Last Tuesday (28 June), a meeting was held between the City of Malmö and Lund University, focusing on the issue of Malmö Art Academy’s premises and the planning of a joint location for the three academies of the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Malmö Jan-Inge Ahlfridh and Director of City Planning in Malmö Christer Larsson. Representing Lund University were Vice-Chancellor Torbjörn von Schantz, University Director Susanne Kristensson, Dean Solfrid Söderlind and Head of Department of the Malmö Theatre Academy Anna Lyrevik, who previously worked with the City of Malmö’s cultural strategy.
The meeting was constructive, and it was clear that both parties are trying to find a workable solution. The reason that the City of Malmö is planning to terminate Malmö Art Academy’s lease after the summer is the political promise the city has made to set up a large number of schools in response to the growing number of pupils. Therefore, we discussed how the issue of Malmö Art Academy’s premises needs to be prioritised to make sure that the activities continue without interruption and with the same high quality. We agreed to hold a new meeting on 29 August and by then produce more concrete information so that the needs and opportunities of the premises are matched with a realistic timetable. Our starting point is that we will work together to make sure that the transition to the new premises will be as smooth as possible.
The recent media attention surrounding Malmö Art Academy has demonstrated the strong position it holds nationally and internationally. It has also made clear the role Malmö Academy plays in Malmö’s cultural scene. The discussions in the media have clearly shown that the City of Malmö has everything to gain from having a prosperous and thoroughly international art academy, and that all the people who know it – students, teaching staff, artists, cultural practitioners and the general public – pull in the same direction. All conditions are therefore in place for Malmö Academy’s students and teaching staff to once again find peace and creativity in their work in view of the autumn semester, while the University and the city are working together to come up with a good solution for the future.
Solfrid Söderlind
Dean
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