Finally we can welcome students to the City Museum again.
– It's when the students come through the doors that things really change at work, says Magnus Sivertsen Sørvig – communication manager in the southern department.
From left: Magnus Sivertsen Sørvig, Barbro Laxaa and Jan Ivar Bårtvedt.
A different learning arena
Over the course of 90 minutes, the students are taken into the exhibitions that provide them with a unique learning arena far from the classroom. – It costs a little to participate, says outreach manager Magnus Sivertsen Sørvig. – You can’t just sit down and receive. The students have to participate actively and we find that they appreciate being encouraged to take a stand on topics they don’t usually think much about,” Sørvig continues.
– We want the visit to be interactive, and for people to feel like they can contribute to the good discussions. Because a museum should be just that, a place for reflection, interjects mediator Jan Ivar Bårtvedt.
It has been a busy autumn for the mediators at the Bodø City Museum – the museum that currently goes by the alias Bådåddjo/Buvvda Musea 2024. In connection with the Capital of Culture year, the museum has transformed itself into a Sami museum, focusing on Sami art and culture.
Over the past two years, the City Museum has undergone extensive reconstruction and renovation. Among other things, the museum has had an elevator installed, making it possible to accommodate visitors of all groups.
– We can finally welcome schoolchildren to the City Museum again. It gives us a lot of energy, says the happy trio Barbro, Jan Ivar and Magnus.
Since October, Jan Ivar, Magnus, Lise, Hanne and Barbro have had over 1,400 students visit the museum in connection with Den kulturellter skolesekken (DKS). DKS is a national scheme that ensures that all schoolchildren in Norway experience professional art and culture.
This fall, students from Bodø Upper Secondary School, as well as all 7th graders in Bodø Municipality, have been visiting. The students from the upper secondary school have visited the exhibition Skakke folkedrakter, while the elementary school students were able to experience the exhibition Ruoktot, which tells the story of Sami drums and how they were physically removed from the Sami people.
– You can't just sit down and receive. The students have to participate actively and we find that they appreciate being encouraged to take a stand on topics they don't usually think much about.
Magnus Sivertsen Sørvig
Great engagement among 7th graders
The 7th graders have been visiting the exhibition Ruoktot. The word ruoktot means "to return home" and deals with the story of the Sami drums who have been reunited with their people.
During the Christianization process, they were forcibly removed, and today they stand as powerful symbols of both oppression and colonialism. For many Sami, they are now a sign of identity and mutual connection. In this DKS, the students have been invited to reflect on the feeling of being deprived of something important to their identity. Through a workshop, they have been tasked with painting something important to themselves, using what they have learned about the importance of drums to the Sami as inspiration.
– It's so fun to see how engaged the students become in this workshop. They discuss and reflect on being deprived of something that is important to them, says facilitator Barbro Laxaa.
– It's nice to be able to express yourself through art and we see that many people find it exciting that the art they have created can hang in the museum, so that family and friends can come by for a look, concludes Laxaa.
– We had a great day at the City Museum with a great and interesting program. A nice balance between communication and student-based learning. The students were very curious and happy for a little "painting break" at the end, says Ida Fagerholt, who is a 7th grade teacher at Saltvern School.
In the exhibition Skakke folkedrakter (Uneven Folk Costumes), students are encouraged to reflect on controversial topics related to folk costumes.
Beautiful artwork from the municipality's over 700 7th graders.
The way forward at the City Museum
Already in January, a new round of The Cultural School Bag at the City Museum is ready and this is already in full planning by the eager outreach team. This time, it is the municipality's 5th graders who will get an introduction to Sami contemporary art with the exhibition Som står til vor rådighed .
– The educational offerings we offer will vary depending on the age group that comes. For the younger children, we like to have a slightly more playful approach to art, says Laxaa.
– We're looking forward to it! It's when the students come through the doors that things really change at work, concludes Sørvig.
It has been an eventful first year of operation at the newly renovated City Museum. From June to March, nine different exhibitions will be presented. It would not have been possible without a skilled interdisciplinary team at work. When the theme year ends in March, the museum will resume its role as a city museum.
– We are still keeping our cards close to our chest when it comes to which exhibitions will be presented, but we can reveal that we will bring back parts of Bodø's diverse history to the museum, says Ole J. Furset, director of Nordlandsmuseet.
– We are still keeping our cards close to our chest when it comes to which exhibitions will be presented, but we can reveal that we will bring back parts of Bodø's diverse history to the museum.
Ole J. Furset
Director at the Nordlandsmuseum
