The Danish Arts Council promotes artistic development in Denmark and Danish art abroad. The Council’s two principal tasks are to provide support for artistic endeavours within the fields of literature, the performing arts, the visual arts and music and to advise public authorities regarding matters within the Council's sphere of activity. The council has committees within each of the four branches of the arts.
Grant areas
The five Committees and the Danish Arts Council independently administer the funds they are allocated and define their own spheres of activity. The decisions of a Committee may not be appealed to the Minister for Culture or any other authority. Complaints concerning grants decisions made by the Danish Arts Council may not be appealed to the Minister for Cultural Affairs or any other authority.
The decisive criterion for the award of grants by the Danish Arts Council is the quality of artistic production and artistic talent.
The Danish Arts Council and its affiliated committees work within four focus areas, they are:
Art and Globalisation
Children, Youth and Art
Art and Municipalities
Art Critisism
The Danish Arts Council may take independent initiative and express itself on matters that fall within its area of competence.
The Danish Arts Council was founded on 1 July 2003. The Council's sphere of activity and duties are defined by the Arts Council Act. The scope of the Council's funding is determined by the annual Finance Act.
The Danish Arts Council has established a committee of experts for each of the four previously mentioned artistic fields. To a large extent, the Council has delegated its authority to award grants and to examine specific matters to these committees of experts. Most of the financial support awarded by the Danish Arts Council and its committees is allocated according to the guidelines laid down in the Literature Act, the Theatre Act, the Visual Arts Act, and the Music Act.
Members of the Danish Arts Council serve for four years, after which time new council members must be appointed. The Council then draws up a plan of action for its period of office, which is subject to the approval of the Minister for Cultural Affairs.
Organisational structure of the Danish Arts Council
The Council's tasks are performed by:
- Five expert Committees
- A strategic and coordinating Council
- A Council of representatives
- A secretariat, which is part of the Danish Arts Agency and performs the administrative work
The Danish Arts Council is structured in the following manner:
- The Arts Council, consisting of 10 expert members.
- The Arts Council's expert committees on literature, the performing arts, the visual arts, and music, as well as a committee dealing with Danish visual arts abroad. Each committee has five members, with the exception of the Committee for Music, which has seven.
- The Arts Council's board of representatives, whose members are appointed by organisations, institutions and special interest groups within Danish art and culture, as well as by the Danish Parliament's political parties and Danish municipal organisations.
- The Danish Arts Agency, which performs administrative and secretariat functions for the Danish Arts Council, the expert committees, and the board of representatives.
The members of the Danish Arts Council and the committees are appointed by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and the board of representatives. The Minister appoints the chair of the Danish Arts Council and the chairs of the committees.
