This paper explores how art students and young artists who are 'at risk of poverty' proceed during their careers to avoid economic precarity and insecurity. Many young artists experience economic hardship and insecurity the initial professional years after graduation. However, many artists achieve sustainable living conditions and some professional stability after some years. In this paper, we have studied the adaptations and strategies that several Norwegian artists have employed, or might employ, to avoid precarity and insecurity throughout their careers. We base our analysis mainly on two empirical sources: (1) a quantitative study of Norwegian artists' income and living conditions (Kleppe & Askvik, 2022), and (2) a qualitative study of Norwegian art students/artists that we interviewed both in 1999 and 2019 (Mangset et al., 2022). We also supplement our analysis with findings from two studies of Norwegian artists' income and living conditions, that we have conducted previously (Heian et al., 2008 and Heian et al., 2015). Finally, we identify eleven different strategies that artists, who are 'at risk of poverty', employ - or might employ - to avoid precarity and minimise professional insecurity.

In this paper, we ask how the corona pandemic affected a cohort of former art school students. We have compared our findings with other studies of the consequences of the pandemic for Nordic artists. Most of our informants appeared less negatively affected by the pandemic than predicted by previous studies. None of those who responded said that they had left or considered leaving their professions, and none had experienced a disastrous loss of income because of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the pandemic affected the work and income situation of freelance actors and musicians who normally perform for live audiences. All the informants also responded that their workdays had changed substantially, and that the pandemic had negatively affected their well-being. Our qualitative study might contribute in detecting some nuances that were less easily detectable through quantitative surveys, e.g. that the pandemic did not substantially affect freelance actors in film and media.

I 1999 intervjuet vi 23 studenter som gjennomførte en høyere kunstutdanning i Norge. Studentene fortalte hvorfor de hadde startet på en kunstnerkarriere, og hvilke tanker og drømmer de hadde om framtiden. 20 år seinere kontaktet vi de samme personene på nytt. De fleste var nå i midten av 40-åra og hadde ganske ulike historier å fortelle. Denne boka tar utgangspunkt i de tidligere kunststudentenes fortellinger om barndom, oppvekst og ungdomstid, utdanningsløp, yrkesetablering og videre yrkesliv. Hvilke valg har de tatt i ulike faser av livet og karrieren, og hvor har disse valgene ført dem? Hva har de lykkes med, og hvilke hindringer og utfordringer har de støtt på underveis? I boka analyserer vi fortellingene til de tidligere kunststudentene i lys av forhold som er særskilte for kunstneryrkene og de markedene de jobber innenfor, men også i lys av en større samfunnskontekst. Boka egner seg for forskere, studenter og andre som interesserer seg for kunstnerisk arbeid. Vi håper også at den kan være til nytte for kunststudenter og framtidige kunstnere som ønsker å vite mer om kunstnerarbeidslivet.

I 1999 intervjuet vi 23 studenter som gjennomførte en høyere kunstutdanning i Norge. Studentene fortalte hvorfor de hadde startet på en kunstnerkarriere, og hvilke tanker og drømmer de hadde om framtiden. 20 år seinere kontaktet vi de samme personene på nytt. De fleste var nå i midten av 40-åra og hadde ganske ulike historier å fortelle. Denne boka tar utgangspunkt i de tidligere kunststudentenes fortellinger om barndom, oppvekst og ungdomstid, utdanningsløp, yrkesetablering og videre yrkesliv. Hvilke valg har de tatt i ulike faser av livet og karrieren, og hvor har disse valgene ført dem? Hva har de lykkes med, og hvilke hindringer og utfordringer har de støtt på underveis? I boka analyserer vi fortellingene til de tidligere kunststudentene i lys av forhold som er særskilte for kunstneryrkene og de markedene de jobber innenfor, men også i lys av en større samfunnskontekst. Boka egner seg for forskere, studenter og andre som interesserer seg for kunstnerisk arbeid. Vi håper også at den kan være til nytte for kunststudenter og framtidige kunstnere som ønsker å vite mer om kunstnerarbeidslivet.

