Theme: Art and Design

Dissertation: The presence of absence through an artist's photographic vision

28.5.2025 13:30

The doctoral dissertation by Michael Marnin Jacobs, MA, explores how the presence of absence created by post-memory, personal and collective trauma can be approached through an artist's vision. Fine art photography proves to have an ability to bridge the personal to the collective memory and to create a space for reflection and understanding.

Portrait of Kiwoong Nam with his arms crossed on his chest. Photo: Ville Rinne.

Business Finland funding for research of employee-centric workplace

6.5.2025 11:51

The Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland has received a Business Finland funding of 198,100 euros as a part of a joint project which will study the employee-centric workplace, particularly from the perspectives of hybrid work, digital applications, leadership and employee experience. The research project at the University of Lapland will be led by Dr Kiwoong Nam, University Lecturer for the SDSI Master's degree programme, in the Service Design Research Group.

Architectural-Proposal-FeltedFutures-Model-by-Ahmadi-Hanieh-kuva-Cervantes2024_550x367px.jpg

A team from the Faculty of Art and Design won the This is Bioeconomy design competition

2.4.2025 16:00

A team from the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland has won the international This is Bioeconomy award. Their winning concept explores the use of raw wool in rural tourism environments.

Nature Photographs of the Year 2024 can be seen in Arktikum Science Centre

25.3.2025 15:02

The Nature Photograph of the Year is a unique and perfectly captured photo of a flock of ruffs. Last year's most amazing nature photos are on display at Arktikum Science Centre until the end of May.

Sámi National Day Week is celebrated at the University of Lapland with Sámi short films

31.1.2025 10:41

In celebration of Sámi National Day Week, new Sámi short films will be screened at the University of Lapland on Thursday 6 February at 2 pm in the Esko and Asko Hall. The event is open to everyone and free of charge - welcome bures boahtin!

Maria Huhmarniemi sits by the table in a homely environment.

Maria Huhmarniemi appointed as UArctic Chair in Arctic Art and Design

27.1.2025 12:25

Maria Huhmarniemi, Associate Professor of Art Education, has been appointed as UArctic Chair in Arctic Art and Design. The appointment is for a five-year period 2025–2029.

Over five million euros of funding for the MAGICS initiative from the Research Council of Finland

10.12.2024 10:30

The MAGICS infrastructure – a consortium of six Finnish universities – is accepted to the roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures and consequently receives 5.3-million-euro funding for the years 2025–2029 from the Research Council of Finland. The University of Lapland participates in the MAGICS infrastructure at the intersection of design, art, and technology. With the new project, cutting-edge research infrastructure in Lapland will be developed with one million euros.

Relate North symposium highlights new genre Arctic art and design education

16.10.2024 13:15

The annual Relate North symposium and exhibition brings together art and design educators to discuss the evolving field of Arctic art education and the role of art and design higher education in the context of sustainability transformations and transitions. The event will take place at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi and online on 4–7 November 2024.

Textile art exhibition by our students at Lappia Hall

25.4.2024 16:27

The "Väreillä väreillä" exhibition brings the colorful works by our students of textile art to the Lappia Hall in Rovaniemi. The exhibition features a wide and versatile collection of textile artworks made with different techniques, united by a common theme: color. The exhibition is open between 29 April and 19 May.

The work of visual artists is changing: The University of Lapland is a partner in an education project

15.4.2024 13:59

The socio-economic status of visual artists is low, and their work is often project-based. Technological developments require artists to be innovative. New digital platforms and artificial intelligence in the visual arts require artists to have project management and digital skills. The Expanded Field of Visual Artists' Income and Work (KUVATA) project, implemented by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, the University of Lapland, and Globe Art Point, addresses these new skills needs.

Arctic Design Week goes Campus highlights Arctic design 18–24 March 2024

13.3.2024 14:00

This year, the northernmost design festival in the world returns to its roots at the University of Lapland. Arctic Design Week goes Campus brings together interesting exhibitions, lectures, workshops and a fashion show.

Shifting Ground – Muuttuva maa at the Rovaniemi Art Museum

9.2.2024 15:45

The exhibition "Shifting Ground – Muuttuva maa" at the Rovaniemi Art Museum is a result of a five-year interdisciplinary and experimental art and research project called "Shifting Ground: Mapping Energy, Geography and Communities in the North", funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The exhibition will run until May 19.

A caption of the cover of the publication Relate North. Possible Futures. Edited by Glen Coutts & Timo Jokela.

A new book about art and design education and research in the Arctic and Northern regions

11.1.2024 12:13

The publication "Relate North. Possible Futures" edited by Professor Glen Coutts and Professor Timo Jokela examines art and design education, research and information exchange in the Arctic and Northern regions. The publication also reflects on other themes relevant to these regions, such as the socio-cultural and geopolitical dimensions of living in Northern and remote areas.

Embroidered Stances in the Craft Museum of Finland – the new exhibition revitalises Nordic wool embroidery through the lens of craftivism

11.1.2024 7:24

The Embroidered Stances exhibition breathes new life into the tradition of blanket embroidery, placing it within a contemporary societal context. The exhibition will be shown in the Craft Museum of Finland from the 13th of January to the 7th of April in 2024.

Dissertation: Visual Literacy Supports Young People's Creativity and Visual Competencies

8.12.2023 9:00

MA Amna Qureshi investigates in her dissertation how frequent engagement with visual literacy can enhance youth’s creative mindsets and provide them with a visual voice that supports their visual competencies. She seeks ways to enhance youth's visual competencies through visual literacy and explores how arts-based methods can aid in grasping the prototype ‘Visual Design Thinking Model’ outlined in her research.

Professor Glen Coutts re-elected as president of the International Society for Education through Art

1.9.2023 14:03

Glen Coutts, professor of applied visual arts education, has been re-elected as president of the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) for a two-year term of 2023–2025. Professor Coutts has served as president of InSEA for two previous terms in 2019–2023.

Collaboration between Art and Science in Forest Nature Restoration Project

4.8.2023 8:00

Observation of Change is a collaborative art project rooted in Nordic collaboration, intertwined with a nature restoration initiative titled "Observation - An Observation of Change" in the picturesque Junkerdal area of Saltdal municipality, Norway. The restoration endeavors to aid nature and grapples with the intricacies of collaboration between humans and the diverse elements of the natural world. This artistic approach fosters meaningful dialogues between artists and scientists, as well as contemplation on the transformations occurring in the Nordic Arctic region.

Dissertation: Holistic understanding of elderly's earlier life experiences could improve their care services

29.5.2023 9:00

Shaohua Pan, MA, investigates in his dissertation how the elderly's earlier life experiences could be considered in designing their current care and more appropriate services.

Dissertation: Drama as a tool to raise awareness of dementia

25.5.2023 12:55

In her dissertation, Abimbola Alao explores how to raise the awareness of frontotemporal dementia within the Nigerian immigrant community in the UK by using drama as an educational tool.

Blossoms of Anthemis tinctoria on a wool sample dyed with them. Photo: Jenni-Liisa Yliniva, 2023.

The cultural tradition of colors and dyeing is combined with the latest technology in an EU-funded project

6.4.2023 14:30

The degree programme in Fashion, Textile Art and Material Studies takes part in an extensive project that combines the cultural tradition of colorants and textile dyeing with the development of new dyeing technologies and bio-based dyes. The international project is financed by the European Union's Horizon Europe framework programme.