The Fire Fox: a multi-sensory approach to art education in Lapland

Abstract

This article explores ways in which art education in northern border areas and remote rural districts empowers action. The main emphasis is on an integrated art and science project called the ‘The Fire Fox’ that took place in Finnish Lapland, Utsjoki, in March 2004. The project aims were to extend art into the wider community, develop individual creativity, raise the quality of artistic achievement, strengthen self-esteem and foster shared understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds. The article reports on a series of multidisciplinary arts workshops where the majority of artworks were made of snow and ice and tied to a particular time and place. There were several organizations involved in the Fire Fox project. This article evaluates the project and takes into account the specific educational needs of the school, other local parties, participants from outside the Utsjoki municipality and the art students from the University of Lapland. The article concludes that the Fire Fox project provided support for local identities as well as facilitating the development of art-based social innovations inspired by northern culture.

Toward Place-Specific and Situational Arctic Visual Culture Learning in Finnish Art Teacher Education

“…ABAR is especially rooted in process-oriented dialogical and place-specific art forms, such as environmental and community art and community-based art education. Such an approach has been implemented extensively in the field of community-based art education and in multicultural communities in Finnish Lapland (Härkönen, 2018;Hiltunen, 2005Hiltunen, , 2010Hiltunen et al, 2020;Huhmarniemi, 2012;Jokela, 2018).…”

A Research Agenda for Creative Tourism

“…The Firefox project was an educational art event carried out by several people and organizations in the northernmost municipality of Finland, Utsjoki (Hiltunen, 2005). The project was funded by the European Social Fund and consisted of science and art events with the common theme of the Northern Lights and research into that phenomenon.…”

“…In local schools, they are instruments for integrating school subjects and for the eventuality that culminates in thematic work. The project has made visible and celebrated the strengths of the unique multicultural community and the splendid local nature (Hiltunen, 2005(Hiltunen, , 2008.…”

Meaning of Japanese traditional-style drawing lessons in current school education

“…Ruilun (2005) showed the influences from Chinese culture in art education in elementary and secondary schools. Hiltunen (2005) discussed the educational significance of a project that was related to the northern culture of Finland. Moreover, Chang (2010) indicated that she found ways of expanding students' cultural understanding, powers of observation, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills through utilising Taiwanese culture in art education.…”