COMPETENCE PROGRAM - Norwegian Arts Abroad

WHY A COMPETENCE PROGRAM?
There is a great international demand for Norwegian film, music, visual arts, crafts, performing arts, design, architecture and literature. Similarly, there is great potential for boosting the internationalisation of the cultural industry and exports of art from Norway.

The aim of the competence program is to increase the market shares and revenues from the international activities of Norwegian artists, performers, sales reps and rightsholders. The participants will acquire higher internationalisation skills from industry experts while strengthening their opportunities for international exposure. The program offers both resources, financing, expertise, experience sharing and access to international networks.

The program will have seven participant-teams from the fields of music, performing arts, literature, crafts, visual arts, film, design and architecture.

The competence program is being conducted as a pilot project by Norwegian Arts Abroad (NAA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to create more international opportunities for the Norwegian arts and creative industries in the reopening after COVID-19.

THE PROGRAM
NAA wish to invite international experts to share their expertise and market insights with the participants. The program will cater to the participant’s needs to help them realise their projects. The goal is to develop sustainable businesses by reaching out more broadly, internationally, to professionals, decision-makers and the public. Over the course of four gatherings, participants will gain insight into how to launch, disseminate or sell art internationally:

Gathering 1: Presentation techniques and storytelling
Gathering 2: Market knowledge in well-known markets and art fields
Gathering 3: Digital opportunities, new markets and art fields
Gathering 4: International launches and the way forward

THE PARTICIPANTS
The NAA competence program will include seven participant-teams consisting of a practicing artist and an agent, who will apply for an international project they will realize together. A team can for example be a visual artist and a gallery, a craft artist and a curator, musician and manager, designer and producer, director and producer or author and agent. The program is divided into two parts, the participants will receive a grant to help them fulfil their international projects, and they will also, at the same time, take part in competence-enhancing professional gatherings.

· The program is intended for those who already have international partners and a demand for their work abroad, and who also have ambitions to increase their international market shares.
· Participants must apply with a specific and export-ready project, with a realistic budget, which they will implement during the program.
· Participants consist of a team of a practitioner and a representative working as agent. The application is submitted as a team.
· Participants will receive a grant to be used for implementing the project they have applied for.
· Participants must commit to attending the professional gatherings.

The participants’ projects will be promoted via films and social media campaigns as part of the program

APPLICATION CRITERIA
· Applicants (the team) must be familiar with their specified field of art through relevant experience and previous projects.
· Applicants must have a clear artistic profile and plans for international investment.
· Applicants must display obvious potential and ambition.
· Applicants must have a project that is ready to be launched internationally.
· Applicants must commit themselves to attending gatherings, and to sharing insights and expertise with the other participants in the group.
· The applicant must be registered as a legal entity in the Brønnøysund Register.

Send your application in English (2-4 pages) to Norwegian Arts Abroad.
The application must contain a project description for a specific project, including plans for international activities, and within a budget of NOK 200,000. The support can be used to cover expenses such as travel, marketing, events, translation, launches, mentoring, legal fees or other resources relevant to implementing the project.

Selections are made by an international jury in collaboration with Norwegian Arts Abroad.

QUESTIONS
For questions regarding the program and the application, contact the Norwegian Arts Abroad organisation that works for your field:

DOGA, Anita Cecilie Drabløs
DTS, Hege Knarvik Sande
NFI, Rune Tellefsen
NORLA, Oliver Møystad
Norwegian Crafts, Hege Henriksen
Music Norway, Kathrine S. Finnskog
OCA, Toril F. Høye

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 27, 2021

ORGANISER
Norwegian Arts Abroad (NAA) is the network of organisations that disseminates art from Norway internationally – Performing Arts Hub Norway, Design and Architecture Norway, Music Norway, NORLA, Norwegian Film Institute, Norwegian Crafts, Office for Contemporary Art Norway.
Together, we create new international opportunities for practitioners within the Norwegian arts.