"Our focus now includes enhancing the open-air museum and making it more prominent," says Mikke Ejrevi.
Finding Nordanå and Skellefteå museum is a rite of passage for many newcomers.
When you first find this green (well, in the summer!), hilly area with huge, characterful buildings, it’s enchanting. The children’s play area is inventive and fun, the buildings spacious and, as well as the science-for-kids Exploratoriet, there’s Skellefteå museum which offers some fascinating exhibitions and creative workshops for children and adults alike. It’s an oasis of pure civility, just west of the city center.
And now it has a new CEO, 47-year-old Mikke Ejrevi, who is a very tall man with a plan. For 12 years he was in charge of the city libraries, a job he found very fulfilling.
– I've always been drawn to the democratic aspect of our society, the part where you work towards improving the community, he says, and continues:
– It's the freedom to make a real difference for many people that excites me. Libraries, in particular, hold a special place in my heart. As a former Swedish teacher with a love for reading, I cherish the openness of libraries. They are spaces where everyone is welcome, free to come and go without the pressure to buy anything.
But after more than a decade in the role, during which time he oversaw the moving of the city library into Sara kulturhus, Ejrevi was starting to feel like it was time for another challenge. And then the museum job popped up.
– It was perfect timing. It fitted with my desire to make a positive contribution to our community, he says.
He’s only been in the job since the autumn and is already very impressed with the staff he inherited.
– The museum staff have achieved a lot over the years, and some aspects are best left untouched, Ejrevi says and continues:
– But I'm confident we'll discover new opportunities together. Nordanå has been a little underused because some people think it’s too far out of the city center. But I think that will change because it has tremendous potential. Our focus now includes enhancing the open air museum and making it more prominent, along with immediate changes like opening the café, which is central to our operation.
Does he have any plans to improve the museum’s English-language offerings?
– I saw this travel magazine recently, which was recommending 10 markets to visit in Europe, and in 10th place was our Nordanå Christmas market. That wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for this big expansion, so I’m hugely thankful to newcomers, he says.
"Our goal for our exhibitions is to ensure that all textual content is available in English. " Ejrevi says.
His plan to make the museum more inclusive to English speakers is multifaceted.
– Our first ambition is for all marketing and information about our events and exhibitions to be translated into English. At this year's Christmas market, for example, we worked particularly hard to make the event more accessible by consistently using English to a greater extent in our information and communication. We want to continue with this work in all of our upcoming events.
Then there are plans to increase the use of English in museum exhibitions.
– Our goal for our exhibitions is to ensure that all textual content is available in English. This includes written translations adjacent to the original Swedish texts, as well as the option to access translations on personal devices through QR codes.
The museum offers guided tours in English in the Storsia and Kågegården exhibitions and Ejrevi’s aim is to provide all the museum’s guided tours in English.
– We also plan to expand our lectures and for workshops for adults and kids to include sessions in English several times a year. We're also exploring the concept of special open days when English is the primary language throughout the museum. On these days, all activities at the Skellefteå museum would be conducted in English, ideally in collaboration with partners to encompass the broader Nordanå area. We want to spread the message that the museum can help us face the future through knowledge of our history to all residents.
Finally, with Sara now a prime destination for culture in the city center, how will the museum and Nordanå differentiate their activities?
– Sara is where most of the big shows and events and exhibitions are. Here in Nordanå, we have that, too, but we also have room for smaller events, and we can help people find their own creative path. If you want to be an artist Nordanå could be your first stage, so that you might one day end up performing or exhibiting at Sara.
Skellefteå museum, at Nordanå, tucked away to the west of Skelleteå city center, is a somewhat unheralded gem many newcomers are thrilled to find.