BERGEN

THE CITY OF CHILDREN’S CULTURE

EXPERIENCES WITH NEW FORMS OF ART EDUCATION

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Welcome to Bergen by plane or by ferryWelcome to the city where rain the clouds carryWelcome with laughter, we laugh and we smileWelcome as a guest where you want to stay a whileWelcome to the rooms where we have lit a fire heartyWelcome to the party!

Class 4BHelldal School, Bergen

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Bergen, the City of Children’s Culture- new forms of art education

Preface

With the future of the city of Bergen in mind, the Bergen Council has chosen to develop a cultural policy for children. We must secure that the young are given art education and opportunities for artistic development.

An active cultural policy aimed at children gives us thoughtful, creative and committed citizens. Their cultural competence will contribute to the development of the community and of Bergen as a city of culture. The future audiences of the different art forms are created when a demanding and knowledgeable audience meets a creative and well-informed cultural scene.

We take pride in the fact that the art resources created in connection with Bergen’s City of Culture projects also have been made accessible to the children of the city through a number of wonderful art education projects. Partaking in this work many of the members of the city’s art scene have contributed a great deal by way of their creativity and innovative approaches to art education. The Council wants to ensure the continued development of new cultural programs, in order to ensure the passing on of knowledge about the distinctive culture of the city of Bergen, and also to make the art resources of the city accessible to children.

This brochure presents only a selection of the art projects already in existence. These projects, however, illustrate some of the innovative approaches in children’s art education that have been employed in Bergen. I present this brochure in the hope that it will bring knowledge to many of the Bergen Council’s emphasis on creating cultural policies which attend to the needs of children.

The City of Children’s Culture wishes you a pleasant read.

Anne-Grete Strøm-ErichsenLeader of the Bergen Council

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BERGEN, THE CITY OF CHILDREN’S CULTURE - art on children’s terms

In 2002 the Bergen Council passed the new guidelines for the city’s cultural strategy from 2003 to 2013. The second clause was concerned with the term cultural capital:

«... children of today will be faced with a society of multiplicity and rapid change. Cultural capital will be a basis they can rely on in order to master their environment. The children of Bergen must experience art and other forms of cultural output and be offered the chance to develop within different fields of aesthetics. Art education shall maintain a high level of quality and be offered in schools as well as in kindergartens, and as part of the children’s after school curricula. The work to achieve such a program of art education is to start from the premise that children are competent and culturally creative, and from acknowledging that children already are part of the art scene through their own forms of creativity and knowledge.

Bergen wishes to focus on children and look after their talents and creative powers. Children shall have the opportunities to try out and discover their own abilities within the fields of music, drama and fine arts. Different art forms and techniques must therefore be part of the art program in schools.

The trying out of different projects in cooperation with artists will therefore be an important area of development in order to give children the opportunity to master a number of different art forms...»

The national Norwegian project “Den kulturelle skolesekken” (“The Cultural Schoolbag”) presents every Norwegian community with a number of challenges. Den kulturelle skolesekken is a national Norwegian project aimed at bringing the cultural and artistic resources into schools, to form an integral part of the schools’ educational programs.

In Bergen, one has since the establishment of The Children’s House in 1992 focused on bringing into life an interaction between the city’s art scene on the one hand, and kindergartens and schools on the other. This has been the main focus of the city’s program of art education for children.

Therefore the ambitions and experiences from the work at The Children’s House was a natural starting point when the council was to plan the contents of Den kulturelle skolesekken in Bergen. The questions posed were these:

Can the city and the cultural resources of the city be an extension of the classroom and an arena for learning?

Can the art institutions become exciting and challenging arenas for children? Can well-established, traditional institutions develop new ways of passing on the

knowledge of art, so that children are invited to take part in a creative process?

Our objective is for children to become participants in the art scene of the city, and become acquainted with the city’s cultural arenas and with its artists. Therefore Den kulturelle skolesekken must contain the cultural resources of the city, and make these accessible to children.

A close cooperation with the Bergen art institutions and art scenes will supply us with new knowledge of what characterizes good art for children. It will also give us an opportunity to develop means of art education where participation is a core principle; where children can meet artists in the classroom as well as finding art in all its professional arenas.

Children’s conception of quality in art has, symptomatically, never been investigated in a systematic fashion. What we know from the field of art practice is that children think it «stupid» when adults talk for too long and of things they don’t understand, and when they are not listened

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to themselves. When the young can contribute – when they are actively investigating their surroundings and their experiences are valued, they think the activity is «cool», «good» and «fun». Clearly participation is a key word...

In this brochure we present some of the art education programs of Bergen, City of Children’s Culture. The projects presented under the heading of “City of Children’s Culture” are a development from 2000, when Bergen was a European City of Culture. We here present a selection of art education models and models for cooperation between art institutions, organisations, art schools and schools. They are all part of an effort to make the cultural resources of the city an extension of the classroom, and to give children the opportunity to actively participate in the cultural life of the city.

Perhaps can these efforts provide others with ideas, and hopefully the presentation can supply us with new approaches and challenges in our continued work with Den kulturelle skolesekken.

Many of the projects which form Den kulturelle skolesekken are also used by children and their families in their sparetime and in festivals. In this leaflet only one program is produced for the family, namely Follow the Frog! This is however also made use of by schools. Therefore the experience from these projects can be transferred from one form of use to another.

It is interesting that the traditional and well-established institutions show such an interest in experimentation and alternative forms of art education. This points toward a brighter future for children in the arena of art. Children shall be introduced to art where the creative work goes on, and where the competence is at. Good art education shall give children a genuine encounter with art. The encounter shall provide the child with a chance to find out if there is something there – something the child has use for in its own life.

Therefore, the project «Bergen – the City of Children’s Culture» is an essential building block in the further development of «Bergen – A City of Culture».

