Promoting performing arts in Pirkanmaa 2016-2017

Importance of funding of arts has become a topic in current conversation of state economics. The value of arts and culture is questioned and the trend of demand of visible results throws its shadow over arts. How can we justify why art is needed since it is very hard to show any visible evidence of its effectiveness? It is good to difrentiate terms effect and effectiveness. Immediate effects are very subjective and mostly immaterial though information of those effects is quite easy to collect with surveys and polls. Longer term effectiveness of arts is harder to prove since neither consumers of art nor researchers of the effectiveness might not recognize the cause and consequence ratio. Social- an healthcare resarchers have just started to receive results of health benefits of art. The idea of healing effects of arts has started to get some concrete evidence and for example hospitals have agreed to commit for percentage principle. Percentage principle in a nut shell is to target 1% of the building and renovation budgets that is used in the institute in question to art. Percentage principle is a good example of how Arts promotion Centre Finland has affected the consepts used in non art environments. Still there is no evidence of art’s effectiveness as a force to sustaining good mental and physical health. How can public sector work for promoting and developing art? This masters thesis is a report of some of the projects of my work for Arts Promotion Centre Finland as a regional artist in years 2016-2017. Thesis introduces Arts Promotion Centre Finland and how it works as a public funding institution for arts. I present my way of becoming a regional artist and thoughts and ideas that were accpeted by Arts Promotion Centre. After the short presentation follows the describtion of the project work models that moulded preliminary visions, gave a concrete form for the projects and also provided with some project tools that were earlier unfamiliar to me. Project parts of the thesis focus on two specific CASE’s that were the foundation of my projects. Detailed information of the progress of the projects give a valid overview over the regional artist tasks. Projects are gone through from the preliminary plan to evaluation of the project. This thesis is not meant to provoke or present any brilliant new innovations but it is rather an overview of one of the ways of our government’s support for arts. Possibly it can give ideas to both art and sport workers and lower the obstacles of career development on both of these industries