The Norway Arts Directory was published in 1999 to great acclaim. Written by Kristin Danielsen, it was the first comprehensive guide to the Norwegian arts and cultural sector. The directory was, and still is, an invaluable cultural exchange resource, containing key contact details and descriptive information for over 1,000 Norwegian arts and cultural organisations. The directory incorporated an exhaustively-researched introduction to Norway’s rich cultural heritage, and an extensive overview of the development of contemporary Norwegian culture across all arts forms.

As part of its ongoing project to digitise its considerable back catalogue of Arts Directories, Visiting Arts has now updated and expanded the material in the Norway Arts Directory and this may now be accessed online in the Norway Cultural Profile. The profile has an updated introduction by Trude Gomnaes, Consultant Editor.

Support for the project has been provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London and its launch was timed to coincide with the celebrations of modern Norway in 2005. The aim of the online Norway Cultural Profile is to create a ‘gateway’ for British and international cultural professionals to commence or continue international exchange with Norway. For professionals outside of Norway, the Norway Cultural Profile presents overview information and detailed listings in English on important organisations, showing the structure, function and inter-relationships of the various key governmental, non-governmental and independent organisations. For Norwegian arts professionals, the Norway Cultural Profile creates a space within which they can present their international work and aspirations for exchange to the rest of the world in English.