December 3, 2020

Honorary award goes to Rolf Engelsen

The prize is awarded to a person who has stood up for the performing arts for many years, and not least for the performing arts for young people.

Scenekunstbruket has long wanted to award a prize to everyone who works and works hard in the field of performing arts for children and young people. So last year, in connection with Scenekunstbruket's 25th anniversary, the institution established the performing arts award Gulljerven. Gulljerven will honor performing artists, companies, performers, technicians, tour organizers and everyone who is committed to both creating and communicating performing arts to children and young people in Norway.

This year there will be no ordinary awards ceremony, with several categories and a party into the night. However, Scenekunstbruket is handing out one award this year. The Gulljerven Honorary Award. The award goes to a person who has stood up for the performing arts for many years, and not least for the performing arts for young people. This year, a very special person will be honored for his or her special efforts. An effort that has had major ripple effects for this field of art.

Scenekunstbrukets justification:

The Gulljerven Honorary Award 2020 goes to a person who in 2007 said:

I want to start a discussion about art for children! 

And he did!

Through his many years of work in the field of performing arts and not least his work with art for young audiences. He led the field through the Arts Council's Kunstløftet project in the period 2007-2015, which initiated countless productions, professional meeting places, conversations and discussions - and directions that would point the way forward for an entire field.

Fearless and responsive, with great energy and determination, he has challenged and occasionally (and fortunately) provoked the art field with his many questions:

Is this high enough quality?
How do we communicate to children and young people?
How is art, and is it affected by the context and space in which it is presented?
Is it sufficient to be literate and have an art degree from a university or college when assessing art aimed at a young audience?
What do the young people themselves think?
And do we care?

So, on behalf of the young audience, performing artists and everyone who works with the development and dissemination of performing arts for children and young people;

A big thank you to the recipient of this year's honorary award: Rolf Engelsen.