Minna Kangasmaa
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Minna Kangasmaa elected as chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations.
Sculptor Minna Kangasmaa from Oulu has been elected as the new chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations (SKjL). Minna Kangasmaa's two-year term as chairperson of SKjL began on 1 January 2016.
NEW CHAIRPERSON OF THE UNION OF FINNISH ART ASSOCIATIONS MINNA KANGASMAA
Sculptor Minna Kangasmaa from Oulu has been elected as the new chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations (SKjL). Kangasmaa is a member of the Finnish Sculptors' Association and the Oulu Artists' Association -63. She has served as the chairperson of the Oulu Artists' Association, among other things. Kangasmaa has particularly advocated for the development of artists' livelihoods and employment. She was the developer and project manager of the Oulu Artists' Workshop, Finland's first artists' employment project established under the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Oulu, in 1994-1999. Kangasmaa's guiding principle has been to make the profession of an artist an everyday thing and thereby strengthen the artist's position in terms of social security.
Minna Kangasmaa's two-year term as chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations began on 1 January 2016. According to her, SKjL has its own important niche in the art world. "SKjL's role is precisely that, through its 50 member associations, artists who are not personal members of other national organizations also come under the umbrella of the Finnish Artists' Association. I see that SKjL's significance lies in its collective power."
The Union of Finnish Art Associations' central task is to protect the regional interests of visual artists. SKjL strives to even out differences in the livelihoods, work opportunities, and exposure of different visual arts genres and visual arts services for visual artists living in different parts of our country. Kangasmaa believes that the challenge for SKjL in terms of tasks is to eliminate overlapping activities with the Finnish Artists' Association and other associations.
“It would also be good for SKjL to profile itself through its member associations and thus find the tasks that are important and topical. It is clear that something needs to be developed to improve the employment opportunities of artists, especially if social security is further weakened. SKjL can at least make the work of visual artists known. By highlighting information about the activities of its member associations and the galleries, art lending agencies and residencies they maintain, it can also promote the integration of visual arts into society. In my opinion, art unfortunately often only has social significance when it can be harnessed as a promoter of the economy and other goods. Art has lost a lot of its intrinsic value. Art is now fighting a hard battle for its share. In order for art to survive, it is important to be able to unite the diverse fields of art, and this is where the importance of collective power comes into play. I believe that art and artists will survive if the actors in the field know how to combine a wide range of the common interests of the authors.”
NEW CHAIRPERSON OF THE UNION OF FINNISH ART ASSOCIATIONS MINNA KANGASMAA
Sculptor Minna Kangasmaa from Oulu has been elected as the new chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations (SKjL). Kangasmaa is a member of the Finnish Sculptors' Association and the Oulu Artists' Association -63. She has served as the chairperson of the Oulu Artists' Association, among other things. Kangasmaa has particularly advocated for the development of artists' livelihoods and employment. She was the developer and project manager of the Oulu Artists' Workshop, Finland's first artists' employment project established under the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Oulu, in 1994-1999. Kangasmaa's guiding principle has been to make the profession of an artist an everyday thing and thereby strengthen the artist's position in terms of social security.
Minna Kangasmaa's two-year term as chairperson of the Union of Finnish Art Associations began on 1 January 2016. According to her, SKjL has its own important niche in the art world. "SKjL's role is precisely that, through its 50 member associations, artists who are not personal members of other national organizations also come under the umbrella of the Finnish Artists' Association. I see that SKjL's significance lies in its collective power."
The Union of Finnish Art Associations' central task is to protect the regional interests of visual artists. SKjL strives to even out differences in the livelihoods, work opportunities, and exposure of different visual arts genres and visual arts services for visual artists living in different parts of our country. Kangasmaa believes that the challenge for SKjL in terms of tasks is to eliminate overlapping activities with the Finnish Artists' Association and other associations.
“It would also be good for SKjL to profile itself through its member associations and thus find the tasks that are important and topical. It is clear that something needs to be developed to improve the employment opportunities of artists, especially if social security is further weakened. SKjL can at least make the work of visual artists known. By highlighting information about the activities of its member associations and the galleries, art lending agencies and residencies they maintain, it can also promote the integration of visual arts into society. In my opinion, art unfortunately often only has social significance when it can be harnessed as a promoter of the economy and other goods. Art has lost a lot of its intrinsic value. Art is now fighting a hard battle for its share. In order for art to survive, it is important to be able to unite the diverse fields of art, and this is where the importance of collective power comes into play. I believe that art and artists will survive if the actors in the field know how to combine a wide range of the common interests of the authors.”