I make art accessible and use it as a strategic tool that helps organisations reach their goals — whether it concerns leadership, communication, sustainability or cultural development.
About
Art historian & experienced leader working across contemporary art, architectural heritage, and Arctic research. As a communicator, curator, writer, researcher, and project leader, I translate complex cultural narratives into accessible formats and lead initiatives that connect art, place, and public understanding.
Selected projects
Cultural-historical site analysis · 2024–2025
How can the colours and forms of buildings convey a history and give a place its identity? Developed in collaboration with Svalbard Museum, Visit Svalbard, Longyearbyen Lokalstyre and the Sysselmesteren, the report creates a knowledge base for the management, planning and development of Longyearbyen — making cultural heritage visible as a value-creating resource.
Read more on LPO ArkitekterDebate article · Svalbardposten · 2026
Built in 1977, the pointed houses (spisshusene) of Longyearbyen are homes with flexible layouts and a distinctive colour palette developed by Grete Smedal in 1981. In this comment in Svalbardposten, I argue that these houses represent historical, aesthetic and liveability value — a living neighbourhood worth preserving, not a building plot awaiting development.
Read more in SvalbardpostenContact
artasawessel@gmail.com© 2026 Vibeke Wessel Finstad · Oslo