Bergen, August 2003

Bjørn HolmvikThe Director of Culture in Bergen

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THE CHILDREN’S HOUSE - the strike of the city detectives!

The Institution: The Children’s House is a resource centre for the mediation of art to children and young people. In cooperation with schools, kindergartens and the art and culture sectors the centre sets out to develop new art projects aimed at children and young people.

The Project: The project was first established as a part of the program «My City – Our Cities», which was part of the programming when Bergen was European City of Culture in 2000. The program introduced the city as a theme in teaching, and showed how teachers could incorporate work with architecture, city development and the analysis of space in their teaching. 61 schools and almost 20,000 pupils, that is two-thirds of the primary school children in our area, participated in this initial project.

Since 2000 the program has been an annual event, and it will be on offer to all primary schools in the city area, as one of the projects offered through Den kulturelle skolesekken. There is also a project focusing on the historical city on offer for 10- to 12-year-olds. Another program which has the city of Bergen as its focus, aimed at secondary schools, is in development. The pupils will therefore become acquainted with the city as a theme of study three times in the course of their school years.

The Objective:The objective is for the children to become familiarized with their own city, and that they shall attain knowledge of the city’s cultural and aesthetic resources. The program touches on a number of fields: Fine arts, sculpture, architecture; knowledge of the local environment, social science and religious education. The project aims to see the city from the children’s viewpoint, and to make children more visible in the debates about the development of their city. The objective is to teach children to really see their own environment, in order to acknowledge their own experiences as well as giving them new ways of experiencing the city. The term «City Detective» was coined in order to achieve this, and the project «The Strike of the City Detectives!» was shaped with all these objectives in mind.

The Method: A City Detective looks for clues in the city and documents what he finds: Clues to the architecture and the city’s space, the décor on the buildings, doors, windows, roofs, cornices – and traces of dramatic events such as city fires, explosions, war. But also traces of people: What does this house say about the people living here? Who uses this space? The city itself becomes a classroom and an arena for learning.

Exhibitions and dialogue: The children are presented with images of the city: Maps, city plans, photos taken from a bird’s eye view, facades, parks and detailed images such as door handles, patterns in the cobbles, cornices, advertisements. They participate in a conversation about what constitutes a city, the difference between the city centre and home, and other cities we have seen. Then the children are given the role of a City Detective.

City Walks: The children are given writing boards, pens and paper, as well as a perspective grid (a piece of cardboard with a square hole cut out, used by artists to become aware of their motives.) The teacher is given a camera and a map. The class has 36 pictures at their disposal, and takes the film back to school, along with the children’s sketches and the work they have done in the course of the day. The route is chosen in accordance with the class’ interest, but must be found close to The Children’s House, so that it does not become too time-consuming. The Bergen City Centre has wood-paneled houses, monumental buildings and examples of city development within a concentrated area. The children meet the city with their entire beings – they are in it.

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They touch it, feel its materials – brick, stone, wood, marble. They sit down and feel the presence of the space. Is it a nice place to spend time? The body is used as a measuring instrument in the process of registering the environments – the length of the body; arms, feet, steps – are all good instruments to measure the spaces around them. They find that this is so when they check their measurements with measuring tape.Sketching is a good way of really seeing. The perspective grid is a good tool in order to focus. The children often choose the basic forms of architecture – and it is amazing how many triangles and circles the children are able to find! Others draw windows, doors, steps, the patterns in paving-stones, signs and manhole covers. Exciting shapes and patterns appear. Onto the sketches they record the address – this is documentation. There are a number of stories from the city’s history that can be told along the way. They are interesting stories that awaken the children’s interest, add meaning and significance, and finally a connection and identity.

In the workshop: The City Detectives continue to work with their sketches using interesting techniques and good materials. Building projects are popular: The materials are lumps of sugar, sticks and bricks. This teaches the children something about sustainability and joinings. Sometimes the instinct to compete gets the better of them, and it becomes a question of building the tallest or the largest edifice. A large image where the architectural forms are compared with the human body helps the children to understand the principles of architecture.

The Collaboration: This project was developed in close cooperation with architects, art historians, artists and teachers – and not least the children themselves, who have contributed with new ideas and given us knowledge of the city as they see it.

The Experiences: The program has become a success story and an inspiration, and will be a permanent component in Den kulturelle skolesekken. The city thus became established as an arena for teaching. We have learned a few lessons about the city seen through the eyes of children, and have become more aware of children as city citizens. These experiences have been pooled into the objectives of the Building Committee as well as the Council’s Area Plan.

The program is used by teachers in their own teaching: Many schools make their own projects in conjuncture with the City Detective-project, and they express themselves in a number of ways: Through the use of drama, such as historical plays, opera and musicals, as well as sculpturing, making models to be exhibited, sketching, painting and making prints, creating books and calendars. The methods used in the projects are transferred into the teaching in the school’s own area. The European City of Culture-program showed that it can be a great inspiration for schools to participate in larger projects. This is an experience we will bring with us to future projects.

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CARTE BLANCHE – like Cinderella to the stage

The Institution: The Carte Blanche Company is the National Norwegian Contemporary Dance Company. It has 12 dancers and two candidates. The company tours extensively throughout Norway. Den kulturelle skolesekken gives the company the opportunity to mediate between contemporary dance and a new audience, and this is a stepping stone in the efforts to create a larger audience for contemporary dance. Carte Blanche aims to produce one show for children every year. This makes up 25% of their annual production volume.

The Project: The project is divided into two parts. The first part is the production of a ballet, created in cooperation with dancers from the Bergen Art School, the public body which organizes all the cultural after school activities for children in every Norwegian council. In 2002 they put up a performance of Cinderella, in 2003 Peter Pan. Typically the shows have three professional dancers that dance alongside the children from the Art School. The project’s second part takes place when participating schools are visited by a dance teacher. The children are introduced to dance as a means of expression before they go to see the performance. In 2003 the project was aimed at 8- and 9-year-olds.

