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HUS Art Committee and the Free Art School Collaborate on Public Art Curriculum

In the autumn semester of 2023, the HUS Art Committee and the Free Art School launched a collaborative public art planning and execution project for students of the Free Art School.

The project includes a series of public art courses and culminates in a public art competition for students.

As part of the collaboration, painter Mari Sunna and visual artist Aura Hakuri led a course that included painting in care homes, while visual artist Antti Oikarinen and painter Aki Turunen taught thematically related courses in autumn 2023. During the first weeks of the project, second- and third-year students visited the Paimio Sanatorium, guided by Oikarinen and painter Pauliina Turakka Purhonen.

The curriculum is supported by a public lecture series exploring public art from various perspectives, including its role in society and the practical aspects of creating public artworks.

Professor Seppo Seitsalo – member of the HUS Art Committee and board member of the Free Art School Support Association – spoke about the health and wellbeing effects of art. Art historian Markku Valkonen introduced students to the history of public painting in Finland. Taru Tappola, Head of Public Art at HAM (Helsinki Art Museum), presented Helsinki’s public art landscape and the museum’s work in the field.

Additionally, sculptor Benjamin Orlow and painters Tiina Pyykkinen and Aki Turunen gave students insight into their own experiences with public art commissions.

Free Art School Principal Elina Merenmies emphasises the importance of students learning the practices of public art:
“It would be wonderful if painters could increasingly take part in public art projects in the future.”

The project concludes in spring 2024 with a competition, from which HUS Art Committee will acquire the winning works for its collection.

“HUS has a substantial art collection that continues to grow. One of our priorities has been acquiring works by young artists,” says Professor Seitsalo.
“There is extensive research confirming the positive effects of art on health and wellbeing,” he adds.

Seitsalo believes that, inspired in part by the example set by HUS, art acquisitions for hospitals and care facilities have grown significantly across Finland. The committee’s work also draws international inspiration, as the HUS Art Committee is a participant in the Art in Hospitals project.