International networks should be built for everyone’s benefit

When I thought about the biggest lesson I learned while working on Taike’s international strategy, two conversations in particular stood out to me. One was with a director of an organization who told me how their contacts had practically disappeared when the previous director left and had to be rebuilt from scratch, starting with collecting contact information. The other was an artist who had moved to Finland from abroad, describing how “stingy” people in Finland were when it came to sharing contacts. Both of these are stories that should no longer be heard in the arts and culture sector in 2025.

In June 2025, we published a strategic overview of how Taike’s internationalisation activities should be developed. I had the pleasure of working on it as Taike’s first internationalisation expert. Over the course of a year and a half, I heard thoughts and ideas from over a hundred professionals in Finland and abroad, organised various workshops and networking meetings, and brought international perspectives to Finland’s creative economy growth strategy. And more could have been done! The arts and culture sector is a broad field, and many professionals work with different forms of international activity, such as cultural export, business development, cultural diplomacy and international cooperation. Nevertheless, the interviews represented a significant number of artists, agents, funders, all information centres, cultural institutes, festivals, residencies and government representatives. Many different needs and wishes emerged from this sample, but a few themes stood out across all. 

We need more cross-sectoral interaction

First, there are a lot of players and activities promoting internationalisation of different art forms, but no one really knows the big picture. This is based on the same logic as with networks: Are we really not talking to each other? Or are we ONLY talking to each other, to the same people from the same field?

This partly explains why the wheels sometimes turn slowly. Many of the issues raised in the interviews in 2024-25 had been repeated in reports made a decade earlier. There’s also many interesting recent reports: the Ministry of Education and Culture has commissioned external evaluations of the information centres, cultural institutes and of course also of the Arts Promotion Centre. In our case, boosting international operations was a clear improvement proposal, which we worked on through the international strategy. 

The recent cultural policy report is in line with what emerged in Taike's consultations; more cross-sectoral cooperation structures are needed to promote internationalisation, also within public administration. One of the proposed measures is the creation of a cross-governmental internationalisation strategy, which would help to create a shared understanding of goals and funding. Various good models already exist in the Netherlands and Denmark, for example. One of the actions suggested in the recently published creative economy growth strategy is also a new model for promoting exports from the creative industries.

There are of course already a large number of benchmarkable success stories in Finland, and international networks play a major role in these. One current example is Ateneum, which operates as part of the National Gallery, and has been popular with the public and in the headlines thanks to its impressive international exhibitions. For example, the Helene Schjerfbeck exhibition that opened at The Met in New York in early December is part of the ‘Klassikot maailmalle’ project funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation; the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are also involved in the programme. Of course, the foundation for international success stories are the impactful, long-term networks built by the directors and staff.

Sharing contacts also benefits artists. In my interviews, the importance of “trailblazing artists” who have already opened international doors with their own work and who now share information with peers was highlighted. A concrete example might be recommending an agent or an introductory email here in Finland. Over-protecting contacts can easily increase gatekeeping, especially for artists outside the more established circles in Finland.

In June, Taike announced first plans to develop its international operations, some of which have already been set in motion and some that are in the planning stages. A new development grant to support reciprocal international networks was launched this autumn and the decisions will be announced in March. Strategic collaboration with information centres, cultural institutes and Business Finland also started this year. A mentoring pilot, and an internationalisation forum to increase networking and sharing of best practice are planned for 2026, as the new Finnish Arts and Culture Agency takes its first steps. International activities are also the theme of Taike and Cupore's new arts and culture barometer, and results from the survey are expected in the spring.

Who could you introduce your contacts to?

International relations require careful building and hard work in which interpersonal skills are important, as anyone who has ever succeeded in inviting a significant buyer or curator to Finland knows. However, we need to remember to learn from other similar countries and ensure that our organisations and the entire industry benefit from these contacts more strategically and longer-term.

For example, when working at the British Film Institute in London, I learned how essential it is to not let a contact lose touch with the organisation, even if personnel changes. While working as the Head of Finnish Film Affair, Finland’s export event of the audiovisual industry, I took this into practice by creating a new guest database. This ensured the entire team had information on how many times an international guest had visited Finland, what kind of invitation they had, and what meetings they had with Finnish production companies through us. Relationship management doesn’t always require an expensive contact management system, although many smaller arts and culture organisations would benefit from them as well.

Of course, you have to be mindful, and not all contact information can be shared directly. However, you can often quickly check this by asking in advance if making an introduction is alright. Part of my job as an internationalisation expert at Taike was also to connect people by e.g. tipping about organisations such as information centers or cultural institutes, communicating about international funding opportunities, or introducing artists. I am still happy to help with creating connections and networks. 

The next time you meet an interesting international contact in the elevator queue at a conference, think about who you could introduce them to.

The author worked as Taike’s Internationalisation Expert until summer 2025, with the task of facilitating the agency's strategic plan for international activities and bringing international perspectives to Finland’s creative economy growth strategy. She currently works as a Special Advisor in Taike’s funding unit.