Sara Sandström, the executive director of The Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation, has been interviewed by Västerbottens-Kuriren. Parts of the interview, large parts of it tell about Sara's career before the Foundation:
The seed for the Foundation was perhaps already sown in 2005, when Galleri Andersson/Sandström started the Market Art Fair in Stockholm. Daniel visited the Fair and they talked about art and about the gallery's activities in Umeå. Daniel has a genuine interest in art, it's one of his three interests, next to work for children and young people's health in Generation Pep and young entrepreneurship in Prince Daniel's Fellowship. Victoria and Daniel visited Sara and Stefan Andersson at the Umeå gallery in 2014. They returned in the summer to see the sculpture park. An interest in creating something similar in Stockholm was expressed. Could you imagine a collaboration at the Royal Djurgården? Send a letter, urged Daniel, and we'll see. This was done and the Court called Sara and Andersson for a meeting which resulted in a collaboration for three years. The Gallery and Royal Djurgården Administration presented three exhibitions in the Rosendal area. That aroused enthusiasm for continued collaboration.
In 2019 it was difficult to arrange a larger exhibition because of a construction, but the idea was too good to let go, thought the court and Daniel, who called Sara and Andersson to a new meeting and presented the idea of a new, Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation. Continuing the private collaboration was impossible for the court. The offer to start the Foundation's work was presented to Sara, with the demand to leave the gallery. Being able to participate and create something from scratch was an incredible opportunity to continue working with what Sara enjoys.
The Foundation started from scratch with steady funding with the private donations. The first exhibition was one of the few events that benefited from the pandemic's restrictions. Alice Aycock's six works were exhibited in 2020, one of which was purchased for the park and laid a foundation for the growing sculpture park they have the ambition to build. The focus in the selection of artists is to find the most interesting, not the biggest names. An artistic council helps Sara and the board approves the purchases.
Accessibility and openness are the 65-hectare park's main assets, with 15 million visits a year. It is already a beloved place. For some the sculptures are a surprising bonus but when you place works outdoors to create a new significant cultural destination in the long term, materials and selection must not disturb the environment or the residents.
Sara Sandström är Dorotea-dottern som efter en framgångsrik karriär som gallerist i dag arbetar direkt under Kungahuset. Men drivet är detsamma; att låta konsten rita om linjerna i världen lite.
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