Recent projects

Two paintings were commissioned to eldery peoples´homes by the Artists Association of Lapland in Rovaniemi. The care institutions were Tapionkoti in Rovaniemi and Aaltorannan palvelutalo in Saarenkylä. The project was supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and city of Rovaniemi.

Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna, Monet vedet [A Number of Waters], 2019, 160 x 120 cm, Aaltorannan palvelutalo.

Eemil Karila, Muistojen joki [River of Memories], 2019, tempera ja öljymaali pellavalle, 150 cm x 200 cm, Tapionkoti, kuva: Arto Liiti

Dancer Titta Court and composer-musician Erling Fredriksson in care institution in Tornio. Photo by Jaakko Heikkilä.

Finnish Culture Fund granted the Artists Association of Lapland to produce artists´residencies in care institutions in Lapland. The support was 3000 Euro.

A large-scale development project—Environmental Art for Tourism was carried out at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland and the Artists Association of Lapland. The project aimed to increase the use of environmental art in tourism companies in Finnish Lapland. Business cooperation was sought in the project, whereby artists and experts in the university formed design teams. Content creation to the service ArtLocator was one the responsibilites of the AAL. (www.artlocator.io)

The publication of the project

The Art Gear project was run right after the period when the number of refugees and asylum seekers abruptly increased in Europe in 2015. Immigration in this form and to this extent also increased in Northern Finland. The project aimed to create spaces for new encounters and to tackle harmful social divisions and radicalisation of youth through arts-based action. Ultimately, its goal was to promote social justice by creating spaces for strengthening youth empowerment, agency and cohesion in a diversifying society. In this regard, the aim was to find ways for ‘bi-directional integration’, which refers to equalising access to cultural activities regardless of background for both locals and immigrants. Bi-directionality also refers to a mutual process in which the locals and immigrants are given support for integration into the new multi- and intercultural situation. The project was funded by the European Union, European Social Fund and led by the University of Lapland, Faculty of Art and Design.

Final publication of the project