Public art in practice
Please note: The conference will be held in Swedish.
Welcome to the third edition of a professional development conference series on working with public art!This series offers a new forum for practical knowledge in art and the designed living environment, aiming to strengthen the field while deepening and refining the practices of the involved professions. The conference also serves as a platform for peer-to-peer exchange, where experiences from north to south, from urban centers to rural areas, can be shared and inspire.
The third edition of the conference focuses on policy frameworks and procurement, and will be held at the art venue Färgfabriken in Stockholm.
Over the course of two half-days, panel discussions, lectures, and reference projects will highlight both opportunities and challenges in the work with procurement processes and policy documents related to public art.
The conference is primarily aimed at civil servants within the municipal and regional sectors. With its cross-departmental perspective, the program invites participation from different parts of the organization involved in public art, enabling a broad anchoring of development efforts.
The invited speakers and panelists represent the extended field of public art, bringing together practitioners, civil servants, and researchers from across Sweden. The full program can be found below.
About the Conference Series and the Organisers
The conference series is an initiative by Färgfabriken and ArtPlatform, based on the book Handbook for Municipal Commissioners, published in 2024 by Public Art Agency Sweden and Jönköping Municipality.
Future editions are planned to take place annually and will follow the structure and themes outlined in the handbook.
Preliminary Programme
Day 1
12:00 Registration opens. A light lunch (sandwich and drink) will be served.
12:15 Guided tour of the exhibition BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) by Flo Kasearu at Färgfabriken.
13:00 Welcome by Anna-Karin Wulgué, Director of Färgfabriken, and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, CEO of ArtPlatform.
13:05 – 13:40 Region Kalmar and Kalmar Municipality – the journey of developing a regional art policy, guidelines and procedures, and the challenge of sustaining the work over time.
13:45 – 14:20 A process-based journey towards establishing policy documents and procedures – “learning by doing” – Jönköping Municipality.
14:20 – 14:40 Coffee and bun.
14:40 – 15:20 When the urban development department takes the initiative – cross-departmental collaboration in developing policy documents for public art – Sollentuna Municipality.
15:25 – 15:55 Luleå Municipality.
16:05 – 16:35 Designed living environments, shared spaces, interdisciplinary practices – Södertörn University and Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design.
16:40 – 17:10 Moderated conversation on policy frameworks.
17:10 – 17:15 Closing remarks, Anna-Karin Wulgué, Director of Färgfabriken, and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, CEO of ArtPlatform.
17:15 – 18:15 Networking reception.
17:30 – 18:00 Guided tour of the exhibition BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) by Flo Kasearu at Färgfabriken.
Day 2
09:00 – 09:40 Arm’s length principle and engaging with politics – conversation with public art stakeholders, Bildkonst Sverige.
09:45 – 10:25 Policy frameworks and procurement – Public Art Agency Sweden.
10:25 – 10:40 Coffee and sandwich.
10:40 – 11:10 Interpreting and adapting procurement processes in accordance with the Swedish Public Procurement Act (LOU) – Göteborg Konst.
11:15 – 11:45 Status update: what do the latest court rulings say, and what do they mean for public art in practice? – Upphandlingsbryggan.
11:45 – 12:15 Moderated conversation on procurement with the day’s speakers. Moderator: Molly Sjögren.
12:15 – 12:30 Q&A session.
12:30 – 12:40 Closing remarks and introduction to the next conference.
Please note: The conference will be held in Swedish.