Korinna Korsström-Magga

In the Face of Change in the Arctic Seeking Resilience through Community-based Art Education

Korinna Korsström-Magga – University of Lapland, Finland

Abstract:

The Arctic faces a turbulence of changes. Population growth and globalisation have reached the northernmost regions. Western civilisation has had an impact on Arctic Indigenous cultures and local people’s everyday lives. Young people move to southern cities to study or seek jobs far away from their home regions. Climate change is a global concern, and the Arctic inhabitants witness radical changes in their surroundings. However, the green transition, counteracting global warming, also exploits the northern environment and demands the inhabitants to give way to mining, wind farms, and traffic arrangements. The changes end traditional lifestyles, which can result in cultural loss and distress. This presentation provides examples of art-based workshops and studies conducted through art-based action research in the Finnish regions in Sámi Homeland and northern Finland. The studies have engaged local people living in the circumpolar environment, bringing forth their everyday concerns and exploring viewpoints from a grassroots level. Art workshops and events based upon the theory of community-based art education underscores art-based actions growing from the participants’ culture and viewpoints. They include co-research, where the participants are equally involved in planning and performance and where the final contribution mirrors the community’s values, aims, and concerns. The action gathers people under the same roof, offering possibilities to discuss and process joint concerns. The presentation explores the specific features of place-specificness and new materialism in a newborn concept the new genre Arctic art education. Can material, environment, and performance in everyday life be a source for transformative learning, contributing to possibilities for resilience in a rapidly changing environment?