Artist Pedagogy and Artistic Thinking: Perspectives and Practices
You are warmly welcome to the international research conference ‘Artist Pedagogy and Artistic Thinking: Perspectives and Practices’ on 27 – 29 August 2026 at the Sörnäinen campus. The online post-conference will be held on Friday 4 September 2026 (curated programme).
Vision statement
Among its many functions, art has a significant societal role in promoting new insights, a sense of community, and well-being. We believe that artists are societal change-makers and that nurturing their constructive growth in educational settings requires special attention. We are therefore interested in how artist pedagogies and artistic thinking can help shape our future in ever more uncertain times. As inequality, fragmentation, and polarisation continue to challenge our societies, how is our teaching responding and why?
This conference investigates current approaches to artist pedagogy and explores how artistic thinking both emerges from and influences teaching and education in the arts. It focuses on how pedagogies have changed and evolved in response to shifting concerns. At the same time, it examines what we have held on to and why and asks how artist pedagogy should develop to meet future societal circumstances and challenges.
For the purpose of this conference, artist pedagogy is understood as the practice through which artists teach future generations of artists both in higher education and in other post-secondary settings, as well as the theorization of these practices. Artistic thinking is referred to as the knowing that informs and emerges from processes of creating art. This includes forms of tacit, embodied, practical, situated, reflexive, and reflective sense-making involved in conventional and unconventional approaches to artmaking and teaching art.
The conference Artist Pedagogy and Artistic Thinking: Perspectives and Practices addresses its thematics through a two-day live event at the premises of the Sörnäinen Campus of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. The live event includes two keynote addresses, presentations by conference delegates, and social gatherings. The online post-conference day happens a week after and is meant for retrospective reactions and reflections. The conference will offer a lively opportunity for exchange and feedback allowing participants to envision new approaches in and future opportunities for artist pedagogy in contextually diverse and cross-artistic educational settings.
Call for presentations
The conference welcomes contributions from researchers, professional artists, and artist pedagogues across the fields of the arts. We seek contributions in the form of posters and provocations, paper presentations, panels, lecture-demonstrations, workshares, and workshops critically engaging in artist pedagogy and artistic thinking and their timely opportunities for educating the next generation of artists.
The presentation formats we support include
- Posters and provocations: 5 minutes poster or provocation presentation followed by discussion
- Paper presentations: 30 minutes, 15 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for discussion
- Lecture-demonstrations, workshops, and workshares: 60 minutes, including 15 minutes for discussion
- Panels: 60 minutes, including 15 minutes for discussion
Please select the appropriate category for your research and specify the proposed format requirements in the proposal submission form.
In planning your presentation proposal, please be mindful of the conference theme and that there is limited technical support available. Indoor spaces have basic AV (screen and sound). We do not offer light or sound design for your presentation or any production services. Do also consider that there is very limited time for the technical set up during the programme breaks. Please let us know in your proposal submission what your technical wishes are, so that we can allocate our resources in the best way possible. We may also contact you before making our final decision.
Spaces Available
There are Studios 1 and 2, Theatre Hall, Auditorium1 and Rehearsal Rooms 525 and 531 reserved for the conference:
Studio 1
Studio 2
Theatre Hall
Auditorium1: the auditorium has 107 ascending seats.
Rehearsal Room 525: 296 m2, wooden floor
Rehearsal Room 531: 126 m2, wooden floor
Equipment list of the studios
Uniarts Helsinki guidelines on sustainability
Accessibility
While the conference can only host a limited number of presentations, the conference committee appreciates inclusivity in its evaluation of the proposals. Please indicate your accessibility needs in the submission form. However, do note that due to planned renovations in the Kookos building of the Sörnäinen campus in 2026, although we aim to make all the topical contents of the conference accessible, we cannot guarantee full access to all spaces on campus. The presenters who need accessible spaces will be allocated one.
How to Submit a Proposal
Presentations can be submitted by individuals or groups. If you have a group presentation, please submit only one application form.
Those interested should send a 300-word abstract and a short (max 150-word) biography of each participating contributor (in case of a joint submission). Please note that in case your proposal is accepted, we will use the abstract submitted at this point in the online book of abstracts of the conference. The abstract should outline the title of the presentation, the name (s) of the contributor (s) and a summary of the planned presentation. In the submission form you should also indicate the format and time frame, and your wishes for the space and equipment for the presentation by 1 November 2025 at 23:59 (EET, Europe-Helsinki, UTC+2) through the electronic submission service.
You will get a confirmation email after your submission with a link that allows you to edit your proposal until the deadline. Please remember to save your confirmation email!
Acceptance Notice
Applicants will be informed of their acceptance by email by 8 March 2026.
Accepted presenters are asked to confirm their participation by 23 March 2026 (EET, Europe-Helsinki, UTC +2).
Conference fees and registration
General registration will open on 8 June and close on 16 August 2026. All conference fees include participation in all sessions and lunches between 27–29 August 2026.
- Conference fee for participants and presenters: 200€
- Concession fee (students with valid student ID): 120€
N.B. no free admittance is offered to Uniarts Helsinki faculty, staff, or students.
Notice, if you have a group presentation each member must register and pay separately.
The conference committee appreciates the inclusivity of artists, artist pedagogues, and researchers from different contexts and with different approaches in its evaluation. The conference also promotes accessibility by offering a limited quota of free registrations for participants on the basis of specific needs. In the submission form, you can indicate your interest being included in this quota in a separate section (max. 150 words). Unfortunately, we cannot pay any travel or accommodation costs.
