Hosts

Dr. Maria Huhmarniemi is an artists-teacher-researcher living in Rovaniemi, Finland / Muodoslomolo, Sweden. She works as a university lecturer in art education and in the Masters´ degree program for the Arctic Art and Design, in the University of Lapland, Faculty of Art and Design. She is contemporary artist in field of environmental art, community art and installation art. She is a chairperson for the Artists´ Association of Lapland (since 2012) and a member of the Finnish Bio-art Association and the Artists´ Association Muu.

Tomi Aho is a Special Advisor at the Arts Promotion Centre Finland since 2007. In the Centre he works as a coordinator for the development program for cultural diversity and mobility. He started his journey at the Arts Promotion Centre Finland in 2002 as a regional artist/producer. During his career he has created and implemented several international multidisciplinary projects, especially in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. He has worked as a project leader, chairperson and an expert in several EU funded project steering groups. He is a member in Barents Joint Working Group on Culture (JWGC). He was also as a member in the Open method of coordination (OMC) Working Group of European Union Member States Experts on Artists` Residencies.

Katja Rakkolainen is currently working as a project coordinator in Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Rovaniemi, Lapland. She has been working in the arts and cultural sector for 12 years. In her previous position as a regional artist she handled various arts projects in the Barents Euro Arctic region and collaborated with numerous artists organizations and cultural institutions. Her wide range of interests in arts sector include among other arts and wellbeing, art therapy and creativity management.

Moira Douranou is currently working as Communication Designer for the Arctic Arts Summit 2019. Prior to this, she was working at the Service Design Organization (SDN) in Cologne, Germany. She holds a MA in Arctic Art & Design within the intersection of Applied Visual Arts and Service Design from the University of Lapland, and a BA in Interior Architecture, Decorative Arts & Design from the TEI of Athens. Since 2016 she participates in socially-engaged art projects within international collaborations. Moira has lured by the Arctic region and the indigenous people since 2010 and has lived, worked and studied in Rovaniemi, Finland and Yakutsk, Russia. Her interest lies on the tangible and intangible, human and non-human structures. She believes in people and networking in order to evoke, manage and achieve social change.