The Objective: Carte Blanche has several objectives for this project. One is to increase the knowledge of and interest in dance. The company also wishes to facilitate closer collaboration between amateurs and professionals, partly to draw attention to dance, and also to teach the dancers of the Art School that what their activities may at a later point be viewed on a stage. Finally, the ballet courses of the Art School take place in Carte Blanche’s premises. This is another reason to have a joint project.

The Method: 1. The Dancers 15-20 dancers from the Art School participate. They have rehearsals on their own with the instructor – Arne Fagerholt, the choreographer and leader of the Carte Blanche Company – and later on with the ensemble in the run-up to the performance. Video is used as part of the learning process.

2. The Pupils The schools are invited to participate in the project. The offer includes a three-part plan: Firstly the teacher receives information from the company; then the pupils are told the story of the ballet. In 2003 the story was that of Peter Pan. Then the classes are visited by a dance teacher and are given two dance lessons.

The first lesson is a general introduction to dance. Here the pupils get to try dance as a means of expression, and try to solve some of the basic problems: How can we express ourselves through dance? What can the body do? Where in space can the body move? Who and what can the body move in relation to? In the next lesson the movements developed in the first lesson are brought further. The main focus is the experience if creating dance. The pupils also get to try some of the movements they later on will see on stage in Peter Pan. Both lessons are spent practicing dance. The third part of the project is the performance itself, where the pupils see the stage version of Peter Pan. They know the story and have tried some of the movements, so they are a qualified audience in an entirely different way then they would have been had they not been given the chance to experience dance themselves.

The Collaboration: The project has been developed as a joint effort between the Carte Blanche Company and the Bergen Art School. In 2002 the teaching resources were taken from the Art School, in 2003 one

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has chosen to involve the rest of the dance resources in Bergen, and the dance teacher Lisbeth Iversen has been in charge. The young dancers come from the Bergen Art School.

The Experiences:For the Carte Blanche Company having a well-established teaching program has a value of its own. The project serves as one step towards bringing the company to the attention of new audiences, and also to increase the interest in contemporary dance in general. The project also frees resources. When the company avoids using all its dancers in one project – which is the case with this project - the rest of the company can spend time working on a new performance. In this way the project contributes to a more economic use of time and the production apparatus. Ultimately the result is a larger number of productions per year.

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BIT 20 ENSEMBLE - we are composing!

The Institution: Bit 20 Ensemble was formed in 1989 in order to promote the performance of Norwegian as well as international contemporary art music. The ensemble has since established itself as one of the leading such ensembles in Norway.

BIT20 take part in Den kulturelle skolesekken-projects because they wish to let children and youth participate in music projects, and as an effort to take seriously the challenging work it is to present contemporary music to a young audience.

The Project: Musicians or composers come to the pupils’ classroom, and lead them through a process where the pupils are to compose a work of their own. The composition shall be based on some of the elements that are essential to create a unified piece of music.

The opera project is based around producing an opera, including every step in the process, and of performing it to teachers, parents and other pupils.

The Objective: The project aims to spark interest as well as spreading knowledge and understanding of contemporary music, through setting up a means of communication between children on the one side, and classically trained musicians, performing at a high level of competence, on the other. The project has close involvement of the teachers as one of its premises.

The objectives for the teaching and artistic benefits also include giving the pupils firsthand experience with composition, allowing them to practice playing together, and to carry out a performance in front of an audience.

The Method: In the composition project the class is visited by two musicians or composers for a concentrated period of time, for example two hours every day for a week.

The composition has a work of reference as its starting point; hence the work is focused from the beginning. Even though the first day may be quite chaotic, the children come the next day and are interested and focused. That makes it easy to continue.

From the reference work one or several elements are chosen – a rhythm, a theme, a sound, a chord – which is then used for practical exercises. The musicians keep these elements in mind when they continue working with the pupils.

In the next phase comes the introduction of instruments. Everyone tries one out, whatever the school may have on offer or whichever instruments may be found by elsewhere. Rhytmical instruments have are essential.

The pupils work in groups, and every group is assigned a task. The groups work on their own with their part of the project. Later on the parts are joined together to a larger unity. In this process the composer works as a coach, leading the pupils, giving advice on method and how to achieve interplay, and generally helping out to meet the challenges the pupils are faced with.

Ideally the project is concluded with a concert where the pupils and musicians perform the work for parents and other pupils, and where BIT20 Ensemble performs the reference work. This setting helps to make the music appear more important, and gives the pupils the experience of playing with professional musicians. Not least, the pupils' own work with composition, which has included some elements used by the composer of the reference work, creates a knowledgeable

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and highly conscious audience. A new viewpoint from which to apprehend music has been created.

Classes who have taken part in the composition project may continue and create an opera. The opera project is a more traditional form of project-based teaching. The class is assigned a director and a designer to help them, and throw themselves into the work of writing a script and of writing music, creating the stage design and the costumes, and also to rehearse the opera itself, running the financial side of things, thinking in terms of public relations, selling tickets - as well as performing the opera to an audience at school. The pupils work in groups as well as individually in order to solve the different tasks.

As the opera project continues, BIT20 Ensemble and Opera Vest also wish to introduce a composer to the project.

The Collaboration: The project is a collaboration between the foundations BIT20 Ensemble, Opera Vest, Den kulturelle skolesekken and the Bergen Art School, as well as the participating schools.

BIT20 Ensemble and Opera Vest contribute with their musicians and composers, and the Bergen Art School supplies the equipment. We are presently working towards a training program for teachers from the Art School, so that we in the future also can rely on them for manpower. The schools make teachers, classrooms and whichever instruments they have available for the project.

The University College Haugesund-Stord is involved in the composition project as a research body. They are studying the experiences with the method of teaching which has been developed in the project.

