Welcome to Helsinki-Uusimaa Culture Forum 23 September
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Culture Forum will once again bring together cultural and creative industry actors, as well as everyone interested in the field, at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki on Tuesday, September 23. Join us to get inspired and network!
Mari-Leena Talvitie, Minister of Science and Culture, will be opening the Culture Forum. In the morning, we will explore current cultural phenomena together with professionals from the field. After the lunch break, we will hear an interview with Helen Sildna, who founded the Tallinn Music Week festival and is one of Estonia’s best-known cultural entrepreneurs. The afternoon concludes with a lively panel discussion. Afterwards, we invite all participants to connect with colleagues and share ideas in an informal networking session. Jani Toivola will be presenting the event.
The Culture Forum is organized by the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council in cooperation with the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the University of the Arts Helsinki, the City of Helsinki, Aalto University, the Helsinki-Uusimaa Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and Forum Artis ry.
The programme will be simultaneously interpreted into English.
When: Tuesday 23 September 2025 at 10–16
Where: Camerata, Musiikkitalo, Helsinki
10:00 Opening speech, Mari-Leena Talvitie, Minister of Science and Culture
10:05 Kaarlo Hildén, Rector, University of the Arts Helsinki
10:10 Kaisa Rönkkö, Director, Arts Promotion Centre Finland
10:15 Tuija Telén, Regional Mayor of Helsinki-Uusimaa
10:20 Musical performance by Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel and choir, Music teacher, Choir conductor and Doctoral researcher
Short speeches: Cultural industry at the moment
10:30 Mari Männistö, Cultural Director, City of Helsinki
10:45 Anna Kirvesniemi, chair of the board, University of the Arts Student Union
11:00 Lotta Lerviks, Head of Culture, The town of Raseborg
11:15 Anniina Suominen, Professor of Art Pedagog, Ia Adlercreutz, Professor of Practice, Aalto university
11:30 Hanna Kosonen, Secretary General, Forum Artis
11:45 Susanna Pettersson, CEO, Finnish Cultural Foundation
12–13 Lunch
13:00 Kaisa Rönkkö interviews Helen Sildna, Director of the Tallinn Music Week festival (in English)
14.00 Karoliina Leisti, Project Manager, City of Tampere
14.10 Päivi Komsi-Karppi, Project Coordinator, Project Helsinki-Uusimaa Cultural Market
14:15 Panel discussion
– Minna Ruusuvirta, Senior Researcher, Centre for Cultural Policy Research (CUPORE)
– Riku Lievonen, Account Director, Public Affairs at Burson
– Teemu Mäki, Artist, Writer, Director, Researcher and Doctor of Fine Arts
– Katriina Haikala, Senior Advisor, Miltton
15–16 Coffee, Finnish pulla, and networking in the downstairs foyer
Side events
Cultural producers and buyers meet at the Helsinki-Uusimaa Cultural Market in the downstairs foyer and Black Box hall in Musiikkitalo at 9–16. The municipalities of Uusimaa will launch calls for tenders for artists and other creative industry professionals, who in turn will have the opportunity to present their expertise and services to buyers. Also present is Kulttuuripankki (the Cultural Bank), which will in the future serve as a common platform for buying and selling cultural and art services.
The EU funding info session provides a concise overview of the following funding programmes: CERV, European Solidarity Corps, Creative Europe, Erasmus, Horisont and European Urban Initiative. The info session, arranged by the Ministry of Justice, aims at encouraging new applicants from different fields of culture. The info session will be held in Camerata at 8.30–9.55, before the Culture Forum starts. The funding experts will be available to meet at Cultural Market after the info session.
Further information
Katriina Rosavaara
Senior Adviser
katriina.rosavaara@uudenmaanliitto.fi
Culture and creative industry, Helsinki-Uusimaa Culture Forum, Uusimaa Day
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