New cultural plan out for consultation: "Many voices have been involved along the way"

Culture in Norrbotten carries stories, creates meetings and opens up space for new perspectives. Now there is a proposal for a new regional cultural plan – and Region Norrbotten wants to hear your views. By giving your opinion, you contribute to how culture can continue to grow, be accessible and live throughout the county.

The proposal for a new regional cultural plan covers the period 2027–2030. The proposal is now out for consultation and Region Norrbotten welcomes views from municipalities, cultural life, civil society and the general public. 

The work on the cultural plan has, like previous planning periods, been based on dialogues with municipalities, professional cultural practitioners and civil society actors. The proposal is also based on knowledge and experiences from previous years. 

– We have really tried to listen broadly. There have been many voices along the way, and the consultation is a way of showing how all this has been taken care of, says Region Norrbotten's deputy director of culture, Christine Hemdal Sandling. 

Christine Hemdal Sandling has met many of the county's cultural actors during the work of developing proposals for a cultural plan. Photo: Sara Stylbäck Vesa

The regional cultural plan is the Norrbotten Region's strategic steering document for the cultural sector. It also serves as the basis for the Swedish Council for Arts' decision on state operating grants within the cultural collaboration model. At the same time, the plan is based on the principles of artistic freedom and arm's length distance. 

– It is important for us to be clear that the cultural plan should not control the artistic content. It is about conditions, structure and direction, not about what is to be created. 

Starting point in the Norrbotten Strategy

In terms of layout and structure, the cultural plan is based on Norrbotten's regional development strategy, the Norrbotten Strategy. The aim is to more clearly demonstrate the role of culture in regional development, without making culture a tool for other policy areas. 

– We want to put culture in context, but without losing sight of culture's own power and needs. This is a plan that is based on culture itself. 

Baqer Hasan, artist in Gällivare. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

The proposal highlights, among other things, the need to strengthen the organizing team in the county, as well as the Norrbotten Region's supporting role ahead of Kiruna's year as European Capital of Culture in 2029. The ambition is for the initiative to create value throughout the county. 

– The Capital of Culture year is a very important opportunity. Our role is to contribute so that it is not an isolated event, but something that actually strengthens cultural life in the whole of Norrbotten, says Christine Hemdal Sandling. 

"Nothing we can take for granted"

The cultural plan also emphasizes the special importance of culture in times of uncertainty and social change. Accessibility, independence and democratic values ​​are central points of departure. 

– When society feels shaky, culture becomes even more important. It provides space for conversation, for thinking freely and for meeting other people's perspectives. It's not something we can take for granted. 

The cultural capital year in Kiruna is mentioned as an important priority. Here Kiruna dancer Fanny Kivimäki. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

The purpose of the consultation is to collect views on the direction and priorities of the cultural plan. Region Norrbotten wants to know, among other things, whether the level of ambition is perceived as reasonable, whether the division of responsibilities is clear and whether any important perspectives are missing from the proposal. 

– The referral is a really important step. It is partly a receipt for everyone who has been involved in the dialogues, and partly it helps us sharpen the plan before political decisions are made. 

The responses to the consultation will be compiled and form the basis for a revised proposal that will be discussed politically during the autumn. The final decision on the cultural plan will be made by the regional council in December 2026. 

All comments should be submitted via Region Norrbotten's referral form. You can find both the proposal and the form here.
 
The deadline to respond to the referral is August 14, 2026.