The Experiences:In 2003 the composition project has been carried out in seven schools. Three schools have completed the opera project.

Effective planning has been the key to successful results. The school and the teachers must be familiar with the work method, and they must be well-prepared for the collaboration with the artists. The pupils are enthusiastic as long as they know what they are participating in.

The projects have been a success. As well as the compositions themselves and the experiences the teachers and pupils are given throughout the process, the teacher is also given new methods which can be used in the everyday teaching of music. The pupils are open and susceptible to new impressions and new ways to think of music, hence the projects also achieve the ensemble’s objective of creating interest in contemporary art music.

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BAJAZZ- one step forward!

The Institution: Bajazz is a project aimed at children, created by Bergen Jazzforum and the Nattjazz festival. Bajazz runs project for children up to the age of 16 throughout the year.

Bajazz is part of Den kulturelle skolesekken, and participates in order to present jazz to as many age groups as possible. Children and youth are the future audiences and practitioners of jazz music. Musically Den kulturelle skolesekken is an opportunity for the young to be introduced to improvisation. Not least - Bajazz greatly enjoys taking part in such projects. One should not underestimate the pleasure in experiencing the enjoyment of music, as well as witnessing musical development!

The Project: Children that attend the Art School are invited to play big band jazz with a well-established big band, the Paradis Almost Big Band. A musical resource person is assigned, in this case the trumpeter Per Jørgensen.

The objective was to play a concert on the large scene at the Vågsalmenning in central Bergen, where the Nattjazz festival’s outdoor concerts take place every year.

Bajazz’ contribution to this project was in addition to helping with the production process to involve Per Jørgensen in the project. Per was an instructor and motivator for the children, and was the extra resource the project needed. He was also the soloist at the concert, which took place in May 2003.

The Objective: The main objective was to make the children take one step forward during a concert with an audience present, should they feel like it. Other objectives are to introduce the children to jazz, to motivate them to play together and not least to make the concert itself happen. The process was however the most important element in the project.

The Method: All along the idea has been to allow the children to play by hear and to feel free. The method has its starting point in the Suzuki method and the Norwegian Band Association’s method «Straight Forward to Music». This method has been developed further by the Paradis Almost Big Band in order to be employed on a rhythm-based form of music like jazz.

The process begun with choosing a repertoire. Relatively short songs were chosen, with simple themes that will be catchy in the ears of young people in the age group between 5 and 15 years of age. Among the composers were Miles Davies and Ornette Coleman.

The theme and the accompaniment were recorded on a CD which was used by the children to learn the songs. This is most easily achieved by using a synthesizer. The sound is like plastic, but it works!

As a joint effort with Per Jørgensen a meeting was arranged early on in the process, that is in February (the concert was to take place in May). During this session the children were introduced to improvisation, and the idea was to make the children freer and to get them to «play around» with music. Simple tools were used to great effect: Instruments were drawn on a flip-over, and when Per pointed to the trumpet, the trumpets were to play.

The songs were arranged traditionally, with a score. It is important to think in terms of simple and flexible solutions – in principle one should be able to take the material elsewhere and create another production with no more than a few days worth of rehearsing.

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Two days before the concert the children and the band rehearsed together. The orchestra knew the score and the kids had practiced – it couldn’t go wrong!

The Collaboration: The project was carried out as a joint effort between the Paradis Almost Big Band, led by Geir Harald Knutsen, and the Bergen Art School. The (small) big band has worked with Bajazz for a number of years – 2003 was their fourth year of collaboration.

The Experiences: For Bajazz this is a very rewarding project to work with – to experience the enormous effort from the children during the concert, when they take the step forward from the row in order to play alone!

Projects like this one also helps to develop the Bajazz organisation. The project demands an entirely different presence than the ordinary concert. As well as carrying out a good concert it is important to give the participants a nice experience. These are projects where both the Nattjazz and Bajazz are «out on a limb» and have to give thought to how they impart their knowledge.

In the period between the two concerts three musicians hosted a jam session for the children. This exceeded every expectation: The scene was full of children who enjoyed playing. The children love to be playful with their music, and an increasing number take the step forward and want to play the solo.

A success!

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BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL- teaming up with the children

The Institution: The foundation Bergen International Festival has since the first festival in 1953 been a major culture festival, not only on a Norwegian, but on a European scale.

The projects developed in relation with Den kulturelle skolesekken are important to the festival for a number of reasons. Among them is that it provides the festival with an opportunity to - give children and young people a chance to encounter professional artists, which can give them positive experiences, joy and inspiration- have children as participants in different projects before and during the festival period. This way children will benefit from and take greater pleasure in the festival’s performances.

The Project: The Bergen International Festival will present two projects in this brochure.

In 2002 the children were the hub of the grand opening of the 50th Bergen International Festival. In 2003, schoolchildren were given the chance as try their luck as photographers in cooperation with the festival’s own photographer, Hans Jørgen Brun. The work resulted in the exhibition -Bergen – the Highlights, the Low Points and Beside the Points: The City Seen through Young Eyes.

The Objective: The Bergen International Festival wishes to stimulate the creativity of children and young people, and be a channel for both processes and products. In the words of the festival’s director: «Sadly there is a tendency to talk of cultural output for children and not with children. It is crucial that adults stimulate children’s creativity, fantasy and playfulness, in order to keep these alive. The children are faced with the expectations of parents and of the schools early on. The seriousness can easily make creativity and playfulness difficult. As I see it, the serious should be closely connected with playfulness – for adults as well. Therefore it is extremely important to involve the young in the art festival and as well as in other arenas, and take their creativity seriously. »

The Method: 1. The Opening ProjectWhen the art festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002, children were the centrepiece of the opening. The composer and percussionist Terje Isungseth was given the task of composing a work for orchestra and 1000 children, where bicycles were to have a role as a musical instrument.

