About the network

The Network for Gender and Diversity in Nordic Art Museums aims to spark discussion and collaboration between Nordic art museums on how to promote gender and diversity perspectives in the production of new exhibitions and the use of existing collections.

The initiatives aim to reflect democratic challenges. The network and its activities are funded through the Arts Council Norway programme Museenes samfunnsrolle (The societal role of museums) and Nordic Culture Point. The network was launched by the art historians Sigrun Åsebø (University of Bergen) and Ulla Angkjær Jørgensen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).

Background

In international surveys, Nordic countries score high on gender equality. Scandinavian feminism tends to be linked with family policy, equal pay and working life issues, and the struggle for gender equality has played an important role in the development of the welfare state in the Nordic countries as a whole. Gender equality and diversity have often been topical subjects of debate in the arts and art museums in the Nordic countries. Despite this focus, feminism has only been a conditional success even here. Women and minorities remain under-represented in the museums’ collections. They have fewer solo exhibitions and catalogues.

Few people today would dispute that white, Western, masculine subjectivity is over-represented in the purchasing, exhibition, and outreach practices of museums and that feminist perspectives are relevant. The question is simply: which feminism? Which postcolonial, queer, transnational perspectives are needed? What is national identity – or what could it be today? In the context of gender, gender balance and diversity, what are the hallmarks of quality in curation, collection management and outreach?

News

See the list of events organized by the network.

See the list of members of the network.