Introduction of the Artistic Committee: Taina Erävaara

A five-member artistic committee is responsible for the artistic quality and content of the KampusART arts programme. Their task is to prepare the presentations of artworks for the new building and its surroundings to the steering group.

Taina Erävaara is the chairperson of the artistic committee. She worked as the Head of Fine Arts at Turku University of Applied Sciences/Arts Academy in 2008–2014. Since 2015, Erävaara has worked as the Head of Education and Research in the Fine Arts and Arts Academy’s MA programs. Erävaara has been a project manager and curator for many RDI projects, such as the Contemporary Self-Portraits project. She is also a member of the Board of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Varsinais-Suomi Regional fund and a member of the Paradox Fine Art European Forum steering group.

What do you expect for the KampusART arts programme?

I hope that the KampusART arts programme will produce a magnificent collection of contemporary art with artworks by both professional artists and art students. A whole that interests both nationally and internationally. The goal is that during the arts programme, we have succeeded in piloting new ways of acquiring public art and expanding public art practices to performative and participatory forms of art. The aim is to ensure that the life cycle of the arts programme is as long as possible and that good operating models are used in other construction projects.

I expect that during the arts programme the professional skills in public art of students at the Arts Academy have increased and we have developed the pedagogy of public art. The goal is to get new international partners and launch open international public art competitions for both professionals and students. I hope that the arts programme will reflect current social phenomena: KampusART’s works of art and inclusive events and performances will address the issues of sustainable development and ecology. They encourage to acknowledge fellow human beings, slow down the development of social inequality and create a culture of constructive interaction.

What public artwork has impressed you and why?

We visited Stockholm to get familiar with the arts programme in Karolinska Institute, the medical university in May 2017. The first aid station’s reception hall features a light artwork Puls (2016) by David Svensson, describing the heart curve of the artist’s first child. The work is an excellent example of a site-specific public artwork that combines private and public. This also makes the artwork easy to approach. Puls is a visually exquisite piece of contemporary art that takes into consideration the place and the context in an elegant way.