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In its review, the advisory board, together with the School and its departments, will consider how each department can achieve the next scientific and/or artistic level in their field and what kind of concrete actions are needed to achieve this. 

The advisory board visited Aalto campus in November 2024. A consolidated report of the results will be published in February 2025 and it will be available to staff and students. 

Here are some of the preliminary findings of the advisory board on Aalto ARTS.

Exceptional quality with limited resources

“Overall, we are deeply impressed by what we have read, heard, and observed. Aalto University and the School of Arts, Design and Architecture maintain an exceptionally high standard — placing you among the global elite in terms of facilities, organizational structure, and, above all, people. While there is always room for improvement, many of your current practices are exceptional, and you would do well to continue them as they are.

 “A recurring theme is that the School appear to be operating at the limit of what is achievable without additional resources or structural changes. Our general feedback, therefore, is to prioritize to maintain this high level rather than pushing to do more.

Fitting the School into University-wide frameworks

 “Another recurring issue is that the School does not always fit seamlessly into the broader frameworks and academic requirements of the University. Several indicators focus more on quantity than quality, which does not fully align with the School’s activities. Artists’ peer, and broader disciplinary, reputations normally depend on exhibitions, performances, screenings and other related, well-established practice-based dissemination methods. 

In addition, when faculty do publish in traditional scholarly modes, the right place to publish is not always the highest-ranking journal or publisher. 

AI and research

 “With AI in particular, it makes sense to support a research structure that will bring faculty from across the different departments together to address the challenges and possibilities that AI offers.

 
Defining common terms and frameworks to enhance strategic focus

“Regarding artistic research and/or practice-based research, we believe that the School is exceptionally well-positioned to establish themselves as the leading, or among the leading, academic institutions in this field internationally. The School has already established a doctoral school focused on artistic research, accordingly implemented doctoral regulations, and developed a structured framework for this activity. What remains is to make some strategic decisions across the School to define common terms and frameworks that can unify this focus, thereby fostering a collective endeavor that other parts of the University — and indeed other institutions — can also engage with and benefit from in the years to come.”

The recommendations of the report will be discussed in the School and departments during spring 2025.

For more information:

Development manager Sari Antila
sari.antila@aalto.fi
+358407583870