State of the Art Network 2020–2023

State of the Art is a Nordic-Baltic transdisciplinary network of artists, practitioners, researchers, and organizations who have come together to discuss the role, responsibility, and potential of art and culture in the Anthropocene.

By developing creative practices, transdisciplinary collaborations, and public engagement, the network aims to create resilience and concrete actions for living the change in culture, economy, and environment, and to find concrete hands-on methods to deal with the Anthropocene and environmental crisis.

The network wants to strengthen competencies in remote hosting and participation as well as practical sustainability, which will be applied in the production of the activities and throughout the network.

During its three years, State of the Art Network will be dealing with the following questions:

How can...
...transdisciplinary practices help to deal with the causes and effects of the Anthropocene?
...we collaborate across borders, disciplines, and artistic methodologies?
...our activities assist in living the change for a continuous liveable present and future?
...we address factors that reinforce the Anthropocene like racism, species-ism, inequality, and xenophobia?
...we create awareness about the complexity of the situation and facilitate encounters to learn to process complexity instead of falling for simple answers and solutions.
...we implement structures of care and support which enable us to continue our work?
...we be examples in practice and encourage a paradigm shift along Sustainable Development Goals?

The network's goals and potential outcomes include:

- facilitating the creation of transdisciplinary partnerships in the Nordic-Baltic region
- Sharing experiences, knowledge, and good practices to learn from a wide range of practitioners and localities 
- Challenging ourselves with the complexities at hand
- Developing and testing together creative practices and concrete actions for living the change
- Diversifying and strengthening the relations between the participating organisations, as well as those between the organisations and the public at large
- Making concrete proposals to funders on how to support sustainable practices for artists and cultural organisations
- creating an online and print-on-demand publication

State of the Art Network is supported by Nordic Culture Point, Nordic Culture Fund, and A. P. Møller Foundation. 

Image: a screenshot from the network's kick-off meeting on October 22, 2020.