Helsingin Sanomat published an article on September 4 about inappropriate treatment theatre students and professionals have faced (in Finnish, behind a paywall). The topic is serious and the depicted experiences are horrifying.
Both study and work environments need to be safe and no kind of “teaching” or giving feedback should aim to destroy the recipient, as described in the article. Fortunately, both in the higher education of art and in the art field there have been significant efforts made and structures created to prevent and react to inappropriate behavior. Although the experiences described in the Helsingin Sanomat article have happened a while back, the work for an equitable and safe study and working environment is always ongoing; we must remain open to feedback and keep working towards being better.
Media writes about the abuse of power, harassment and other forms of inappropriate behavior in the art field and art education every once in a while, often for good reason. However, there are many other topics related to the everydaylife and future of art students, that unfortunately don’t get as much attention.
For example, how do art students feel about becoming artists, a profession that many non-artists view need to suffer in order to be able to do their work and which is poorly understood by e.g. unemployement benefits?
Or, how have the cuts to the art and culture budget affected the higher education of art and the employment of people graduating from these fields?
And even after all this, what, even in this current societal situation, makes thousands want to apply to the University of Arts Helsinki, to want to create art, even though the prospects in the field are what they are?
While we continue the work for a more equitable, more diverse and safer art education and art field, there is reason to elevate other topics related to our field as well. There are plenty of outdated and unfair practices, assumptions and traditions to choose from.
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The University of Arts Helsinki Student Union (TaiYo) can always be contacted in different kinds of difficult situations concerning art studies or students’ position at the University of Arts Helsinki or in the art field. TaiYo also has harassment contact persons for students. Their purpose is to act as low-threshhold peer support and to listen and help students who have encountered inappropriate treatment. They can also help students take the matter further, they the student so chooses. You can find the contact information for the harassment contact persons here (link).
You can find the Uniarts Guidelines in cases of inappropriate treatment here (link).
TaiYo’s principles and practices for safer space can be found here (link).
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