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The economy of the future

Russia's Arctic regions are cultivating creative industries

10 december 2022

More and more people consider the creative economy the next stage of human evolution. It places the highest value not on resources or technology but on new ideas, which lie at the core of goods and services through intellectual activity. These ideas are generated by the creative class: representatives of creative professions who make money from unique content. Tourism, education, museums, music, architecture, cinematography, software, game development, animation and design are all potential sectors of the creative economy, also called the knowledge economy. The creative economy is of great importance for the Arctic, as it is the best way to keep young people from leaving the polar regions.

In recent years, programmes to support creative industries and build creative spaces have been launched in all Arctic regions to help authors realise and monetise their ideas. For instance, the Murmansk Region actively invests in the powerful and creative movie industry.

Photo: vk.com/polartresidence

Norilsk, on the other hand, has chosen to focus its efforts on contemporary art. In 2016, it opened PolArt: a place for artists who want to form a collection of modern art. There are already plans to exhibit the collection in a separate museum, which will occupy the fully renovated House of Trade. Only the style of letters on the old building's sign will remain the same, but their meaning will change to "The House That Speaks." Without a doubt, the new museum will have something to say.

When discussing the development of the creative economy in the Project Office for Arctic Development's (POAD) debate club, experts commented on the potential of the Arctic indigenous peoples' traditional arts and crafts. "We should focus our attention on folk arts and crafts. They hold great promise if combined with the cluster approach and government support. In synergy with the development of domestic tourism, the handicrafts will get a new impetus for growth," thinks POAD expert on public-private partnership Alexander Vorotnikov.

The northern regions agree with the experts. The Arctic State Institute of Culture and Arts (ASICC) in Yakutia has already come up with a project titled Creative Arctic. One of its main goals is to teach creative professions to representatives of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North. They can learn how to design clothing for extreme colds or make traditional souvenirs and jewellery for an Arctic fashion festival. The future designers will learn to promote their works in an Arctic business school through practical classes on business planning, budgeting and marketing. 

Photo: kuunart.tilda.ws

By 2030, ASICC will become a scientific and educational centre for creative industries all over the Arctic. The strategic project Arctic Cultural Code: the Creative School of the Future will promote the creation of a creative and digital competencies centre, a laboratory for studying human capital in the North, school networks and tertiary preparation courses.

ASICC is not the only platform for creative industries in Yakutia. In the summer of 2022, the Trust Fund of Future Generations opened the Arctic Creative Academy in the republic as part of its In the Name of the Future programme. The programme covers such areas as movie-making, IT, journalism and digital.

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