Norrbotten's new Craft and Design Center is emerging in Shopping
In March next year, Norrbotten will have a new visitor destination. The new Crafts and Design Centre will open in the Shopping mall in Luleå. “With the centre, we want to strengthen today’s practitioners, but also pave the way for the future,” says Janus Brandin, Regional Development Director.
A 760 square meter premises in Shopping will be the location for the new cultural activities that Region Norrbotten is now building. The center will support the development of crafts and design in the county and promote young people's encounters with the cultural area. The aim is also to create a destination and welcome both interested Norrbotten residents and visitors from further afield.
Work is currently underway to prepare the premises for its new purpose. The center will become an inclusive gathering place for crafts, arts and crafts, design, form and architecture. There will also be space for sustainable construction and a designed living environment.
– All of this is part of Norrbotten's cultural heritage, but also of our present and future. With the center, we want to strengthen today's practitioners, but also pave the way for the future, says Janus Brandin, regional development director at Region Norrbotten.
Exhibitions and workshops
When the doors open in March, the center will have space for exhibitions, lectures, workshops and initiatives that strengthen Norrbotten's professionals in the industry. Initially, the center will have an employed coordinator and a couple of public hosts/educators. The public activities will be open three days a week, on other days space will be made for booked visits by, for example, children's groups.
Craft and design consultants Sofia Öberg and Linnea Nilsson are project managers. Evelina Rydeker (right), Luleå municipal councilor, is delighted with the new meeting place that is emerging. Photo: Ludvig Sjödin.
– Here, adults, children and young people will be able to create themselves and meet professional practitioners in the craft and design field. It will be an exciting journey, says Linnea Nilsson, craft and design consultant at Region Norrbotten and one of the project leaders.
The establishment is part of a three-year project, with the goal of building a business that will become permanent.
Engine for the entire county
– The goal is for the center to become an engine for the industry throughout the county. In the future, the hope is to work with more actors in other places to jointly promote the craft and design area, says Sofia Öberg, craft and design consultant at Region Norrbotten and the project's second project manager.
The premises have been made possible through a collaboration with the real estate company Diös, which owns Shopping.
–We are proud of this collaboration that benefits cultural industries. Since the building was built, shopping has been a defining place in Luleå's history. Ralph Erskine's basic idea that shopping should be a natural meeting place fits this project perfectly, says Emelie Kjellner, commercial manager, Diös Luleå.
“Extremely important”
Luleå Municipality is also joining the collaboration, with a contribution of SEK 800 in 000.
– We are so happy about our good cooperation with the region to realize the Craft and Design Center. It is so incredibly important that we proudly highlight our strong craft and design culture in Norrbotten. Looking forward to the opening in March, says Evelina Rydeker (MP), municipal councilor and chair of the culture and leisure committee.
The Norrbotten Cultural Plan states that the center should be established within four years. For this purpose, the Regional Development Committee decided this spring to allocate 1,8 million kronor annually over a three-year period.
Contact
Janus Brandin, Regional Development Director
073 -820 67 34
janus.brandin@norrbotten.se
Sofia Öberg, crafts and design consultant
076-116 37 15
sofia.oberg@norrbotten.se
Linna Nilsson, crafts and design consultant
073-059 12 20
linnea.k.nilsson@norrbotten.se