The children were of the ages from 10 to 12 and came from 12 primary schools in Bergen. For the children the project started out when they were paid a visit by Terje Isungseth. This was an inspirational visit where music was created in the moment, using such instruments as rocks, branches, pops, mugs and bells.

The method was based on two simple questions: How cam we create sound? How can we make music from these sounds?

When the inspirational lesson was over, the children were given the real task: to compose a piece of music to the opening show of the 50th Art Festival. It had to be original, and it was to première at the opening. The children were also strongly encouraged to make their own instruments.

The process continued in the schools. They were paid one or two more visits by the composer during the work process.

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Two of the classes were given special tasks as soloists on bicycles or wooden sticks. These pupils got to study the work with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed on the big scene during the opening ceremony.

The other classes performed their works in different locations in the city on the opening day.

2. The Photography ProjectIt was a simple idea: One child, one disposable camera and one mission: To see the city with new eyes. Locate beauty, the things you like and want to see – and also the contrast, what you dislike.

Before the pupils took off into the city landscape with the camera, they met with the professional photographer and looked at pictures, listened to his experiences and learned about “painting with light”.

The pupils themselves chose two motives for an exhibition in the concert venue the Grieg Hall, enlarged their photos to the size 20 x 30 cm, and placed them in passe-partouts. They were also asked to write a short text to accompany their picture; an observation, a poem, or the putting forward of a contention. These texts were mounted along with the images as the icing on the cake.

The exhibition was held in the Grieg Hall foyer, and the 260 images of the city seen through the eyes of young people caused a sensation throughout the festival.

In order to take the young seriously a ceremonious opening of the exhibition was also required. This was done by Erik Bye, a Norwegian TV-presenter and icon, and the director of the festival. A number of members of the press were present.

The Collaboration: The projects were carried out in cooperation with Den kulturelle skolesekken in Bergen, Monica Håkansson from the Council’s Department for Kindergartens, School and Sports, and local schools.

The composition project was carried out in cooperation with the composer Terje Isungseth, the photography project in collaboration with the art festival’s own photographer, Hans Jørgen Brun.

The Experiences: The Bergen International Festival is very happy with the way the projects turned out. Both projects were directed at the audience, and made the art festival a richer experience the years in which they took place.

Through participating in the largest cultural festival in Norway, children and young people have been given positive experiences of their own. Simultaneously it has been brought to the attention of the festival audience and the ordinary citizen of Bergen that children are both willing and able to perform when given the opportunity and the arena.

For the art festival the work with and for young people is regarded as so important that should be an integral part of our work.

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BERGEN ART HALL AND THE CHILDREN’S HOUSE- an invitation into contemporary art

The Institution:The project Trigger is a development of the program «The Challenging Contemporary Art», which was created to make the exhibitions in the Bergen Art Hall and the Bergen Art Society more accessible to children and youth.

The Project: Trigger invites children and youth to look into some of the questions posed by contemporary art. It focuses on which reaction an exhibition triggers in the viewer, in this case young people. As part of the project Kunstpilotene (“the art pilots”), an organisation mediating art to children and youth, view the exhibition with the children. They then let the children interpret the art and express their interpretations. Finally the interpretations of the young is shown as part of the exhibition as a challenge to the art institution.

The Objective: As well as introducing children to contemporary art, there are two concrete objectives:

- To mediate art with children and young people, not at them - To allow children to participate in the mediation of the exhibition to the public – in their

own way

The Method: Trigger is divided into three projects, all organised around the same model: Preparation in school. The teacher prepares the pupils before they go to the exhibition, and inform them of what is to happen. The pupils are given a concrete task in relation to the project. Conversations about the exhibition. The pupils see the exhibition with the Art Pilots, and are allowed to talk of their impressions and their experiences of the art. This conversation forms the basis for the work to come. Project work in Bergen Art Hall. Each project also allows the pupils to create an exhibition, in which they draw on the work they have done in preparing for the original exhibition.

1. Blend: The pupils pick an object and move it out of its natural environment. They photograph the object and state the reason for their choice in writing. The pictures and the text are brought to the museum. The exhibition Caroline Broadhead, Carol McNicoll, Irene Nordli and Sigurd Bronger shows objects in the point of intersection between art and crafts, and invites the public into a discussion of when an object becomes art. After having seen the exhibition the pupils mount their photos and their text on cardboard, and prepare them for their own exhibition. The photographs contrast the original objects of the exhibition, and pose the question: What characterizes idea-based art? 2. Relay race: The relay race has the exhibition Class War, the exam exhibition of the Art Academy’s class of 2002, as its starting point. The pupils spent a great deal of time on preparations in advance. The conversation in the exhibition focused on a selection of the works. The exhibition’s video and sound works were turned off during the conversation, but were made available for the pupils after their presentation.

The project work was based on photography. The pupils were divided into groups, and each group was given a Polaroid camera. The task was to photograph a selection of the exhibition.

The images were mounted on the “fifth exhibition wall” This wall was mounted on a stand with wheels on, and could be turned over and used as a work surface. It was covered with 280 cardboard pieces in the same format as the Polaroids. Here the pupils could mount their pictures, write commentaries and leave space between the images as they wished. During the work the wall was moved about in the room, and after the conversation was over it was placed in the foyer – for the public to see.

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2. Doll’s HousesThe motto was Meet Joshua and Donald Diesel – two dolls from the worlds of art and advertising. In this manner the pupils were invited to discuss the content of and the means used in advertising and in art.

The pupils brought photographs, texts and figurines they had made themselves. They had been asked to create fictitious advertising campaigns with themselves as the central characters.

The first part of the conversation focused on a series of photographs called Understanding Joshua by Charlie White. The pupils picked a work to discuss. After 30 to 40 minutes the Diesel ad campaign Happy Valley was shown on slides. Here a somewhat frightening Donald Diesel is host to a group of happy models in a world which is made to look exaggeratedly harmonious.

