ON-LINE DISCUSSION Tuesday May 20th, 5 PM +2GMT

FUNDING CUTS
AND CENTRALIZATION IN THE ART ECOSYSTEM

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Contributors:
Minka Heino, Muu ry
Juha Huuskonen, Frame Contemporary Art Finland

Moderator: Tapio Mäkelä, Finnish Art Association

Comments from Germany, Sweden and Norway.

 

Link to the on-line discussion:  https://meet.google.com/gqu-mtai-ayg

Please set your micrphone and camera to mute, except when you want to queue in for a comment.

 

Art organization ecosystems are vibrant when they consist of a wide variety actors and agencies – with sufficient resources. During the last two years Finnish art scene has faced radical cuts across the sector. A common cut percentage for art organizations varies between 20-40 percent. When combined with inflation figures, the impact may result to a 50% reduction in their ability to function. 

 

State art funding agencies are likely to form a new bureau with significantly decreased peer review present in funding decision making. A scoping study is going to be published in June, discussing a roadmap for several national arts organizations to become one. Reduction of resources coincides with a push for centralization. What are the motives behind this, or are there any?

 

Juha Huuskonen has been a central voice during the Spring 2025 commenting significant cuts in the national funding of visual arts organizations. He will discuss the wider implications the funding cuts have had on the arts ecosystem. 

Minka Heino represents Artist Association Muu, one of the orgs that have been participating in a ”roadmap” scoping study. The study looks at unification of several arts organizations into a larger body. What would be the benefits of such a transformation, and what may be lost in the process?

 

Frame Contemporary Art Finland is an advocate for Finnish contemporary art. Frame supports international initiatives, facilitates professional partnerships, and encourages critical development of the field through grants, visitor programme and curator residencies, seminars and talks, exhibition collaborations and network platforms. 

 

Artist Association MUU, founded in 1987, is a national interdisciplinary art organization that represents and promotes new media art in Finland. MUU supports the professional identity, working conditions, education, training and networking of artists.
 

Finnish Arts Association is a 179-year-old resilient organization, which once started professional visual arts education and exhibitions in Finland. Today, the association provides grants and awards and acts as an independent organization in support of the visual arts.

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