Mobilizing Citizenship (MC) was an educational and research project that ran from 2018 to 2024 at Kunsthall Stavanger. Throughout its duration, I invited Norwegian and international artists and designers to collaborate with small groups of young people aged 12 to 16. Each term explored how contemporary art tools and methods could empower participants to express themselves and make their voices heard.
Each term explored how contemporary art tools and methods could empower participants to express themselves and make their voices heard.
I always envisioned the afterlife of MC as an act of continued empowerment, echoing the project’s original intentions. In that spirit, I hope this toolkit, which encapsulates the knowledge and experiences gained from the project, serves as a practical and inspirational guide for those thinking about what educational activities for young people can look like within the context of art.
MC was first conceived in 2017 from a desire to create a robust programme for young people in the field of contemporary art. I brought it to life at Kunsthall Stavanger in 2018 and it soon became integral to the Kunsthall’s educational programme. From the outset, we wanted to support young people, as they developed their voices and agency, by giving form to their ideas and helping them see themselves as active contributors to their communities.
Starting in 2020, in an effort to expand our own institutional learning, we began inviting external partners, including collaborators from the Munch Museum in Oslo and Goldsmiths Alchemy in London, as well as cultural workers, such as Lee Heinemann, with experience in similar initiatives. While it has always been important to work with a wide range of artists who can bring new perspectives to MC, we wanted to work with artists who use their voices to critique systems or power structures, and who actively engage with the world as a place with the capacity for positive change.
we wanted to work with artists who use their voices to critique systems or power structures, and who actively engage with the world as a place with the capacity for positive change.
MC has always been an exercise in being heard and in seeing yourself as an agent capable of shaping the world around you. Some may view this as utopian or overly optimistic in terms of what art can achieve. But having been part of this programme and witnessing how it has touched young people’s lives over the years, I have come to truly believe in the power of art and the deep impact of coming together within its framework.
As many of the writers and contributors to this publication emphasise, educational work in art is not something to be taken lightly. It is a space of direct human engagement, where participants bring personal reflections and experiences that deserve care and respect. This is especially vital when working with young people.
I have come to truly believe in the power of art and the deep impact of coming together within its framework.
It’s been a learning curve, but over the years, we’ve remained flexible, allowing ourselves opportunities to adapt and evolve. I believe the ability to remain responsive is one of the most important qualities in educational work within the arts. As a Kunsthall, we strive to be agile, but doing so is resource-intensive. It demands time, energy, and thoughtful planning. Ultimately, I believe that MC succeeded because of the people who collectively delivered it: from our team at Kunsthall Stavanger to guest curators, project managers, and a youth worker who made sure participants felt looked after and safe. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the artists and young people who generously shared and allowed themselves to be open and vulnerable throughout the process.
This toolkit, supported by Arts and Culture Norway, brings together different voices from the last three years of MC. Their contributions reflect a range of approaches to education, each rooted in the shared belief that giving agency to young people affords the opportunity to mobilise citizenship through art. They ask: How can we reflect on our past experiences? How can we create space for young people to understand their voices matter in contemporary society? I hope this publication inspires new reflections and helps carry the spirit of MC into its next phase, as the inspiration for future initiatives and projects that bring together artists, young people, and communities.
If we want to encourage young people to speak, we must first remember to truly listen.
There is still much to understand about how we can best meet young people where they are, and in ways that resonate with their everyday lives. I don’t think there’s a fixed answer because contexts and circumstances change, but I believe that at the core of creating true engagement with young people is the need to ensure they feel heard. If we want to encourage young people to speak, we must first remember to truly listen.