Autumn is in the air and autumn in the bank account. Interest rates are rising and robbing Norwegian families of financial surplus. It’s no wonder then that the government is strengthening volunteering, choirs and bands, the creative meeting places that offer a short journey and a low entry threshold. In any case, it was voluntary in this year’s culture budget with 415 million in VAT compensation. If there were any of them who took the liberty to pop some champagne, it was a pity. But the same budget also had clear losers, although Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery (Ap) did her best to pretend that she had not made hard priorities when the budget was presented. FIRST BUDGET: Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery strengthens volunteering in her first cultural budget, but many large institutions must tighten their belts even more. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news For the losers, the heavy institutions, theatres, houses of literature, concert venues, in short, were the biggest meeting places for people who want to have cultural experiences together. They do different art forms, they quite often compete for the same money, but now they have found together in a common frustration. Most of them are really pissed off at this year’s state budget. A matter close to the heart of the Støre government was to help the artists, who have lagged behind wage developments in society for years. A report to the Storting about the artists’ deplorable economy, and how it could become a little less deplorable, was put forward before the summer by former culture minister Anette Trettebergstuen. WANT TO STRENGTHEN THE ARTISTS’ ECONOMY: Former Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) presented the Artists’ Report, where the aim was to strengthen the artists’ economy. Now they get bigger scholarships. Photo: Stig Jaarvik This initiative was to some extent followed up in this year’s budget. In a small country like Norway, there are hardly any artists who can make a living from sales alone. They need grants to be able to keep the creative processes going. The government has now found money for 44 new artist grants, and increased the amount the artists are paid, so they are a little better equipped to cope with the prices that are rising all around them. But this is a classic example of one hand giving while the other takes. Because at the same time as they give more money to the artists, the government weakens some of the artists’ most important clients. Litteraturhuset in Oslo, which has been among the most angry after the budget was presented, honors around 650 authors each year. They estimate that they have lost two million in state support. The Litteraturhuset in Bergen does the same. For them, this is a sum equivalent to almost the entire program budget, i.e. the money that goes to getting authors on stage and the audience in the seats. IMPORTANT PRINCIPAL: Litteraturhuset in Oslo estimates that they remunerate 650 authors every single year. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB / NTB At the same time, the Minister of Culture believes that they actually support the big institutions. And this year’s cultural budget is the largest ever. How is this connected? Let’s take it from the beginning. The largest cultural institutions are for the most part under the state. Therefore, for many years they were subject to the Solberg government’s so-called ABE cuts. These were cuts aimed at making the public sector more efficient. The way this was to be done was to force everyone to reduce the operating budget every single year by 0.5 percent. These cuts were imposed on the institutions without taking into account what they were doing, or how much it was actually possible for them to cut. They were heartily hated. The opposition promised that the cuts would be reversed, only if they themselves came to power. LITERARY MAIN ROOM: Litteraturhuset in Bergen houses, among other things, the Bergen International Literature Festival. Photo: Siss Vik / news And yes, the ABE cuts disappeared with the Støre government. But then the same government removed the so-called gift enhancement scheme. It was neither strange nor surprising, strictly speaking. The gift enhancement scheme was classic Conservative policy, which rewarded those institutions that managed to acquire many private sponsors, with a significant sum from the state. In other words: For every hundred thousand you received from a local business or a rich uncle, the Solberg government gave you up to 25 percent of the sum in addition. Until the Labor Party and the Center Party took over. But the literary houses and concert venues out there, which for years had based their budgets on this scheme, lost a leg to stand on. They were promised that they would be compensated for the money they had lost. It never happened. That is why the two literature houses, and many other cultural institutions, have been given tighter terms with the new government, despite promises to the contrary. COMMON ARENA: The state cultural institutions are among the most important meeting places for people who want to experience art and culture together. Here from “Flukt” at the Nationaltheatret. Photo: Nationaltheatret / Erika Hebbert On top of this comes the animal age. Among those muttering less flattering words about the government these days is the Norwegian Theater and Orchestra Organization, which represents employers in the performing arts field. According to their figures, the theaters and orchestras receive an increase in grants of 3.6 per cent. There is a lot of money in kroner and øre. It is quite a lot less when the government expects price growth of 3.8 per cent and wage growth of 4.9 per cent in the coming year. It is, in other words, a net cut. Not everyone thinks it’s such a shame for the giants of Norwegian cultural life. Outside the institutions is a large surrounding area, where actors, artists and musicians live on a perpetual underpaid tour between festivals and small stages. Many there would kill for the predictability of being on the national budget at all. PROFESSIONALS ON THE STAGE: It is expensive when places like the Opera in Bjørvika have to have lighting and sound technicians, an orchestra and singers or dancers at work every single night. Here from the National Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker”. Photo: Erik Berg / The Norwegian Opera and Ballet But the large institutions also have correspondingly large expenses. They must have light and sound and electricity and people who can talk and play and sing and dance on stage every single night. All so that you and I will sled into the rows of benches and for a few hours see something, hear something, which will set our minds on new paths and preferably make our hearts beat a little faster in our chests. They have to do that for less and less money. But they may feel a little extra insulted by a government that pretends that is not what is happening.
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They are furious at this year’s cultural budget – Expression
