The National Gallery of Iceland receives a grant from the Icelandic innovation fund for schools

The National Gallery of Iceland recently received a grant of just over 4 million ISK to support the development of its educational programming and continued collaboration with the Icelandic departments of Ingunnarskóli and Austurbæjarskóli in connection with the exhibition Stand Still and Turn to Stone! Folktales in Art.

The project, titled Where Stories Meet, builds on work from recent semesters in which the museum and the schools have collaborated on developing workshops and interpretive programming at the museum.

The focus is on communicating the nation’s artworks, with the aim of providing new Icelanders studying in Icelandic language departments with access to the museum, while also developing new methods—together with teachers—for language learning, artistic creation, and expression, using the museum as a learning environment.

The folktales were selected with the idea in mind that every country has its own folktales and fairy tales. This creates a foundation for sharing experiences and diverse cultural backgrounds in a positive way.

The exhibition Stand Still and Turn to Stone! at the House of Collections on Hverfisgata supports the project, along with a publication of the same name written for teachers at all school levels working with the subject of folktales. The outcomes of the project will have long-term value for children across the country through the National Gallery of Iceland’s strong educational and outreach work.

Here you can see photos from the opening of an art exhibition at the House of Collections featuring works by students from the Icelandic departments of Ingunnarskóli and Austurbæjarskóli, who have worked with the museum in recent months in connection with the folktale exhibition. The student group consists of children aged 10–16 who collectively speak 16 languages.

We would like to thank the fund for the grant, as well as the teachers and students for their collaboration, and we will continue to share our cultural heritage with future generations at the National Gallery of Iceland.

We also encourage teachers and others interested to visit the exhibition and explore the new educational material. Stattu og vertu að steini! - Þjóðsögur í myndlist

The exhibition is located in the building’s reading room and runs through March 29, 2026.