BJÖRKÖ KONSTNOD

WORKSHOPS

Workshops play a central role in fostering collaboration, learning, and artistic growth at Fair Studios and BKN. These workshops provide participants with hands-on opportunities to develop their skills, engage with new techniques, and explore different aspects of their artistic practice. They serve as a platform for experimentation, peer interaction, and the sharing of knowledge, all within the supportive and resource-rich environment of BKN.

At BKN, workshops are designed to complement the natural and rural setting of the Northern Archipelago of Stockholm, where artists can draw inspiration from the unique surroundings of forests, seas, fields, and lakes. This setting encourages artists to reflect on and incorporate site-sensitive exploration into their projects, focusing on the specific environmental, social, or cultural conditions that BKN embodies.

Workshops at BKN are structured around the concept of "thinking together, learning together," promoting a collaborative atmosphere where informal sessions allow for organic exchanges of ideas. These workshops often include:

• Studio Practices: Covering mediums such as woodworking, photography (with access to a darkroom/photolab), textile work (with a loom), and video production.
• Nature-Driven Exploration: Workshops that encourage artists to engage with the surrounding landscape, providing opportunities for creating work that is sensitive to the local environment and community.
• Peer-Led Sessions: Where artists share their skills and methods, creating a culture of mutual support and learning.

Additionally, BKN hosts public outreach workshops that invite the local community to participate, fostering an inclusive environment where art, nature, and community intersect. These events provide visibility for artists and open new avenues for collaboration beyond the residency.

The curatorial meetings and studio visits offered during the residency are integral to these workshops, giving artists tailored guidance and feedback on their projects. These sessions, conducted by experienced curators, are designed to ensure alignment with BKN’s ethos of responsible, sustainable practice.

With its commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and artistic experimentation, BKN’s workshops not only enhance participants' creative abilities but also promote a broader understanding of how art can positively impact the environment and community.

Janice Jencen

BKN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH 

Since the start of the artist driven not for profit organization in 2020 artists have been invited to work with both local community out on the island Björkö,  in the Northern Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden.

Workshops are providing work opportunities for artists and it gives youth and adults a chance to try different artistic practices. For BKN it is  essential part of collaborating with other organizations locally, nationally and internationally. This creates not only introduction to specific techniques but also on arts potential roles in building communities and societies. 

We have worked with youth programs at  Norrtälje Konsthall, ABF Norrtälje, Skapande Skola Älmsta and others. We have held workshops  more locally both at BKN and at events arrange by others.  We  work every year with Hembygdsgården to provide one week of arts for young people and local artists open studios. We have made exhibitions with Norrtälje Konsthall (Konst I ån) and Stockholms bygdegårds distrikt. 

Every second year we participate in Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm and we have made several exhibitions on Björkö.  An important part of our out reach is also the public open studios. We have been a safe haven for artists at risk vis SWAN Emergency (2022-24), and Nordic Analogue Network (2023-25). We have held workshops at the intersection of etymology, identity and art, workshops in photography, painting, collage techniques, drawing, sculpture walks,  radical softness and workshops with emphases on  walking as methodology for the arts approaching somatic practices, drawing,  story telling, experimental pilgrimage, video, photography etc. We have also worked with landscape and identity with Björkö Landsbygds Utveckling. We started up on a grant on country side development  from LEADER and EU  (2020-23).

BKN is so much more than an artist residency this is why our name  translated to English is BJÖRKÖ ART NODE.

The programing is done with visiting artists from Sweden or internationally or together with our special group BKN Associate Artists. all under the direction of BKN curator Anna Viola Hallberg. 

The membership is open to any one wanting to endorse the practices of BKN.

BKN is member of  RESARTIS, SWAN/Swedish Artist Residency Network, NAN/Nordic Analogue Network.