In the practical part of the project the pupils mounted images, texts and figures in pre-fabricated “mirror boxes” which became their own advertisement world. It was a commentary both to White’s work and to the Diesel ad. These “doll’s houses” where then exhibited in the Bergen Art Hall. The pupils commented and presented themselves in a log. Polaroids were taken and stuck in this log.

The Collaboration: The project was produced by Kunstpilotene, Annette and André Maradon, for the Children’s House in cooperation with the Bergen Art Hall. In the project Mirage the West Norway Museum of Decorative Arts also participated.

The Experiences: Each of the three projects challenged the institution of art and the artist by making the pupils’ reactions to the works visible, almost as a part of the exhibition itself. Where necessary the pupils’ work was moved out of the exhibition area itself, but it was still in view of the public.

The institution has been given valuable experience in presenting contemporary art for children and young people. It has also developed its focus on recruiting new groups as part of the art hall’s public.

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THE BERGEN ART MUSEM- graffiti and sampling

The Institution: The Bergen Art Museum is among the largest art museums in the Nordic countries. It holds art from the 12th century and up until today in three buildings along the lake Lille Lundgårdsvann in Bergen.

The Project: A collaboration between the Bergen Art Museum and Bergen Art School was initiated in 2002, after prompting from Den kulturelle skolesekken-project. The project was directed at pupils from the ages 12 to 15, and was based on the exhibition New York Expression, which was showed at the Bergen Art Museum between February 15 and April 28, 2002. The exhibition had the New York youth culture of the 1980s as its starting point, and this culture was represented by such artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, all influenced by the graffiti culture.

The exhibition was chosen as a starting point for the cooperation because graffiti is a form of expression many young people can relate to.

The Objective: One wished to show how artists work from their own viewpoint, starting with their own experiences in life. In this case the artists were influenced by a specific youth culture in New York in the 1980s. They borrowed elements from each other, from popular culture, music, graffiti, politics and a number of other sources.

At the same time one wished to place the mythical and creative environment in New York in the 1980s into an art historical context. The project was also meant to inspire young people to try alternative forms of expression, using sound, images or other media, along with professional artists at the Bergen Art School.

Can you use your personal experiences in an artistic medium? How can these statements come to mean something for other people? These were some of the themes we wanted to touch upon.

The Project: The project was divided into two parts.

Part 1: The pupils came to the Bergen Art Museum. They were met by American rock music from the 1980s, and were showed scenes from the film Basquiat from 1996, a film which describes the life of the almost mythical Jean-Michel Basquiat, the people that surrounded him and his art.

The music and the film clips are used to create an atmosphere and build up the expectations to the educational program. It was also to form an introduction to the exhibition.

Then the pupils were given a tour of the exhibition, a tour which had «sampling» as its leitmotif. The tour took the form of a dialogue and had the reactions and comments from the pupils themselves as its starting point. The pupils were at the Bergen Art Museum from 11 to 12 noon.

Part 2: After the tour the pupils came to the premises of Bergen Art School, which are located nearby. Here they could choose if they wished to work with sound or with visual images. The class was divided into two groups, one of which was to work with the musician Rolf Seldal, and the other which was to be helped by the artist Gillian Carson. With Rolf Seldal the pupils were to use improvisation to create a common piece of music. Gillian Carson’s group used spray paint and drawing on the walls and floors. They also used the techniques video and performance.

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The groups had been informed of the plans for the project in advance, and all the pupils were encouraged to bring their own «sample» - in the form of an object, a text, an image or a sound, that could become a part of what they were making. The object had to be something they took an interest in.

It was important for us to emphasise the enjoyable aspects of art in this project. We wanted the work to be fun! The pupils were at the Art School from 12.30 to 4.30 p.m.

Some of the classes were to use the experiences from this day in follow-up projects in their respective schools. For most this was however a single day experience that made a break from the Norwegian everyday life of school.

The Collaboration: The project was initiated by Den kulturelle skolesekken in Bergen, and is a collaboration between the Bergen Art Museum and the Bergen Art School. The two artists Gilligan Carson (visual arts) and Rolf Seldal (music) were also associated with the Art School.

The Experiences: The pupils were both interested and enthusiastic as a result of their visit at the museum. Many of them were interested in and experienced in graffiti prior to their visit, and they had a well-developed and sophisticated vocabulary with which to express their thoughts on the art they were introduced to. They expressed how much they liked seeing artistic expressions aimed at them.

Being able to spray paint on a wall or create a piece of music was a new experience to most, and a discussion about graffiti and youth culture surfaced.

The collaboration with the schools in advance could have been closer. The project was the most successful for those classes whose teachers had been involved in advance, and knew what the project was about. The Bergen Art Museum and the Bergen Art School felt that the collaborative effort was fruitful and inspiring, and wish to initiate similar projects in the future.

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THE WEST NORWAY MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS- adventure and understanding

The Institution:The West Norway Museum of Decorative Arts was established in The Permanent Exhibition Building in 1897. The museum has two permanent exhibitions; The Human Being and the Objects shows crafts and design spanning 500 years. The China collection is one of the most important in Europe. The museum participates in the project Den kulturelle skolesekken as part of their public relation work, in order to create interest and knowledge about decorative arts.

The Project: Here we present three art education projects. The projects are based on a common method, and emphasize the pupils’ active participation and a close cooperation with the schools. Chinese fairy tales and Buddhism have the China collection as their starting point, whereas Design is based on the other permanent exhibition, The Human Being and the Objects.

The Objective: The pupils are to have an experience in the museum where they learn that their own knowledge and experience are relevant in the encounter with art and with our history. The projects also have individual objectives for the quality of teaching and content. For the projects related to the China collection the objective is to spread knowledge of Buddhism and Chinese culture, and in this manner promote understanding and respect between children of different faiths. For the design project the objective is to give the children a greater understanding of what design really is.

