Anniversary exhibition by Kjell Pahr Iversen at Sølvberget Galleri.
Gallery of the Month, Norway
30 years of making visual arts more accessible Sølvberget galleri is celebrating the 30th anniversary of bringing art to the people. Situated within the cultural centre of Stavanger, the gallery is truly accessible for anyone to pop in, whether they are art lovers or simply passing by before going to the cinema or the library. By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Lise Bjelland
Sølvberget galleri is a brand that stretches much further than Stavanger – and has been, for the past 30 years. “While presenting great exhibitions, we have an audience that is unique in the sense that we’re part of a multi-use cultural house that features a cinema and a library, which makes the visitors very varied,” explains gallery director Hildegunn Birkeland. Dating back to 4 November 1987, Sølvberget gallery opened with a fasci88 | Issue 107 | December 2017
nating exhibition by Jan Groth. “It was an exhibition that received a great deal of good reviews, and it was visited by a lot of people,” says Birkeland. Then followed an exhibition by Inger Sitter, and with those first two exhibitions, the gallery positioned itself as one of the most attractive galleries in the northern hemisphere. The gallery now sees around 30,000 visitors each year, which Birkeland believes is much thanks to its location in the cen-
tre of Stavanger, within the cultural centre. “The architecture is also really inviting – it’s a great building to be in,” says Birkeland. “We manage to reach a wider audience than other galleries. We do get a lot of interest from a specific arts audience, but there are also those who just drop by on their way out after seeing a film or visiting the library.”
Educating youngsters The gallery has a big focus on sparking an interest in art in young people. It regularly invites local nurseries and schools to visit for either tours of the exhibitions or workshops related to them, all free of charge. “If kids grow up in homes where the parents do not have an interest in art, then