In our actual context, higher education is facing major challenges, like budget cuts and the possibility of tuition fees for non-European students. Therefore, more barriers to access are created. The intervention ‘Visitors’ Portraits’ is a political-poetical statement, thinking about gates and gatekeeping. Though the doors of higher education institutions are open, what keeps many from entering? Through a combination of questions that can portray a visitor’s imaginary about a situated art field (a specific art school, the access to culture and education in a context), we made an intervention-action in our current institution, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, during its Open Day to Visitors 2022. Henriksen Schia and Santillán will connect with participants, offering them a portrait, and share a conversation about their relationship with the place, including their thoughts about access to higher education and the future they envision for themselves and the university.

Questions we asked

• What was your first contact with art?
• What brought you here?
• Who do you think have acess to higher art eduaction?
• What is your wish for the future of this intitution?

------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------