Increased research activity in the field of creative industries
On January 7, the board of the Creative Arts Research Center awarded grants from the Center's Master's Student Fund The fellowships are aimed at master's students working on a final project on the professional life of culture and creative industries and the multifaceted and diverse social and economic impacts that these activities result in.
This is the second time that the fund has been allocated, but this time the beneficiaries, Björg Steinunn Gunnarsdóttir, a student in theater and performance studies at the University of Copenhagen, were for the project „Unbearable lightness of the theater: The rise of folk drama in Iceland“ and Helga Guðrún Jónasdóttir, a student in cultural management at the University of Bifröst, for the project „Is culture power? Analysis of local government policy in culture and creative industries“.
Research projects in the fields of performing arts and cultural statistics
In the master's project Unbearable lightness of the theater: The rise of folk drama in Iceland, Björg investigates how a particular theater production, the unbearable lightness of football, managed to attract a new audience to Icelandic theater and what lessons can be learned from it for future theater. The goal of the project is to analyze the success aspects of the show and examine whether and how this success can be repeated with other performances based on the morphology of folk drama, with an emphasis on cultural diversity and democracy. Along with adding to the field of knowledge of Icelandic theater studies, the project opens up possibilities for further interdisciplinary research, but many things could be transferred to other aspects of culture and creative industries.
In the project Is culture power? Analysis of local government policy in culture and creative industries, Helga Guðrún investigates whether local authorities have set a policy in the field of culture and whether it is possible to read from that policy position at the relevant local government on culture and creative industries as a value-creating field within the municipality. At the same time, she examines whether local government policy can be seen as a place in their spending on cultural issues. The project's research questions look at cultural policy as a explanatory variable (predictive value) for the local government's attitude towards culture and creative industries as a way to promote economic growth. By analyzing the cultural policy of municipalities, an overview of this issue is created at the local government level, which has not been obtained before, together with knowledge that can be used by stakeholders such as local authorities, regional organizations and states to better underpin the previous discussion and strategic decisions in this area.
About the Master's Student Fund
The fund is set up to promote research activity in the field of culture and creative industries at the master's level Scholarships from the fund are intended for master's students who work on final topics on the professional life of culture and creative industries and the multifaceted and diverse social and economic impacts that this practice results in applicants are required to pursue a master's degree at a recognized university, whether in Iceland or abroad, and the project needs to be addressed or have a clear connection to Icelandic society.
The first allocation of the fund was in April 2024. it was Lilja Björk Haraldsdóttir, a master's student in cultural management at the University of Bifröst, who studied audience development in theater, and Júlíus Jóhannesson, a master's student in media and communication studies at the University of Iceland, who examined the opportunities offered to Icelandic film producers for distribution of their films in foreign markets.
The next application deadline is May 15, 2025. There will be two million for allocation, which is estimated to support 3-4 master's projects. It is assumed that for a 60 ECTS unit project, the grant amount is 800 thousand ISK and 400 thousand ISK for 30 ECTS units.
About the Creative Arts Research Center
The main goal of the Creative Arts Research Center is to promote research on the business life of culture and creative industries, taking into account the multifaceted effects of artistic creation and cultural production on society. RSG is an independent research partner and emphasizes academic independence in all activities. The center holds regular seminars on research in the field of creative industries and promotes dialogue on creative subjects in a broad context. RSG is owned by the University of Bifröst, the University of Iceland, the University of Akureyri, the University of Hólum and the Iceland Academy of the Arts. The Association of Creative Arts is also a member of the center.
Video text: From the left: Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir, expert at RSG, Björg Steinunn Gunnarsdóttir, grant recipient, Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir, professional director of creative subjects at the University of Bifröst and chairman of the board of RSG, Helga Guðrún Jónasdóttir, grant recipient, Ólína Kjerúlf Þorvarðardóttir, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bifröst and board member of RSG, Margret Sigrun Sigurdardottir, associate professor at the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Iceland and board member of RSG.
