Uniarts Helsinki’s goals for 2025 municipal and county elections
Uniarts Helsinki’s municipal and county election goals emphasize the accessibility of art education, the significance of culture as part of municipal vitality, and the role of art in supporting well-being. The university highlights that art and culture are essential for municipalities and counties that aspire to be more than just a location on the map.
Investments in the performing arts, visual arts and music are also investments in the attractiveness of the municipality and the wellbeing of the county. The cultural cuts implemented by the Finnish government last year have far-reaching effects on both artists’ employment and the vitality of municipalities. Municipalities now have an even greater responsibility to ensure the availability of arts and cultural services locally.
According to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, culture plays a significant role in the development of municipalities: it increases regional attractiveness, promotes wellbeing and brings direct and indirect benefits to municipal economy. The total funding for the cultural sector in Finland is approximately one billion euros per year, and municipalities are responsible for a significant part of it. However, this funding is not just an expense item; the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities views culture as an investment that pays for itself many times over through wellbeing and economic impacts.
A municipality without art and culture is just a location on a map – without a story and identity.
1. Arts and cultural education must be accessible to all children and young people
Arts and cultural education must be made available to every child and young person, regardless of their family’s financial situation or place of residence. Arts education supports children’s and young people’s creativity, self-confidence and social skills, prevents social exclusion and strengthens the sense of community. Furthermore, arts education provides a safe space and community to belong to, reduces loneliness and helps build lifelong friendships.
Cultural education plans make sure that high-quality arts education is part of early childhood education and care as well as primary and lower secondary education. According to studies, countries that have higher PISA rankings are similar in the sense that they all have a high-quality arts education system, and children who have artistic hobbies have above-average learning skills in other subjects, too. Basic education in the arts offers children and young people opportunities to immerse themselves in the world of art on a long-term basis, which supports the development of their identity and strengthens their wellbeing.
Although municipalities’ expenditure on culture is only a small part of their total expenditure, it generates long-term benefits, leading to increased wellbeing and attractiveness of municipalities.
Measures
- Structural cooperation should be solidified between the independent arts sector, arts institutions and cultural services, early childhood education and care, comprehensive schools, youth work and social and health care services.
- Each municipality should draw up a cultural education plan to ensure the role of high-quality arts education in early childhood education and care and in primary and lower secondary education.
- Municipalities should take a stronger role in developing cultural competence by offering diverse study paths, for example in music and dance schools, art schools and upper secondary schools, which attract students from all over Finland. It is important to pay attention to both the wide accessibility of gaining artistic and cultural competence and the possibility to deepen this learning.
2. Art and culture must be recognised as engines of vitality and employment
Municipalities should see art and culture as something that has a strong pull factor and that promotes vitality.
Culture attracts businesses, tourists and new residents, which supports regional growth and economic activity (Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, 2024). The Cultural Policy Report, published last year, also states that culture is part of cities’ development, internationalisation and business activities.
The significance of cultural events for municipalities is enormous economically, communally and image-wise. Events revitalise the local business life, attract tourists and strengthen the residents’ sense of togetherness. A well-organised cultural event can raise the profile of a municipality and make it more attractive to both new residents and businesses. The Savonlinna Opera Festival is a great example of how cultural events can be vital to a municipality.
The diverse challenges, whether societal or local, require creative solutions and a communal approach to development, and cultural services can provide substantial support for this work. Cooperation between cultural operators and municipalities can lead to operating models that support smaller municipalities, in particular, catering to both creativity and the needs of local communities. For example, culture and art can offer tools to finding solutions that improve the comfort and appeal of public spaces and promote the green transition – whether it is through an art installation or urban design that fosters sustainable development.
Measures
- The accessibility of art should be increased with the help of technology. People living in remote areas can benefit from digital arts classes and online courses.
- Municipalities should commit to allocating long-term funding for cultural services and provide support for artists in the independent arts sector and small cultural operators with stable funding mechanisms.
- Municipalities should commit to supporting local cultural events by increasing event funding and making it easier for event organisers to carry out their activities. Event organisers must be supported by moderating the rental prices of venues or by providing them advice, for example.
3. Community spirit and wellbeing through art – cultural wellbeing should be integrated into the health and wellbeing strategies of counties
Research shows that art and culture are significant promoters of wellbeing and health, and the wellbeing services counties should consider supporting cultural wellbeing as part of their own strategies.
Art and cultural activities have a comprehensive impact on the promotion of wellbeing by helping prevent people’s challenges and maintain their wellbeing. Art experiences and participatory cultural activities offer opportunities for meaningful interaction and help strengthen the sense of inclusion. According to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, cultural services support the wellbeing of elderly people and people at risk of social exclusion, in particular. The Cultural Policy Report also calls for recognising the importance of culture as part of health and social services and in preventive measures that reduce loneliness and segregation.
Measures
- Municipalities and wellbeing services counties must include arts and cultural services as part of local wellbeing strategies. This helps ensure that the benefits offered by culture extend widely to all residents.
- The wellbeing services counties must invest in bringing culture closer to everyday life, for example by offering artistic activities in nursing homes, schools and in connection with health care. Such activities can increase the wellbeing of local residents and also provide artists with new employment opportunities.
- Increasing the accessibility of cultural services supports equality and wellbeing in municipalities and counties. Municipal services, such as libraries, museums and theatres, should be accessible to everyone so that culture can enrich the lives of residents and give them new experiences and opportunities.
Summary
Uniarts Helsinki’s goal is that the arts and cultural sector will have a strong role in the decision-making of municipalities and counties. Art and culture bring economic vitality to counties, promote the wellbeing of residents and enrich communities in many ways. High-quality arts education, internationality and cultural wellbeing increase the attractiveness and vitality of municipalities, which is why they should be regarded as key priorities in the development of municipalities and counties.
Uniarts Helsinki aims to strengthen the position of art and culture in the decision-making of municipalities and counties. Although expenditure on culture makes up only 2.4% of total municipal expenditure, the economic and social benefits that they generate far exceed the investments (Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities 2024).