The Method: The program is oriented towards dialogue. Initially the focus is upon the dialogue between the school and the museum. Courses for the teachers are arranged. Here the teachers may bring their wishes and needs to the table, in order to establish what would help their teaching.

Secondly the dialogue takes the form of the tour of the exhibition itself, and finally there is dialogue with the pupils and their schools when they are in the process of completing the practical work. Many schools continue the work at school and conclude this with their own exhibition. The design project leads to a joint student exhibition at the museum.

1. The China collection Chinese fairy tales is aimed at pupils from primary schools’ grade 1 to grade 4, and Buddhism is aimed at grades 5 to 7. Both projects are divided into two:

Dramatized stories in the China collection has been developed in collaboration with the West Norway Theatre Centre. The youngest children were received by the emperor’s manservant and were given a tour of the Forbidden City. Here they could see clothes, rugs and parade uniforms while the manservant told them who used these things and how. They also listened to traditional Chinese music. The set-up was similar for the Buddhism-project, only here the children met with prince Siddharta (Buddha) in a Buddhist temple.

Workshops. The pupils create something with the performance they have seen as a basis. They can use a number of materials, either two- or three-dimensional, individually or in groups. Among the motives chosen were different dragon motives, the Dragon King, Buddha, calligraphy, the Emperor’s Palace, the parade uniforms belonging to the emperor’s guards. Everyone brings what they have made.

Exhibition in the schools. Back at school many continued to work with the themes and developed the creative themes further. Starting from the questions asked the exhibition gives a broad and multi-faceted image of China.

2. The Human Being and the Objects

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Design is a program for grades 8 to 10 in secondary schools. This program too is divided into three parts: Slide show. In order to prepare for the visit at the museum, the museum’s own presentation of European design is shown at school. The pictures have been taken by a photographer working closely with the museum, in order to ensure that the images are directed specifically at the target age group. The slide series is lent to schools along with a ready made text for the teacher to use.

Tour of the design exhibition The Human Being and the Objects. Here the pupils are introduced to professional design, and learn about the process, use of materials, the function, colouring and décor.

Workshops. The pupils are asked to make a three-dimensional model for a design object. The theme is «something to sit on» and «something to wear». The pupils work individually or in groups. The visit to the museum is rounded up with a conversation about the work process. Finally the pupils choose a few models to be part of the student exhibition. The class gets to bring the rest of the models with them.

The project was rounded up with a student exhibition at the museum. Here all the classes got to show some of their models. One class was responsible for the design of the exhibition itself, another for the press release which was distributed throughout the museum’s network. All classes were invited to the opening.

The Collaboration: The project in the China collection was developed in cooperation with the West Norway Theatre Centre. The close cooperation with the schools was invaluable in the carrying out of the projects.

The Experiences: Through this project the museum has reached new audiences. It has given the museum new actuality and relevance for both schools and the pupils – it has become a museum for us. The number of visitors also indicates this.

It is both useful and necessary to make such projects a permanent part of the work at the museum. New programs will alternate with the ones described here.

It is particularly useful to have direct reactions to how the project communicates with the different target groups. This reaction is clear and outspoken in the workshops as well as in the dialogue during the tour of the exhibitions.

The reactions show that the projects are also important for the schools. The response indicates that the both the schools and the individual pupil succeeded in their main objectives.

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TROLDHAUGEN, EDVARD GRIEG’S MUSEUM- follow the frog into Grieg’s music

The Institution: The Edvard Grieg Museum, Troldhaugen, is made up of the home of Edvard and Nina Grieg from 1885, Grieg’s composer hut, their burial place, a chamber music hall and the museum grounds. The Edvard Grieg Museum participates in Den kulturelle skolesekken-projects not only to make the treasures at Troldhaugen known, but also to show schoolchildren the way into Grieg’s music.

The Project: A visit to the museum is often overwhelming – there are simply too many objects there! If we as visitors have little knowledge or an «untrained eye», the objects often become «mute», and refuse to tell their stories...

In different ways the two projects Follow the Frog and The Troll Concert try to remedy this.

Follow the Frog! is an art education project created to involve families with children when they come to visit Troldhaugen, and not least when they return home. The Troll Concert is a concert centred on student participation, and is combined with a tour of the museum.

The Objective: 1. Follow the Frog. The program is created around Edvard Grieg’s mascot, a small ceramic frog. This is the leitmotif of the booklet Follow the Frog, in which objects from the museum are chosen for us and where their stories are told in a straightforward and including manner.

Methodically the program is simple and effective; it focuses on a few chosen objects and what they can tell us about Edvard Grieg. At the same time it creates an interest, an urge to see these objects, and to be introduced to Grieg through them.

The frog is our guide through the exhibition. The illustrations lead the way, and the frog looks at and investigates the objects. The question «where is the frog now?» is the driving force of the tour, and the children answer: There it is!

The children can use the book with their friends or their parents as a guide through the exhibition. It invites the children to discover the small stories connected to the different sites in the museum. Being in book format the children can of course take it home and experience the stories again there.

2. The Troll Concert. This program takes place every autumn, and the regularity means the schools in the area know of the project. Therefore the project becomes part of the schools’ yearly plans. All classes participate at some point between grade 5 and 7 in primary school.

The classes prepare in advance, so that they can sing and often also dance the «Troll Dance» to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. When they arrive they are welcomed by a guide and shown around in the museum and the grounds. The stories about Grieg and his music are received with enthusiasm, and also contribute to contextualize his music. For the museum it is important to emphasize that although we have a number of lovely objects from Grieg in the buildings, the most important aspect of the visit is his music. With the tour at the back of their minds the children go to the concert.

The concert usually consists of works for song, violin and piano. Here the participation on the part of the children come into play, they join in and sing and dance the «Troll Dance».

