Art & Science in Aalto University Case: University-Wide Art Studies (UWAS) Dr. Juuso Tervo 11.10.2019 Metaforum, KU Leuven
Overview A few words about Aalto University 1 Art and Creative Practices (ACP) in Aalto 2 3 University-Wide Art Studies (UWAS)
Who am I? • BA, MA, and PhD in Art Education. • Research focus on history, philosophy, and politics of art and education. • Interested in what art and education might do , together and separately. • Working in Aalto since 2014 – two years as post-doc and two years as post- doc/project manager at University-Wide Art Studies (UWAS). Since the beginning of 2019, university lecturer and the director of UWAS.
Aalto University: History and Current Strategy
Aalto University • Formed in 2010 when University of Art and Design, Helsinki School of Economics, and University of Technology merged into an ”innovation university” (a task given by the Ministry of Education and Culture) • ~ 12 000 students and 4000 employees, including ~ 400 professors. • Six schools, strong focus on science, engineering, and technology • Aims at multi/inter/transdisciplinary research and education • No separate schools/programs in humanities, social sciences, medicine… School of School of School of Arts, Design School of School of School of Chemical Electrical and Business Engineering Science Engineering Engineering Architecture
Mission, vision and values MISSION VISION Shaping the future : An innovative society science and art together with Breakthrough discoveries deeply integrated with design and business technology and business thinking enable systemic solutions and accelerate innovation. VALUES Passion for exploration Courage to influence and excel Freedom to be creative and critical Responsibility to accept, care and inspire Integrity, openness and equality
Strategy 2016-2020 Main strategic objectives: • Research excellence for academic and societal impact • Renewing society by art, creativity and design • Educating game changers • Transforming our campus into a unique collaboration hub • Excellence in advancing and supporting our core goals
Art & Science Collaborations Some inter/multi/cross/transdisciplinary activities already in place before current strategy • International Design and Business • PdP Product Development Project course Management IDBM Masters/Minor Program (ENG) (BIZ & ARTS) • Biofilia Lab for bioart (ARTS) • CHEMARTS (CHEM & ARTS) • Various joint researcher/lecturer/professor • Aaltonaut Bachelor’s Minor Program on positions between different schools Interdisciplinary Product Development (ENG) • Externally funded research projects • Creative Sustainability Master’s/Minor Program (ARTS, BIZ & ENG) • ENG-ARTS courses (ENG & ARTS) • Design Factory (ENG)
…so why bother? • University-wide courses in art, design, and architecture were scarce and often build to serve the needs of specific study programs. • There was no university-level coordination, support, or vision for art/design-based activities across the university – lots of things were happening (and still are), but quite separately from each other. • While combining engineering, design, and marketing is one of the historical cores of Aalto’s activities, there was also a need to expand the variety of art & science collaborations. • Changing myopic mindsets: The need to communicate that art and design have the potential to do something else than merely make things look pretty.
Art & Creative Practices (ACP)
Our aims Accessibility : Courses, exhibitions, collaborations to engage both students and faculty. More possibilities to make, experience, learn, teach etc. through/with art and design Organizational change : Developing teaching, learning, research, and administration with art and design (e.g. teaching methods and contents, KPIs…) Communication : Reaching and being reached: students, staff, faculty, external partners, etc.
Working Groups • Led by Anna Valtonen, Vice President of Art and Creative Practices • Responding to Artistic Activities Steering Group (AASG), which consists of members from each Aalto school, directors of each initiative, and a student member. Education • University-Wide Art Studies • Sharing and Co-Creating Public art, galleries, artist-in- Transdisciplinary Artworks residency program Communication, visibility • Brand Visuality • Design Inside Design integration, partnerships • Global Outreach Partnerships, visibility
Working Groups UWAS SCTA BV DI GO Launched 2016 Launched 2016 Launched 2016 Launched 2017 Launched 2018 Two university One professor (part- One senior manager, One professor (part- One curator, working lecturers, one study time), one art one communications time), two designers- closely with VP Anna coordinator (50%), coordinator, two person (50%). in-residence. Valtonen & Senior and student assistant curators. Specialist Teija Implementing art, Supporting design- (50%). Löytönen. Organizing exhibitions, design, and creativity integration in courses Planning, organizing, curating public art in Aalto’s outside ARTS, Managing international and administrating (percentage principle), communication and implementing design collaboration and courses, co-teaching showcasing research branding. thinking in visibility of Art and courses outside and art. administration. Creative Practices in To be moved under ARTS. Aalto University regular funding by the To be partially end of 2020. combined with UWAS in 2020.
Funding • ACP is currently running on Aalto’s Joint Strategic Initiative (JSI) funding. This funding is meant to ramp up activities that are prioritized in university’s strategy. • Overall budget around 1 million € per Graphic design: Joosung Kang year • The plan is to have all our activities moved under regular funding by the end of 2021.
ACP’s Joint Activities U-Create Seminar • (twice a year: one thematic, one on pedagogical development) • Unfolded magazine • Exhibitions • Bi-weekly meetings Graphic design: Marika Latsone
University-Wide Art Studies (UWAS)
Course Posters 2016-2020 2019-2020
Basics • First course piloted in spring 2016. In 2019-20 • Situated under Art and Creative Practices , led total of 29 courses scheduled to be taught. by VP Anna Valtonen and responding to Artistic Activities Steering Group (AASG) ( U-Level ) • Courses are open for all Bachelor and Master degree students. Courses are relatively small • Working closely with Education under VP Petri (15-20 students per class). No previous Suomala and Head of Learning Services Eija knowledge in arts and design required. Zitting ( U-Level ) • Courses range from creative writing to coding, • Administered from ARTS , course portfolio from game design to sculpture, from optics to decided in ARTS’s Academic Committee brewing… ( School-level ) • All courses specifically designed for UWAS • Follows Aalto’s general guides and schedules for curriculum design process ( U-Level ) • Currently all UWAS courses are elective.
Guiding Insights TRANSDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION For UWAS, to start from the premise of transdisciplinarity is to approach learning and teaching as practices that pass through and cross over both existing and emerging disciplines . Rather than distributing new knowledge and skills for those who seem to lack it or, alternatively, abolishing disciplinary traditions, transdisciplinary education denotes a joint endeavor to approach the world from multiple angles at once and learn from each other . As no discipline owns issues like climate change or social inequality, UWAS encourages the formation of communities of teachers and learners who, together, can tackle these and other issues in new and creative ways, ensuring that the viewpoint of art and creative practices is included in this process. On Site – Island Workshop (Fall 2019) Teachers: Juuso Tervo, Matthew O’Malley Photo: Juuso Tervo
Guiding Insights ART-BASED TRANSDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION Like in other fields of expertise, artists and designers work closely with various modes of thinking, doing, making, exploring, and experimenting that help us to position as well as reposition ourselves in the world. By bringing these modes available to every Aalto student and faculty, UWAS encourages the Aalto community to explore the creative potentials of all disciplines. This is initially what art-based transdisciplinary education means for UWAS: an opportunity to creatively rethink all forms of knowing and doing, including art and design. Electric Energy in the Arts (Fall 2018) Teacher: Gregoire Rousseau Photo: Lauri Linna
Guiding Insights Transdisciplinary education is not simply about cumulation and/or integration of knowledge – it may also offer time and space for dissensus, unlearning, and criticality . We do not claim to know what art, design, or education “really” are, but aim to explore what they could do today . Microscopic View: Experimental Light Images (Fall 2018) Teachers: Leah Beeferman, Jaakko Timonen Photo: Lauri Linna
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