Conference Committee
Leena Rouhiainen
Magnus Quaife
Aino-Kaisa Koistinen
Pilvi Porkola
Timothy Smith
Riitta Pasanen-Willberg (Practical Manager)
Johanna Rauhaniemi (Conference Coordinator)
Contact
If you have any inquiries about the location, theme, or accessibility of the conference, please do not hesitate to email us at artistped2026@uniarts.fi
Vision statement
Among its many functions, art has a significant societal role in promoting new insights, a sense of community, and well-being. We believe that artists are societal change-makers and that nurturing their constructive growth in educational settings requires special attention. We are therefore interested in how artist pedagogies and artistic thinking can help shape our future in ever more uncertain times. As inequality, fragmentation, and polarisation continue to challenge our societies, how is our teaching responding and why?
This conference investigates current approaches to artist pedagogy and explores how artistic thinking both emerges from and influences teaching and education in the arts. It focuses on how pedagogies have changed and evolved in response to shifting concerns. At the same time, it examines what we have held on to and why and asks how artist pedagogy should develop to meet future societal circumstances and challenges.
For the purpose of this conference, artist pedagogy is understood as the practice through which artists teach future generations of artists both in higher education and in other post-secondary settings, as well as the theorization of these practices. Artistic thinking is referred to as the knowing that informs and emerges from processes of creating art. This includes forms of tacit, embodied, practical, situated, reflexive, and reflective sense-making involved in conventional and unconventional approaches to artmaking and teaching art.
The conference Artist Pedagogy and Artistic Thinking: Perspectives and Practices addresses its thematics through a two-day live event at the premises of the Sörnäinen Campus of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. The live event includes two keynote addresses, presentations by conference delegates, and social gatherings. The online post-conference day happens a week after and is meant for retrospective reactions and reflections. The conference will offer a lively opportunity for exchange and feedback allowing participants to envision new approaches in and future opportunities for artist pedagogy in contextually diverse and cross-artistic educational settings.
Call for presentations
The conference welcomes contributions from researchers, professional artists, and artist pedagogues across the fields of the arts. We seek contributions in the form of posters and provocations, paper presentations, panels, lecture-demonstrations, workshares, and workshops critically engaging in artist pedagogy and artistic thinking and their timely opportunities for educating the next generation of artists.
The presentation formats we support include
- Posters and provocations: 5 minutes poster or provocation presentation followed by discussion
- Paper presentations: 30 minutes, 15 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for discussion
- Lecture-demonstrations, workshops, and workshares: 60 minutes, including 15 minutes for discussion
- Panels: 60 minutes, including 15 minutes for discussion
Please select the appropriate category for your research and specify the proposed format requirements in the proposal submission form.
In planning your presentation proposal, please be mindful of the conference theme and that there is limited technical support available. Indoor spaces have basic AV (screen and sound). We do not offer light or sound design for your presentation or any production services. Do also consider that there is very limited time for the technical set up during the programme breaks. Please let us know in your proposal submission what your technical wishes are, so that we can allocate our resources in the best way possible. We may also contact you before making our final decision.
Spaces Available
There are Studios 1 and 2, Theatre Hall, Auditorium1 and Rehearsal Rooms 525 and 531 reserved for the conference:
Studio 1
Studio 2
Theatre Hall
Auditorium1: the auditorium has 107 ascending seats.
Rehearsal Room 525: 296 m2, wooden floor
Rehearsal Room 531: 126 m2, wooden floor
Equipment list of the studios
Uniarts Helsinki guidelines on sustainability
Accessibility
While the conference can only host a limited number of presentations, the conference committee appreciates inclusivity in its evaluation of the proposals. Please indicate your accessibility needs in the submission form. However, do note that due to planned renovations in the Kookos building of the Sörnäinen campus in 2026, although we aim to make all the topical contents of the conference accessible, we cannot guarantee full access to all spaces on campus. The presenters who need accessible spaces will be allocated one.
How to Submit a Proposal
Presentations can be submitted by individuals or groups. If you have a group presentation, please submit only one application form.
Those interested should send a 300-word abstract and a short (max 150-word) biography of each participating contributor (in case of a joint submission). Please note that in case your proposal is accepted, we will use the abstract submitted at this point in the online book of abstracts of the conference. The abstract should outline the title of the presentation, the name (s) of the contributor (s) and a summary of the planned presentation. In the submission form you should also indicate the format and time frame, and your wishes for the space and equipment for the presentation by 1 November 2025 at 23:59 (EET, Europe-Helsinki, UTC+2) through the electronic submission service.
You will get a confirmation email after your submission with a link that allows you to edit your proposal until the deadline. Please remember to save your confirmation email!
Acceptance Notice
Applicants will be informed of their acceptance by email by 8 March 2026.
Accepted presenters are asked to confirm their participation by 23 March 2026 (EET, Europe-Helsinki, UTC +2).
Conference fees and registration
General registration will open on 8 June and close on 16 August 2026. All conference fees include participation in all sessions and lunches between 27–29 August 2026.
- Conference fee for participants and presenters: 200€
- Concession fee (students with valid student ID): 120€
N.B. no free admittance is offered to Uniarts Helsinki faculty, staff, or students.
Notice, if you have a group presentation each member must register and pay separately.
The conference committee appreciates the inclusivity of artists, artist pedagogues, and researchers from different contexts and with different approaches in its evaluation. The conference also promotes accessibility by offering a limited quota of free registrations for participants on the basis of specific needs. In the submission form, you can indicate your interest being included in this quota in a separate section (max. 150 words). Unfortunately, we cannot pay any travel or accommodation costs.
Conference Committee
Leena Rouhiainen
Magnus Quaife
Aino-Kaisa Koistinen
Pilvi Porkola
Timothy Smith
Riitta Pasanen-Willberg (Practical Manager)
Johanna Rauhaniemi (Conference Coordinator)
Contact
If you have any inquiries about the location, theme, or accessibility of the conference, please do not hesitate to email us at artistped2026@uniarts.fi