News

Central Arts Council announces names, roles and numbers of members for national arts councils

Seven national arts councils shall make decisions about state grants, subsidies and awards in 2017-18. Each national arts council shall have between 9 and 12 members. Publishing Manager Saara Tiuraniemi has been appointed Vice-Chair of the Central Arts Council.

The national arts councils for the next two-year term in 2017-18 are as follows:

National Council for Architecture and Design, which covers the fields of architecture and design. The council has a chairperson and nine other members.

National Council for Audiovisual Art, which covers the fields of cinema, media art, and light and sound art. The council has a chairperson and ten other members.

National Council for the Performing Arts, which covers the fields of theatre, performance and live art, dance and circus. The council has a chairperson and eleven other members.

National Council for Literature, which covers the fields of literature and art journalism. The council has a chairperson and ten other members. Two of the members are Swedish-speaking Finns.

National Council for Music, which covers the field of music. The council has a chairperson and nine other members.

National Council for Mobility and Diversity in the Arts, which covers the fields of multidisciplinary art, multiculturalism and international activities. The council has a chairperson and eight other members. Six of the members are chairpersons or vice-chairs of the other national arts councils, and at least two are chairpersons or vice-chairs of regional arts councils. The work of the council supports expertise in multiculturalism.

National Council for the Visual Arts, which covers the fields of visual art, photographic art, comics, illustrations and environmental art. The council has a chairperson and eleven other members.

“The Central Arts Council emphasised that expertise should be ensured in the work of the national arts councils, especially in those that cover a broad range of disciplines. The expertise of their members can be reinforced where needed with the expertise of members of other national arts councils or other art experts,” says Risto Ruohonen, Chair of the Central Arts Council.

Each council shall elect a subcommittee to prepare peer reviews for grant and subsidy decisions. All members of the council shall be represented on the subcommittee. The subcommittees may be convened with broader representation or smaller representation covering a specific field of the arts as required to prepare the peer reviews.

Each council and subcommittee may call on the assistance of members of other regional arts councils or national arts councils primarily, as well as other art experts secondarily, as outside experts.

There are 13 regional arts councils whose roles and names are stipulated by law. Each regional arts council has 7 to 12 members, as in the previous term, as decided by the Central Arts Council.

Each council may call on the assistance of members of other regional arts councils or national arts councils primarily, as well as other art experts secondarily, as outside experts.

The regional arts councils for the next two-year term in 2017-18 are as follows:

  • Arts Council of Central Finland, 8 members
  • Arts Council of Häme, 9 members
  • Arts Council of Lapland, 9 members
  • Arts Council of North Karelia, 7 members
  • Arts Council of North Savo, 8 members
  • Arts Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, 9 members
  • Arts Council of Ostrobothnia, 9 members
  • Arts Council of Pirkanmaa, 9 members
  • Arts Council of Satakunta, 7 members
  • Arts Council of South Savo, 7 members
  • Arts Council of Southeast Finland, 8 members
  • Arts Council of Uusimaa, 12 members
  • Arts Council of Varsinais-Suomi, 9 members

Each year the national arts councils process more than 9000 applications and the regional arts council almost 4000 applications addressed to the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The roles of the councils have no effect on the amount of funding allocated for each artform. Each year the Arts Promotion Centre Finland distributes 34 million euros to support the arts and culture. Approximately 60 percent of this sum is covered by lottery funds.

The Central Arts Council is an expert body of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland that decides on the roles, names and numbers of the national arts councils. It also appoints the members to the national and regional arts councils. The Central Arts Council shall decide on the membership of these councils at its meeting in October.

Further information: Minna Sirnö, Director, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, t. +358 295 330 719, [email protected]