, it took place Symposium on the grant environment for art museums in Iceland at the Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús. The project was a collaboration between the ASÍ Art Museum and the Association of Art Museums in Iceland, with support from the museum fund. The goal was to map the grant systems available to Icelandic art museums and compare them with those of neighboring countries. There are 14 recognized art museums in Iceland, in addition to the National Gallery of Iceland, which is the main museum. It is funded by the state budget and, for example, cannot apply for state grants in the same way as the other museums. The art museums are very different in type and size; some are owned by municipalities and others are private non-profit organizations. Some have only one gallery and one employee, while others have larger staffs and multiple galleries in even several buildings. Therefore, there can be a significant disparity in the operations of art museums, and the conference was intended to be a platform to discuss this broadly, what has worked well, but what could possibly be changed or improved.
The program consisted of short lightning talks where the different perspectives of various organizations and stakeholders were presented, followed by longer presentations providing insight into the grant environments of neighboring countries. The event concluded with a panel discussion. The moderator was Erling Jóhannesson, and opening remarks were given by the Minister of Culture, Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, and the chairperson of the Association of Art Museums in Iceland, Aldís Arnardóttir. Numerous short presentations were given, including from the Regional Associations – Sigursteinn Sigurðsson, the City of Reykjavík – Arnfríður S. Valdimarsdóttir, SÍM – the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists – Hlynur Helgason, and the Municipality of Ísafjörður – Gylfi Ólafsson, Art Council – Ásdís Spanó, Art Museums – Helga Þórsdóttir, Collections Council – Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Ministry of Culture – Hildur Jörundsdóttir, private sector – Börkur Arnarson and Artis – Auður Jörundsdóttir. More information about the symposium's program can be found here.