Ladies and Gentlemen, Guests, Participants, Project Managers,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to Oslo – and Norway -and to this Conference held in connection with the EU project “Glitterbird – Art for the very young”. From what I can see, you will have a long day today, with an interesting mix of performances and lectures from both Norwegian and international experts in the field. I feel that this project is a proof of Norway’s good relationship with its European neighbours, not least within the field of culture.

As you all know, the purpose of the Glitterbird project is to produce and present art for children under three years of age. With this very unusual concept in mind, the Oslo University College submittet an application under the Call for proposals 2003 for the EU’s Culture 2000 Programme. The threshold for receiving support for multiannual cultural projects from the European Community is very high. Only high quality innovative projects receive support. In order to ensure this, all submitted projects are examined by highly qualified European experts. The support from the Culture 2000 Programme is of course first of all financially important. But this support is also – and I would like to stress this – a competent recognition of the high quality and the high standards of the Glitterbird project.

Norway is an active partner to the EU in the field of culture. Norway has taken part in all generations of the EU programmes in support of culture since they started in 1996. The Culture 2000 Programme shares many objectives with the Norwegian government’s cultural policy. Here, I especially think of social inclusion, of cultural diversity, and of aiming at encouraging high quality art.

Last year, the Norwegian government presented a white paper to the Parliament ( Stortinget ) on cultural policy over the next ten years. The report concerns the Government’s contribution to the development of the cultural sector up to 2014. An important message is that quality is a criterion if a project is to have priority in the Government’s cultural policy. The report also stresses the importance of encouraging cultural diversity. As I said, Norway also shares a third objective with the Culture 2000 Programme, social inclusion. Social inclusion and access to culture have been major elements in Norwegian cultural policy for many years.

One may say that the Glitterbird project deals with both “who” and “how”. Let us start with the “who” – who is high quality art for? In the project description, you – the organisers raise a major concern regarding the inclusion of young children in cultural life. You say that “infants and toddlers seem to be culturally isolated”. This concern will be addressed through the project. Both our white paper and the Culture 2000 Programme focus on the importance of reaching a large and diverse public. Glitterbird is trying to find a way to reach a large and often neglected audience, i.e. in fact rethinking social inclusion.

The target group of Glitterbird – infants and toddlers – is very different from the usual audience to cultural projects and actions. This does not mean that it is an audience that does not deserve high quality art.

“Glitterbird – Art for the very young” will explore quality in art – for the very young. This is a challenging task. What is high quality art for children? In your project description you ask questions such as “How do small children meet art?” and “Should there be special qualities in art for the very young?” Thus, you will explore and define at the same time as you actually create art. You need to know what quality is in order to create art for children. At the same time, it is by creating art for children that you will find out what quality is. This is a courageous and, I believe, fruitful approach.

Not only have the organizers raised the issue. It is also a purpose to explore it and find out more about children meeting art. The aim is to find ways of presenting art to children, to present infants and toddlers not merely to adapted versions of art created for an adult public. Furthermore the aim is to present high quality art in all fields specifically developed for this group.

Last, I would like to commend you on the way this project promotes cultural diversity on different levels. I am particularly pleased to see that six different countries are taking part in the project: Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary and Norway. These are countries well apt to represent the cultural variety in Europe. Thus, I believe that your project will set an example not only because of the content of the project. But also because you have the best possible starting point to create a culturally diverse result. It is my wish that you in this way will show the double aim of European cultural policy – namely to both preserve and present national cultures and to contribute to a European cultural identity.

It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to open this conference in connection with the EU project “Glitterbird – art for the very young”. All my best wishes for a fruitful and enjoyable conference!