Sweden: Action for free museums
Open Stockholm | 03.02.2008 14:47 | Culture | Social Struggles | World
On Saturday February 2 "Open Stockholm" acted host as culturally starved "stockholmers" took part in an action for free entry to museums. Thirty or so culturebuffs visited the museum of architecture as well as the museum for Asian culture. To illustrate the failure of their attempt to introduce admission fees at museums - a symbolic mass entry was performed, without paying admission of course. Through this action we wanted to direct attention to the way admission fees and charges come to act as a fence in our cultural landscape.
On Saturday February 2 "Open Stockholm" acted host as culturally starved "stockholmers" took part in an action for free entry to museums. Thirty or so culturebuffs visited the museum of architecture as well as the museum for Asian culture. To illustrate the failure of their attempt to introduce admission fees at museums - a symbolic mass entry was performed, without paying admission of course. Through this action we wanted to direct attention to the way admission fees and charges come to act as a fence in our cultural landscape.
Equipped with placards inspired by contemporary art; displaying texts like "Our prices are insane" or "Storage or education" - we went from Kungsträdgården, along the water past the national museum until we reached our destination at the museum of architecture on Skeppsholmen.
In the discussions that followed both other visitors and staff took a positive stance on our action and how it brings attention to the issue. During the action we released our rapport "The peoples" belongings belong to the people" (a quote from the Swedish king Gustav III who founded the national museum) that illustrates the consequences of the fees. Enabling a free admission to museums was one of the most cost-effective reforms ever carried out in the cultural life of Stockholm and now we feel it is time to end their attempt at introducing admission fees.
Open Stockholm will continue our work with actions and education about how to make Stockholm open to all. We want too tear down fences and find the passages.
Equipped with placards inspired by contemporary art; displaying texts like "Our prices are insane" or "Storage or education" - we went from Kungsträdgården, along the water past the national museum until we reached our destination at the museum of architecture on Skeppsholmen.
In the discussions that followed both other visitors and staff took a positive stance on our action and how it brings attention to the issue. During the action we released our rapport "The peoples" belongings belong to the people" (a quote from the Swedish king Gustav III who founded the national museum) that illustrates the consequences of the fees. Enabling a free admission to museums was one of the most cost-effective reforms ever carried out in the cultural life of Stockholm and now we feel it is time to end their attempt at introducing admission fees.
Open Stockholm will continue our work with actions and education about how to make Stockholm open to all. We want too tear down fences and find the passages.
Open Stockholm
e-mail:
oppnastockholm@gmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.oppnastockholm.se