Saastamoinen foundation grants 1.3 million euros to strengthen international networks and research programmes in fine arts
Saastamoinen Foundation has granted over €1.3 million for 2026–2029 to the Academy of Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki. This complements the foundation’s earlier support of €1 million, awarded in 2024 for international residencies, bringing the total funding for the strategy period to €2.3 million. The funding strengthens the long-term partnership programme “International networks in fine arts,” which promotes international collaboration in the teaching and research of independent art.
The partnership programme celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Since 2015, it has enabled a wide range of collaborative projects, including artist residencies, mentoring for graduates, and research in art pedagogy.
“International collaboration is essential for the renewal of art and the development of professional skills. Through this programme, Saastamoinen Foundation seeks to broaden artists’ opportunities to work and build networks internationally, strengthening their presence and integration in the global contemporary art field,” says Marja Karttunen, Saastamoinen Foundation Board Member responsible for the partnership programme.
The additional funding of approximately €1.3 million will support mentoring activities, research in art pedagogy, and a new postdoctoral project titled Materiality as Part of the Ecological Transition in Art. The material research project will reinforce the Academy’s position as a pioneer in art materials research across various teaching areas and bring international attention to material knowledge in the era of the climate crisis.
“Saastamoinen Foundation is a visionary and strategic partner for the Academy of Fine Arts. Thanks to the foundation’s funding, the Academy has been able to expand the international networks, mobility, and collaborative projects of alumni artists and researchers. In the long term, this partnership strengthens the international visibility and impact of Finnish visual arts and its research,” says Leevi Haapala, Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts.
Supporting recent graduates is key to international breakthroughs
In the Academy’s mentoring programme, internationally successful artists, curators, and art professionals help recent graduates transition into professional life. Mentors provide individual guidance and feedback, visit students’ studios, engage in in-depth discussions, and open doors to the international art scene. The programme includes guided study trips and familiarisation with key actors in contemporary art presentation and dissemination. It strengthens students’ professional confidence and understanding of the international art environment.
Research in art pedagogy examines and develops ways in which generations of artists teach one another and reinforces the role of pedagogy in the University’s teaching. The new funding will allow this research to expand into the societal impacts of art pedagogy and its development within the Academy of Fine Arts.
“The goal of research in art pedagogy is to enhance the research-based nature of teaching and create sustainable structures that support the professional development and work-life skills of artists and teachers,” Haapala explains.
New postdoctoral project on material research
A researcher will be recruited through an international search for the new postdoctoral project Materiality as Part of the Ecological Transition in Art (2026–2029). The postdoctoral researcher will act as a key link across the Academy’s teaching areas and bring an international perspective to the material practices of art. The project aims to deepen knowledge of the history and ecological dimensions of art materials, develop sustainable and recyclable material processes, and strengthen collaboration with international art academies. The selected postdoctoral researcher will facilitate discussions across teaching areas and enhance the status of material research through their own work and international networks.
Broad support for the international development of art
Other projects funded in 2025 include the lecture series Saastamoinen Foundation Keynote in Arts, research on analogue imagery, the Visiting Professors programme, and the Media Art Histories conference. The approximately €1 million awarded in autumn 2024 is directed to fully funded residencies for Academy alumni for 2026–2029, offering recent graduates the opportunity to work in internationally recognised residencies in Amsterdam, New York, Scotland, and Toronto.
“We aim to strengthen artistic practice in a comprehensive way, supporting research, education, and artists’ access to international networks and opportunities. Our goal is to create conditions in which artists can grow, evolve, and contribute as a vital part of the international art field,” Karttunen concludes.