I 1999 intervjuet vi 23 studenter som gjennomførte en høyere kunstutdanning i Norge. Studentene fortalte hvorfor de hadde startet på en kunstnerkarriere, og hvilke tanker og drømmer de hadde om framtiden. 20 år seinere kontaktet vi de samme personene på nytt. De fleste var nå i midten av 40-åra og hadde ganske ulike historier å fortelle. Denne boka tar utgangspunkt i de tidligere kunststudentenes fortellinger om barndom, oppvekst og ungdomstid, utdanningsløp, yrkesetablering og videre yrkesliv. Hvilke valg har de tatt i ulike faser av livet og karrieren, og hvor har disse valgene ført dem? Hva har de lykkes med, og hvilke hindringer og utfordringer har de støtt på underveis? I boka analyserer vi fortellingene til de tidligere kunststudentene i lys av forhold som er særskilte for kunstneryrkene og de markedene de jobber innenfor, men også i lys av en større samfunnskontekst. Boka egner seg for forskere, studenter og andre som interesserer seg for kunstnerisk arbeid. Vi håper også at den kan være til nytte for kunststudenter og framtidige kunstnere som ønsker å vite mer om kunstnerarbeidslivet.

Our colleague and friend, Professor Geir Vestheim, died suddenly and unexpectedly on January 4th, 2021, due to a massive heart attack that he suffered when he was out skiing. With his death, we hav...

Our colleague and friend, Professor Geir Vestheim, died suddenly and unexpectedly on January 4th, 2021, due to a massive heart attack that he suffered when he was out skiing. With his death, we hav...

In this paper, I try to describe the main aspects of the international academic institutionalisation of cultural policy research since the 1990s. My focus is primarily Nordic and anglophone, without ignoring contributions from other countries/continents or linguistic/cultural regions. The introduction of – and increasing emphasis on – ‘peer review’ characterises this academic institutionalisation process, in general and in our field of research in particular. Since the 1990s, cultural policy scholars have developed several peer review-based research journals and conferences. Universities and research institutes are also recruiting more Ph.D. students, researchers and/or teachers in this field of research through peer review selection than before. In this paper, I focus in particular on the creation of academic research journals and international conferences, without concealing that I have myself been an active agent in this same international academic institutionalisation process. My approach is historical/descriptive rather than sociological/ analytic.

The article discusses whether we are approaching the end of public cultural policy in Western democracies, because contemporary cultural policy is not adapted to major transformation processes in contemporary societies. I discuss seven different challenges/scenarios that public cultural policy has to confront today: (1) It appears to be very difficult to democratise culture. (2) Public authorities consistently continue to support cultural institutions that may be obsolete. (3) Professional artists are still poor, despite public support schemes. (4) Public cultural policy is still predominantly national, despite the globalisation of cultural production and distribution. (5) Public authorities increasingly justify subsidies to culture with reference to the beneficial effects that art and culture could have outside the cultural field. Therefore, one might argue that other public bodies could take better care of cultural affairs. (6) A specific public cultural sector may appear to ‘imprison’ culture in a bureaucratic ‘iron cage’. (7) Finally, one might argue that a public cultural policy has no sense in a period of stagnating public finances. In addition, I discuss several counterarguments to these challenges, without coming to a definite conclusion. I have based the analysis on available comparative research about the public cultural policies of Western democracies, predominantly Norwegian cultural policy.

In the period 2006 to 2013, Norway has experienced a substantial increase in public subsidies to culture as well as a substantial increase in real income growth in general. This paper discusses different explanations for why Norwegian artists' real artistic income has declined between 2006 and 2013, despite the positive economic development in Norway. We have based the study in particular on two comparable studies on the income and work situation of Norwegian artists in 2006 and 2013. We analyse and discuss why the artists' real artistic income has declined during this period. We do not find a single, general, explanation for this, but the income decline does not primarily seem to be due to either an increasing number of artists or a decline in public scholarships to artists. Our two most striking findings are: (i) A substantial decline in most artists' artistic working hours and a corresponding increase in artistically related and non-artistic working hours, and (ii) a tendency for artists to derive less of their income from the market, together with an apparent decrease in cultural consumption (spending) among Norwegians. These two factors - especially the latter - seem to be the major factors behind the decline in artistic income.

L'article analitza el denominat principi d’arm’s length com a instrument de política cultural per a la defensa de l'autonomia artística. S’hi planteja com s’ha debatut aquest principi i com s’ha posat en pràctica (o no) en les polítiques culturals dels diferents països, sobretot al Regne Unit (especialment a Anglaterra) i a Noruega, però també a França i als altres països nòrdics. L’article mostra com el principi d’arm’s length s'ha adaptat i interpretat de manera molt diferent en els diversos països, d'acord amb les tradicions històriques i polítiques específiques de cada un. També s’hi il·lustra la distància / ambivalència entre l'aplicació política concreta i la utilització retòrica d’aquest principi.