Korinna Korsström-Magga

4.25 In the Face of Change in the Arctic Seeking Resilience through Community-based Art Education (Paper)

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?

9.7 On the Frontline of the Climate Crisis Building Young Peoples’ Climate Citizenship through Art and Co-research (Panel)

Chair:

Korinna Korsström-Magga – University of Lapland, Finland

Panellists:

Mirja Hiltunen – University of Lapland, Finland

Timo Jokela – University of Lapland, Finland

Aki Lintumäki – University of Lapland | South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Jarmo Rinne – South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Abstract:

This panel addresses the potential of art education and art-based action research to positively impact young people’s climate anxiety. The discussion raises questions about northern knowledge and new materialism in community-based art education and how the new genre Arctic art education can enhance co-research and active citizenship. Can art and art education propose new means of participating and acting in the creation of the future? Climate change threatens people’s cultures and traditional livelihoods in northernmost Europe and circumpolar areas. The surrounding nature will change because of exploitation caused by the green transition. Often, people have anxiety and feel desolated in the hands of distant policymakers. The phenomenon is causing despair and anxiety, especially among young people. The panel discusses the topic through workshops and artwork examples performed in the project On the Front Line of the Climate Crisis. The project studies young people’s climate citizenship and activism through arts-based action research and co-research. It highlights social and societal dimensions and collaboration with art educators, researchers, and young participants who aim to influence politicians. The Youth Research and Development Centre Juvenia of South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lapland coordinate the research project. The Kone Foundation funds the project, which is ongoing until 2025 in Lapland, Eastern Finland, and the Tampere region.