TAKU awards winners 2022 are published
The winners of the Arts and Culture Work Life Awards 2022 have been published. The jury's selections emphasize the development of industry advocacy work and international solidarity.
Influencing the status of the art and culture sector in society and advocacy on the working life in the sector have been remarkably topical since the lockdown of the corona era. Awarding of the winner of the Champion Professional 2022 emphasizes the strong personal know-how and consistent work of experts behind the industry's advocacy.
Awarding the winner of Arts and Culture Champion Action of the Year 2022 in turn, brings forth the international solidarity within the sector and the provision of help that is topical.
The Arts and Culture Champion Professional of the Year 2022 has been awarded to Kaisa Paavolainen, who has risen to the top of the industry's most visible advocacy.
Correspondingly, the Arts and Culture Champion Action of the Year 2022 honorary mention has been awarded to the Artists at Risk (AR), which has done significant work over the past year to help Ukrainian artists and cultural activists under the leadership of Marita Muukkonen and Ivor A. Stodolsky.
The jury made its decisions based on the proposals received in advance. Nadine Labib, Henna Karhapää and Mikael Kinanen were members of the jury and Henna Salo was the chairperson.
Arts and Culture Champion Professional of the Year 2022
Kaisa Paavolainen
The Art and Culture Champion Professional of the year 2022 award goes to Kaisa Paavolainen, Managing Director of The Association of Finnish Theatres.
Kaisa Paavolainen has done nationally significant work on behalf of various art forms and has risen to the top of the industry's most visible influence work. Especially she makes meritorious and purposeful work on the development of advocacy for performing arts. She ensures that the direction is clear and commonly shared in the cooperation of the cultural sector actors. As a colleague and partner, she is always positive, conversational and approachable.
Arts and Culture Champion Action of the Year 2022
Artists at Risk (AR), work for Ukrainian artists and cultural workers
During 2022, Artists at Risk (AR) has helped numerous Ukrainian artists and cultural activists to leave the war. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were 26 Artists at Risk (AR) residencies in different parts of the world, now there are already more than 500 actors in the residency network.
During the year, more than 1,850 applications have come from Ukraine alone, and more than 300 of them have been placed in residencies across Europe. There are more than 30 AR-residents in Finland this year, 15 of which are from Ukraine.
For almost ten years, AR has been building an international residency network and a security residency model to help artists and cultural activists who are threatened in their home country or have to flee war and terror. The Finnish organization Perpetuum Mobile, piloted by Marita Muukkonen and Ivor A. Stodolsky, acts as the background force.
Internationalism, solidarity and the spirit of activism are the core of Artists at Risk's (AR) activities. This courage is of great importance in the defense of humane democracy.
