Petition addressed to: Longyearbyen Lokalstyre
We ask Longyearbyen Local Council to develop a concrete plan for the artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses that will lose their workspaces when the lease of Spitsbergen Artists Center expires in 2027.
We also ask the Local Council to explore all realistic alternatives, including external funding opportunities, before cultural and creative activity is permanently displaced from Nybyen.8
This petition is about people, jobs, and opportunities in Longyearbyen.
Today, the building that houses Spitsbergen Artists Center provides affordable studios and workshops for seven local businesses and four independent artists. These spaces support local entrepreneurship, artistic production, tourism-related businesses, and community life.
When the lease expires in 2027, these businesses and artists risk losing their workplaces. At present, there are no known affordable alternatives in Longyearbyen that can accommodate everyone affected.
Over the last two years, the center has also become an important cultural venue. Since 2025, it has hosted more than 100 artists from over 25 countries, organized more than 70 exhibitions and events, and welcomed around 5,000 visitors annually. The center has contributed to Longyearbyen's cultural life, tourism, international visibility, and attractiveness as a place to live and work.
The decision to sell the building has already been made. However, the future of the people and activities currently based there remains unresolved.
We therefore ask Longyearbyen Local Council to ensure that local artists, creative entrepreneurs, and small businesses are not left without solutions when the lease expires. We also ask that all available opportunities for preserving affordable creative workspaces in Longyearbyen are properly explored.
As Longyearbyen continues its transition beyond the mining era, supporting local initiative, creativity, and small businesses should be part of building a resilient and diverse community for the future.
Petition started:
06/10/2026
Collection ends:
12/09/2026
Region:
Longyearbyen
Topic:
Culture
Having spent time at the Spitsbergen Artists Center as a guest artist and recently exhibiting my work there, I have seen firsthand how important this place is. It is far more than a building—it is a vital artist-run hub that brings together artists, residents, businesses, and visitors from around the world. The loss of this extraordinary creative space would be a devastating blow to Longyearbyen's cultural life and the future of artistic activity in the High Arctic.
No CONTRA argument yet.
Art must remain free from political or institutional control because its purpose is to question, explore, express, and connect beyond the boundaries imposed by power. It gives people a space to imagine, disagree, remember, and speak in ways that cannot always be expressed through words alone. When art is controlled, freedom of expression and human creativity are diminished. Art belongs to everyone, and protecting its independence means protecting the freedom to create, think, and feel.
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Longyearbyn is an important place in the arts, especially for artists with an interest in and a connection to the Arctic. Having a place to center the arts in Longyearbyn is important to artists around the world.