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Arts education spring seminar: Arts education as a societal resource in times of crisis, 18 May 2026

STTS will organise the traditional spring seminar in collaboration with the Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland during UNESCO Arts Education Week. The theme of the seminar is Arts education as a societal resource in times of crisis.
 
The seminar will be held in hybrid format. We encourage everyone who is able to attend in person in Otaniemi!
 
Time and place: Monday 18 May 2026, 1–4 pm, Aalto University, Undergraduate Centre, U523 Top Lounge, Otakaari 1 / Zoom.

Keynote lecture: Arts education for all: questions of inequality. Professor of Education Sonja Kosunen, University of Eastern Finland

Panel discussion: Heini Granberg (Aalto), Sara Ilveskorpi (Aalto), Aki Lintumäki (LY), Eeva Siljamäki (JYU) Tuulia Tuovinen (TaiY)

The seminar programme will be specified later.

Register for the seminar: via this link.

Equality and accessibility in arts education and hobbies: research and advocacy 21 May 2025

The Finnish observatory for arts and cultural education and The Finnish Society for Research in Art Education will organise a seminar during UNESCO’s International Arts Education Week. The aim is to share current research-based perspectives and advocacy viewpoints on equality and accessibility in arts education and hobbies.

Time: Wed 21 May 2025, 14:00–17:00 (starting with coffee service at 13:30)
Place: Theatre Academy, Auditorium 1, Haapaniemenkatu 6, Helsinki or Zoom

Programme:
13:30–14:00 Coffee service
14:00–14:05 Opening of the event
14:05–14:30 Hearing children’s voices: A qualitative study on the Finnish model for leisure activities

Associate Professor Risto Marttinen, George Mason University, United States

14:30–15:00 Preventing inequality through leisure activities: Observations from the Finnish model for leisure activities

Tiina-Maija Toivola, CEO, Me Foundation

15:00–15:15 Music education towards the 2030s: The ‘Future-proof educational culture’ project building the future of Finnish music education

Heli Koskinen, project coordinator, Association of Finnish Music Schools (Konservatorioliitto)

15:15–15:30 ‘More accessible hobby’ operating model guides the identification and removal of barriers to participation

Tetti Tuhkio, coordinator, Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centres

15:30–15:45 Break
15:45–15:55 Arts hobbies and social sustainability

Isto Turpeinen, senior adviser, Arts Promotion Centre Finland

15:55–16:05 Methods of literary art in special education to support linguistic and socio-emotional skills

Veera Kivijärvi-Lehvonen, doctoral researcher, University of Eastern Finland

16:05–16:15 Equality of disabled people in basic education in the arts in music institutes

Sanni Virta, MMus, Master of Music & MA, Master of Arts, Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki

16:15–16:25 Accessibility of arts education: Perspectives on early childhood dance education
Tuire Colliander and Maikki Uotila-Kraatz, doctoral candidates, Uniarts Helsinki
16:25–17:00 Panel discussion

UNESCO's guidelines on art and culture education and their significance for Finnish art education 24.5.2024

The Finnish Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education and The Finnish Society for Research in Art Education are organising a seminar on UNESCO's guidelines for arts and culture education in honour of International Arts Education Week. The seminar will be held in Auditorium 1 of the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy and can also be followed remotely. You will receive the link for online participation in the confirmation message following your registration.

Coffee will be served at the event. You are warmly welcome!

Time: Friday 24.5.2024 from 13:00 to 15:00
Place: University of the Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy, Auditorium 1, Haapaniemenkatu 6, Helsinki / Zoom

Programme:
13:00–13:15 Welcome and current news

Tuulikki Laes (Association for Arts Education Research in Finland), Eeva Anttila (The Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland)

13:15–14:00 UNESCO framework for Culture and Art Education – experiences from the perspectives of different countries and work to promote the framework in Finland.

Aleksi Valta (Association of Children’s Culture in Finland), Hanna Koskimies (the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland)

14:00–14:45 Joint work on the guidelines and discussion
14:45–15:00 Closing of the seminar, coffee service and next steps

Arts education and training in society: What kind of research is needed? 25 September 2023

The Finnish Society for Research in Art Education, the Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland and InSEA Finland are organising an autumn seminar, Arts education and training in society: What kind of research is needed?

Monday 25 September 2023, 10.00–16.00

Aalto University, Otakaari 1 U523 Conference room (right next to the metro station)

Morning Zoom connection 10.00–12.15

Participation is free of charge and the seminar is intended for everyone interested in the topic.

Finland has a strong cultural and educational foundation and unique opportunities to provide high-quality art education for all. Diverse research is carried out in the field and it is strongly linked to practice. Accessible arts education has been regarded as a prerequisite for a well-functioning society. As the values underpinning society change and resources become tighter, both basic and applied research will be needed in future, in order to provide evidence of the importance and impact of arts education.

Research and advocacy in arts education and training aim, among other things, to:

• strengthen the position of arts subjects in basic education, taking into account the diverse range of art forms
• develop cooperation between different actors as providers of arts and cultural education services
• improve equal opportunities to participate in arts and cultural education, and
• develop long-term research structures and their resourcing.

What kind of research in arts education is needed in order to achieve these goals? How should it be resourced and promoted? How can we ensure, on the one hand, the social impact of research and, on the other, an understanding of the broad significance of arts education? The advocacy organisations for arts education research invite actors in the field to discuss these questions on the basis of multidisciplinary presentations.

In the afternoon the work will continue in thematic workshops, where visions and main themes for arts education will be developed and made more concrete. Lunch will be offered to seminar participants.

Programme:
10.00–12.15

10.00 Welcome, Tuulikki Laes, University of the Arts Helsinki, and Anniina Suominen, Aalto University
Perspective on promoting arts education and training: what kind of research is needed in order to influence the position of arts education in society?

Introductory presentations and discussion:
10.15 Taru Koivisto, postdoctoral researcher, University of the Arts Helsinki
10.30 Eeva Siljamäki, postdoctoral researcher, University of Jyväskylä
10.45 Minna Karvonen, Director, the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland
11.00 Jussi-Pekka Rode, Business Policy Specialist, The Finnish Education Employers (Sivista)
11.15 Annika Lyytikäinen, Head of Social Advocacy, Kulta ry
11.30 Discussion
12.15–13.30 We offer lunch to seminar participants
13.30–15.30 Afternoon working groups / learning cafe method
15.30–16.00 Seminar wrap-up 

Art education, future, (despair) hope? seminar 23 May 2022

Spring seminar 2022 of the Finnish Society for Research in Art Education and the Finnish Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education

In cooperation with INSEA Finland and the CERADA research centre of the University of the Arts

Monday 23 May, 10.00–17.00 Theatre Academy, Auditorium 1 (Haapaniemenkatu 6, Helsinki) / Zoom

The seminar, organised during UNESCO’s International Arts Education Week, brings together art education researchers and art educators to discuss the pedagogy of hope in art education in today’s uncertain world. The seminar will feature talks from different research fields within art education. In the afternoon participants will have the opportunity to take part in workshops. The workshops approach the theme of hope from the perspectives of radical hope, peace education and the ecological crisis, among others.

The seminar language is Finnish. The seminar is free of charge for participants. Registration closes on 19 May 2022.