About us
Konstmuseet i Norr, Norrbotten County Art Museum, presents critically-oriented contemporary art that responds to societal issues through a variety of artistic perspectives, media and practices.
In addition to producing exhibitions of contemporary art, the museum offers a wide range of public programmes and creative activities that enrich visitors’ experience and understanding of art.
As the county art museum of Norrbotten, Konstmuseet i Norr produces exhibitions and projects both in the physical museum space in Kiruna and across the county, with the aim of making art and conversations surrounding it accessible to the municipalities of Norrbotten.
With the Barents Region as a geographic point of departure, Konstmuseet i Norr’s mission is to stimulate creativity and freedom of thought, drive debate and to give art an influential voice within public discourse.
Children and young people are a prioritised target group, and the museum therefore offers guided tours and participatory programmes to engage this audience. For educators, in addition to school programmes at the museum, we also offer educational resources to support teaching at schools.
Konstmuseet i Norr is actively building its own art collection.
Konstmuseet i Norr works in close dialogue with other national and international institutions and art practitioners, with the aim of strengthening Norrbotten’s artistic production and contributing to fruitful collaborations.
The museum premises in Kristallen
In 2012 Kiruna Municipality, in collaboration with LKAB and Architects Sweden, organised a competition for the design of Kiruna’s new city hall and Norrbotten’s county art museum. The following year Henning Larsen Architects was selected as the winner with their proposal “Kristallen”. The building, which was completed in August 2018, was the first to be constructed in Kiruna’s new city centre.
Centring on ideas of contrast and interplay, Kristallen features a circular exterior building with municipal offices, inside of which is a golden core structure that houses Konstmuseet i Norr. The museum’s premises extend from the open stairwell and continue up to the fifth floor, totalling about 1000 square metres of exhibition rooms and educational space where the museum offers educational activities for children, young people and adults.
Background
In 2009 Konstmuseet i Norr began as a mobile county art organisation, through a collaboration between Region Norrbotten and Kiruna Municipality. The purpose of the project was to make art accessible in all fourteen of Norrbotten’s municipalities, with the ultimate aim of establishing a county art museum based in Kiruna.
In 2017 Konstmuseet i Norr transitioned from nomadic project to permanent institution, funded and organised by both Region Norrbotten and Kiruna Municipality.
