BSR Cultural Pearls Network Conference in Helsingborg
The Danish Cultural Institute team co-organised the BSR Cultural Pearls Networking conference in Helsingborg this week – two intensive days of workshops, keynotes and study visits on the topic of culture and resilience. The event brought together small and medium-sized cities in the Baltic Sea Region, which have been awarded the title “Cultural Pearls” in 2024 and 2025, as well as other organisations from the region and RESCOM project partners from Ukraine and Moldova.
This year, six cities in the Baltic Sea region – the 2025 Cultural Pearls – have committed to going the extra mile and preparing a Culture for Resilience programme. Those are Helsingborg in Sweden, Peipsiääre in Estonia, Alytus District in Lithuania, Płock in Poland, Kaskinen-Kaskö, Finland and Smiltene in Latvia.
In times of uncertainty and crisis, it is more important than ever to connect with each other, find common ground and unite the society! And this is where culture comes in on many levels – from the promotion of certain values already in the nursery (you have to contribute to the society you live in) to open cultural institutions that offer something for all social groups.
The study visits showed some nice examples of how local cultural institutions, be it a museum, a concert hall or a theater, can connect people – young and old, people with different backgrounds and interests! For example, Dunkers kulturhus in Helsingborg invited children to run the house for a day. They could choose who they wanted to be – receptionist, light master, event producer, etc. It has been touching to see the children working at the reception and guiding seniors to the exhibition halls. The Cultural centre is open every day to all citizens, who can spend their time as they wish – reading, looking at exhibitions or just relaxing.
Another interesting example was shared by Niels Righolt, CEO of the Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture, Copenhagen. When the Norrebro Theatre was faced with declining audiences, they asked people why they didn’t go to the theater and, based on the results, changed their programming by offering additional events for different types of audiences, such as “singing after work”, sound bathing, climate riddles, “the club of the poor” – investment advice played by an actor.
The conference featured workshops on Case Analysis and Method development facilitated by Agata Bisping, who also gave a keynote speech on Imagining futures.
More information on the Cultural Pearls project, and how to help your city become a Pearl 2026 can be found on the link below.
