Oslo Open and Norwegian Crafts are collaborating partners on a craft focused visitor programme during the art festival Oslo Open, taking place in Oslo annually.

More than 380 artists took part in the 2017 edition of the festival whose primary focus is to engage local artists, encouraging them to open their studios to the general public.

In addition to the open studios, Oslo Open hold artist-curator speed dating sessions and mixer events. Oslo Open also keeps track of interesting cultural events held by third parties, and include them in their satellite programme.

21-25 April Oslo Open and Norwegian Crafts hosted 9 craft professionals from 5 countries. During their days in Oslo the experts took part in Oslo Open's programme of studio visits, speed dating sessions, and several mixer events and dinners.

On 22 April Norwegian Crafts and Kunstnerforbundet hosted a closed reception for the international visitors as well as artists from the Oslonian contemporary crafts field taking part in Oslo Open. The reception presented a golden opportunity for the craft artists taking part in Oslo Open to meet our international guests while viewing the exhibition Ode til en vaskeklut, hymne til en tiger  - the 40 year anniversary fibre art exhibition by the Norwegian Textile Artists and Kunstnerforbundet.  

During the weekend 22-23 April the 9 craft experts went on more than 80 studio visits, forming connections with more than 100 artists and makers based in Oslo, in addition to meeting representatives from Oslo’s art institutions, galleries and cultural networks. 

List of Norwegian Crafts' visitors during Oslo Open 2017:
• Patrick Parrish, Patrick Parrish Gallery and Fisher Parrish Gallery, New York, USA
• Daniel Ho, Editor-in-Chief at Randian Magazine, China
• Alex Gilbert, Associate Director, Design and Gallery Partnerships Manager, Artsy Inc, New York, USA
• Suvi Saloniemi, chief curator Designmuseum Helsinki, Finland
• Nanna Balslev Strøjer, Director CHART Design, Denmark
• Henriette Noermark, curator and writer, Denmark
• Hyeyoung Cho, independent curator, Seoul, Korea
• Shannon Stratton, chief curator, The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
• Alvin Li, editor Ullens Center of Contemporary Artand independent writer, Beijing, China

The visitor programme could not have been possible without help and funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Norwegian foreign missions in Shanghai, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and New York.