The Role of Arts in Nordic Society: Health and Lifestyle

Abstract: The role of arts in both formal and non-formal education has been scientifically demonstrated to create positive outcomes in people to deal with all kinds of social problems in daily life. At present, there are international public and private institutions that support this view, such as the International Arts Education Week, celebrated for the first time by UNESCO on 21-27 May 2012 when not only artists participated, but also educators, researchers, NGO actors, and international associations. This provides us with a wider perspective on how arts and education can play an interdisciplinary role in society. The aim of this research is to study how arts (e.g., performative arts, literature, film) interact with and affect Nordic society; the kind of practices, contributions and challenges that exist within the cultural and educational sectors (based on three case studies) and their relationship between the government in the form of cultural policies in Denmark, Sweden and Finland in support of the well-being of the Nordic lifestyle whenever applying a wider perspective to the role of the arts in society.  This qualitative study is composed of three case studies, which explore the role of arts in three Nordic institutions (two public ones and a private one): 1) The Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, Finland; 2) Skissernas Museum - Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art in Lund, Sweden; and 3) Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humbaelek, Denmark. The empirical material collected has been done through the usage of the hermeneutics—texts, semi-structured interviews of professionals (two art educators with multidisciplinary backgrounds, two art historians, and a museum guide), publications, catalogues, and active participation in cultural/educational activities in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The data collected is analyzed within the framework of the reflexive methodology. “The Theory of Communicative Action” by Jürgen Habermas aims to understand the multidisciplinary relationship among the artistic/educational institutions, society, and government as support for the well-being and sustainability of Nordic society.  The results will reveal a multidisciplinary application of the arts as support to Nordic welfare, healthand lifestyle. The results will also show how arts can be included in people’s lifestyles in an organic manner, being a benefit for the well-being of the society and supporting the sustainability of Nordic welfare when people have a wider understanding of the application of the arts in their lives, for instance, through literature, concerts, performances, but also, attending to festivals, arts and crafts activities, gardens, parks, and even experiencing architecture.