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'Built on will and water' & 'Successes by water'
- Updated
As part of The Nordic Watercolour Museum's jubilee celebrations in 2025, two of the museum’s earlier publications are being reissued: Byggt på vilja och vatten ("Built on Will and Water", 2000) and Framgångar vid vatten ("Successes by the Water", 2013). Together, they tell the story of how an unlikely vision became reality on the island of Tjörn.
“For anyone considering embarking on an impossible yet necessary cultural project, and who needs support and inspiration!”
– Benita Nilsson, on the publications
The books trace the museum’s journey from the first idea of an entirely new kind of museum to its completion – from a letter to the local council by the “Working Group for a Nordic Watercolour Museum” to the museum's recognition as Museum of the Year. It is a story of high ambitions, hard work, and achievements that far exceeded expectations.
Both books are available for purchase in the museum shop.
ABOUT THE BOOKS
Byggt på vilja och vatten ("Built on Will and Water")
On the making of The Nordic Watercolour Museum – from idea to inauguration
“It is your will that has made our success possible.” With these words, project leader Benita Nilsson expresses her gratitude in this book to everyone who helped make The Nordic Watercolour Museum a reality. The publication was released in connection with the museum’s inauguration, on the day in June when the vision became tangible: a museum and centre for water-based art, seemingly floating upon the surface of the North Sea.
Many of the museum’s supporters at different levels share their voices in the book. The path from idea to decision is depicted in the chapter Det kommer ett brev (“A Letter Arrives”). In Benita’s own notes, Så här gjorde vi (“This Is How We Did It”), she details the successes and setbacks over the more than five years from decision to opening.
The intention is that others will find encouragement and inspiration for their own pursuit of impossible yet necessary cultural projects.
Author: Bengtåke Carlson
Published by The Nordic Watercolour Museum, 2000
Framgångar vid vatten ("Successes by the Water")
The Nordic Watercolour Museum in the 21st century
The Nordic Watercolour Museum is a cultural institution built entirely from the ground up. It is also a story of success that has transformed an entire community. In Framgångar vid vatten ("Successes by the Water"), Björn Gunnarsson offers a reflective and personal account and analysis of the museum’s first decade.
His narrative about this pioneering museum in Skärhamn, on the island of Tjörn, shows how culture can revitalise community life, create momentum in economic, democratic, and other forms of development, and strengthen local and regional pride and identity in a time of rapid change – all while maintaining high artistic ambitions and never compromising artistic integrity.
The Nordic Watercolour Museum stands as an instructive and inspiring example for anyone interested in the role of art in society’s development.
Author: Björn Gunnarsson
Published by Nätverkstan, 2013
