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Maria Huhmarniemi sits by the table in a homely environment.
As UArctic Chair, Maria Huhmarniemi is particularly interested in promoting the development of Arctic art, and art education, and the use of art-based methods to meet the societal needs of the Arctic region.

Maria Huhmarniemi appointed as UArctic Chair in Arctic Art and Design

27.1.2025

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.

UArctic Chairs are highly qualified academics nominated by the University of the Arctic. They serve as academic drivers in a broad area of relevance to the Arctic. They implement and drive collaborative actions in research and education among UArctic members and thematic networks, and build partnerships with the broader Arctic community.

Maria Huhmarniemi is Vice Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design and Associate Professor of Art Education at the University of Lapland. She is dedicated to art and research that promotes cultural vitality, creative industries, art education and cultural sustainability in the Arctic region.

The forms and debates of Arctic art are included in Huhmarniemi's research interests.

"Research on Arctic art aims to increase the recognition and appreciation of the specific characteristics of art and culture in the northern regions; to launch sustainability transformations; and to support cooperation between Indigenous peoples and other cultural groups in the art and cultural fields," Huhmarniemi explains.

Special attention to wide-ranging cooperation

As UArctic Chair, Maria Huhmarniemi is particularly interested in promoting the development of Arctic art, and art education, and the use of art-based methods to meet the societal needs of the Arctic region.

"In addition to established forms of contemporary art, Arctic art refers to traditional and craft art, winter art and films that describe, interpret, give meaning to or commodify Arctic nature and culture in the spirit of sustainable development," Huhmarniemi clarifies.

As an expert in Arctic art education, she defines her own goal as promoting cooperation between networks of art and education, art and research, and art and science.

"My aim is to support the well-being and resilience of Arctic communities through action research and community-based art. I want to promote collaboration between graduate students, doctoral students and representatives from arts and cultural institutions," she says.

She also wants to contribute to strengthening research cooperation between the UArctic networks in the fields of arts and tourism and to jointly develop research-based education.

"Art- and culture-based projects have the potential to enhance the cultural, social and environmental responsibility of tourism. The University of Lapland has a long tradition of cooperation between art and tourism, which can be further expanded in the context of Arctic cooperation," says Huhmarniemi.

Huhmarniemi has a special interest in cooperation between art and natural science, too. She is currently involved in the Observations of Change art project, where artists are working in residencies in a Norwegian national park in collaboration with the Adde Zetterquist art gallery. It is located in the nature centre of Nordland National Park.

"Several other Arctic national parks have nature centres with accommodation and exhibition spaces. My aim is to expand cooperation with national park organisations in the field work of art, research and education. This could include Arctic summer and winter schools, artist residencies and interdisciplinary meetings," Huhmarniemi envisages.

"In addition, UArctic members' strong expertise in climate change research and knowledge of Arctic nature provide exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences, which the UArctic Chair position can foster."

In addition to her new role as UArctic Chair, Maria Huhmarniemi is the Director of the Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design (ASAD) research network which is one of the UArctic thematic networks. The ASAD network aims to identify and share innovative practices in teaching, learning and research in art, design and visual culture. The ASAD network includes around 30 art and design universities in the Arctic region. Maria Huhmarniemi continues the work of Professor Emeritus Timo Jokela, who was the founder and former director of ASAD for ten years.

Further information:

Maria Huhmarniemi, Associate Professor, UArctic Chair
firstname.lastname (at) ulapland.fi
About UArctic Chairs at UArctic webpages
About the ASAD network