Programme: Caring for Audiences
Thursday, 20.11.2025, at the National Museum
Moderator: Adrian Kjellin, Nasjonalmuseet
10.00–10.45 Coffee and Registration
10.45 Welcome – Rikke G. Komissar, Director Education, Visitor Experience and Public Program, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
10.50 Conference presentation and practical information
10.55–11.40 Opening Keynote, Dr Bernadette Lynch, Critical Friends: The Challenge to the Caring Museum.
11.40–11.50 Q & A
11.50–12.35 Lunch and coffee/tea (Vrimle)
12.35–13.50: CARING, Community Building
- Communities as method: towards coexistence, Jaime Ruiz, Head of Public Programs, Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City, Mexico.
- Holding Space – Making Places, Merete Røstad, PhD, Head of MFA Art and Public Space, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway.
- Tweaking Existing Infrastructures to Think About the Future, Daniela Ramos Arias, Curator, Bergen, Norway.
13.50–14.10 Discussion Panel. Moderator: Merete Røstad, PhD, Head of MFA Art and Public Space, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway.
14.10–14.30 Short Break Coffee and Cake/Fruit
14.30–15.00 Art As a Resource for Health and Care, Dr Anita Jensen, Associate Professor and part of the research group Social Medicine and Health Policy at Department of Clinical Science & Centre for Primary Health Care at Lund University & Region Skåne in Sweden, and Associate Professor at Nord University in Norway.
15.00–15.10 Q & A
15.10–16.30
Discovering The Transformative Power of Art, Gudrun Eidsvik, Curator Education, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway; Jeanette Eek Jensen, visual artist and art therapist, and Kari Rød, psychiatrist and consultant at Oslo University Hospital, special outpatient clinic for eating disorders.
Care: A Dialogue between Art and Social and Health Educators, Hilde Østergaard, Curator and Art Interpreter, and Nana Bernhardt, Head of Schools Programs, National Gallery of Denmark.
CARES in Action: A Framework for Inclusive Museum Engagement. Alicia Teng, Deputy Director (Community & Access), National Gallery Singapore.
Art as Connection: Embracing Diversity through Participation, Marina Tsekou, education curator, EMΣΤ | The National Museum of Contemporary Arts Athens, Greece.
16.30–16.50 Discussion Panel. Moderator: Håkon Lillegraven, Curator Education, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
17.00 Conference ends
Friday, 21.11.2025, at the National Museum
Moderator: Adrian Kjellin, Nasjonalmuseet
10.00–10.30 Coffee and registration
10.30–10.35 Welcome/Introduction to the Theme Children and Young People in Art Museums, Benedikte Rønsen, Curator Education, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
10.35–11.05 Keynote, Defining and Redefining Positions, Mark Miller, Artist, Cultural Producer and Consultant.
11.05–11.15 Q&A
11.15–11.25 Short break
11.25–12.45 Four case studies from Nordic countries
i. Art Museums as Sites for Imagined Elsewheres in Young People’s Lives, Dr Anne Mette W. Nielsen, Associate Professor at the Centre for Youth Research, Aalborg University, Denmark.
ii. Material Matters: Art-based Mediation for Families, Anna Carin Hedberg, Senior curator Education, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
iii. From Practice to Impact- A Visual Literacy Programme for Children that Shifted the Paradigm, Ragnheiður Vignisdóttir, Head of Education and Publishing, National Gallery of Iceland.
iv. Come Think With Us! What does «With» do? The Role of Participation in Art Exhibitions for Children, Tove Sørvåg, Concept Developer Learning, MUNCH, Oslo, Norway.
12.45–13.05 Panel discussion. Moderator: Abdirahmaan Hasan, Project Leader, TrAP, Norway.
13.05–13.45 Lunch break, Coffee and Cakes
13.50 Summary in Storsalen
13.55 Divided into groups
14–15 Workshops/Parallel sessions
i. Slow Art: Making Meaningful Connections Through Slow Looking, Alicia Teng, Deputy Director (Community & Access), National Gallery Singapore.
Storsalen, 50 participants.
What happens when time slows down in front of a work of art? This session explores the practice of slow looking—why it matters, and how it creates fresh ways of connecting with art and with others. Drawing on insights from an action research study at National Gallery Singapore, participants will gain practical tips on shaping Slow Art programmes. The experience wraps up with a Slow Art Guide experience, inviting participants to pause, reflect, and enjoy art at a different pace.
ii. Personality Sculptures. A Louise Bourgoise Workshop. Guri Guri Henriksen, Curator Education, the National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
Workshop Room C, 30 participants.
In this workshop, participants create their own sculptures by combining different wooden shapes to create personality sculptures. Inspired by the art and life of the French American artist Louise Bourgoise (1911-2010), participants recreate the personalities of people they miss or love, using abstract shapes.
iii. Craft. Collage. Communicate. Plot – Youth Engagement in the Art World. PLOT co-ordinator and PlotRåd.
Workshop Room B, 30 participants.
The Plot Council will offer a glimpse into who they are and how they work to make contemporary art more accessible to youth, aged 18-25. They will share how they work to build a community that fosters a sense of belonging through experiencing and learning about contemporary art. In the second part of this workshop, participants will get the chance to connect with others, exchange ideas, and experience how creativity can spark community through a hands-on collage workshop
iv. Curating Art Based Learning and Workshop «Chair me On», Ingvild Åse Hammervoll, Curator Education, Brynhild Slaatto, Curator Education, and Jørgen Tønder, Art Studio Manager, Department of Education, Visitor Experience and Public Program, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway.
Workshop Room A, 30 participants.
How to create diverse workshops for different target groups? Ingvild Hammervoll will talk about the National Museum's focus on art-based learning. In the second part, participants will experience the workshop "Chair me On", developed by Brynhild Slaatto in collaboration with the exhibition technician and art studio manager. Through various wooden blocks with holes and plugs and rope, participants will experiment with creating their own chair model and explore what a chair can be.
v. Guided tour. Permanent Exhibition.
15.00–15.15 Return to Vrimle
15.30 Conference ends.