The Collaboration: Follow the Frog was produced by the Children’s House on a commission from the Edvard Grieg Museum, Troldhaugen, and was published by the museum. The script is written by Kirsti Østtveit

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Odeen, and Leif Raa has illustrated the story. That a newspaper cartoonist was chosen as an illustrator was no accident. We needed a style that was clear and easily understood, since the drawings are to show the way through the museum.

The Experiences: Follow the Frog has been translated into several languages, and is popular with tourists from all over the world. In a Norwegian context we know that it fulfills it purpose and that families often read the booklet at home in their living rooms after the visit to the museum. A number of e-mails are testimony of this. The program was created for the family, but is also used by kindergartens and school classes that visit the museum on their own. The museum’s own guides use it as a tool in their tours for children.

The Troll Concert is a great success. The model gives a great deal of predictability. The schools know the children are going, and that makes it possible for them to plan the visit.

We are often given proof of how important it is for the children that Grieg’s music is available and easily accessible to them. The key is to make the music part of a total experience. The children leave the school and are prepared for a new experience. Coming to Grieg’s home at Troldhaugen has an additional value which also adds to the impact of his music.

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Den Nationale Scene - experience the magic

The Institution: Den Nationale Scene (DNS) is the Norwegian national theatre in Bergen. DNS participates in Den kulturelle skolesekken-projects in order to introduce young people to professional theatre.

The Project: The project invites children and youth to experience the magic of the theatre. In the guided tour, example A, this invitation is concrete – the young are physically brought around in the magical house. In example B the teachers and the pupils are invited to the theatre to see a performance and are introduced to the methods of the theatre, and are encouraged to use such methods in the classroom.

The Objective: DNS has a number of objectives for this project:

To introduce pupils and teachers to the theatre through performances and age-adjusted, dramatized tours, in order to inspire the children’s interest in positive art experiences.

To allow the children to experience the magic present in the theatre To inspire interest and increase knowledge of theatre through allowing the children to

actively take part in dramatic stories. To deepen the pupils’ understanding of the finished performance by engaging their own

creativity, their senses and their intellect. To inspire and spread knowledge of and use of drama in the schools.

The Method: The model has the method “teacher-in-character” as its starting point – a method where the teacher plays a part in order to throw light on a certain theme. The pupils are taught through self-involvement.

Example A: A hero in the making. An adventure tour for the young.The pupils meet the theatre’s PR-manager in the theatre, and are given a tour in the different production units in the theatre. Along the way it turns out that the «PR-manager» is really a young actor looking for a play of his own, and that the tour is a disguised hunt for everything he needs to make his dream come true: To put up a performance at the theatre. This brings him – and along with him, all the pupils – around the entire theatre, and no section can be forgotten if he is to fulfill his dream. Costume, make-up, set design, the wig makers, sales – they are all paid a visit. The actor goes in and out of character, and so the pupils must relate to a person who is both playing a role and being himself. Often these changes bring unexpected turns of events. The story is told from three different angles – the PR-manager, the actor and the person – on the tour of the theatre’s inner life.

Example B: Performance and drama course for teachers. The teachers are given a two-day course in drama. The emphasis in the course is to develop the teachers’ own ideas and methods for using drama as a tool in the classroom as well as in the assembly hall. The performance «Silly Kings and Hideous Trolls» (2002) is a conglomeration of eight fairy tales from different cultures. The pupils have been taught about fairy tales in class, and are given an experience of the theatre through the play. Perhaps they also receive inspiration to continue working with dramatization of fairy tales in class.

The Collaboration: Example A has been developed in collaboration with the West Norway Theatre Centre. Example B is a collaboration between Den Nationale Scene and Bergen Art School.

The Experiences: The project aims to invite pupils to the theatre as participants, and to give them an encounter

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with professional theatre. The pupils get to know how the theatre works and how dramatic art is created. This has been inspiring both for the older and the younger target groups.

These projects will form a basis for the theatre’s continued efforts to contribute to the art education of young people.

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CONTACTS

The Children’s House (Barnas hus) E-mail: barnashus@bergen.kommune.no

Den Nationale SceneE-mail: dns@dns.no

Carte BlancheE-mail: produsent@ncb.no

Bit20 Ensemble and Opera VestE-mail: koordinator@bit20ensemble.no

Bergen Art Museum (Bergen kunstmuseum)E-mail: post@bergenartmuseum.no

The West Norway Museum of Decorative Arts (Vestlandske kunstindustrimuseum) E-mail: post@vk.museum.no

The Edvard Grieg Museum, TroldhaugenE-mail: info@troldhaugen.com

Bergen jazzforum and Nattjazz.E-mail: nattjazz@nattjazz.no

OTHER PROJECTS:

Film in Schools: Bergen Cinema (Bergen kino) E-mail: bergenkino@bergenkino.no

Comics in Teaching: The Raptus Comic Book FestivalE-mail: raptus@raptus.no

Multicultural Meetings in the Schoolbag and the Kindergarten: Cultural programs from the Bergen International Culture Centre (Bergen internasjonale kultursenter) E-mail: bergen.internasjonale.kultursenter@bergen.kommune.no

Theatre projects in museums: The West Norway Theatre Centre. info@teatersenter.no

The Children’s Cathedral: The Bergen Cathedral Parish (Bergen Domkirke Menighet) E-mail: domkirken.menighet@bkf.no

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Visit to the theatre.

It was very funny when the emperor showed his bottom. And then we saw many other fairy tales we saw todd and the wolf and we saw bluebeard and many others. Bluebeard was the scariest fairy tale and the funniest. I have seen it it was about a mummy and a daddy and a little baby and the daddy was always out in the forest and chopped wood and he was so fed up. The wife was always at home. And then one day the man was staying at home and the wife was chopping wood but then when the man was at home he was so hungry and then he had to cook but he just made a right mess

Helene

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