The Art Ecosystem infographic
Art ecosystem, 2025 / Editor: Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo, Graphic design: Anne Virta, Illustration: Anastasiia Lapteva.
The art ecosystem outlines all the different roles artists, art and culture play in Finnish society and beyond. The infographic is available as a PDF and includes links that guide you to further information – articles in the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Art Pro resource bank and external websites.
The infographic also contains gaps. Not all artistic activity is organised hierarchically in such a way that a single top-level website or actor could gather all relevant organisations – examples include orchestras or cooperatives in Finland’s creative sectors. A significant gap exists in the so-called intermediary sector and in the area of creative economy enterprises. Information about these actors is especially fragmented and would require its own resource bank.
In the infographic, the art ecosystem is illustrated as a buzzing sphere resembling a beehive, where an artist weaves in and out of different roles over the course of their life and often performs several roles simultaneously. This multifaceted agency is shaped by continuous self-development, networking, involvement in organisations, societal changes, varied income sources and earning models, as well as creative work that seeks new directions at different stages of a career.
The ecosystem aims to present art and artistic identity more broadly than traditional concepts such as sector, field or industry. In the infographic, the art ecosystem is divided into five components: artists, close networks, expertise, enablers and the public sector. Factors influencing Finland’s art ecosystem include audience behaviour, the resilience of the welfare state, digitisation, the international economy and treaties, the state of democracy and human rights, and planetary boundaries.
Within the ecosystem, influence is multidirectional. Artists, artworks and artistic expertise affect individuals, audiences, well-being and civil society. Art influences the development of digital and democratic power, freedom of expression, markets, international relations and the preservation of nature. An ecosystemic shift may begin with an artwork the size of a microbe.
We hope the Art Ecosystem appears to you as a vision full of possibilities!
Art Ecosystem Infographics (pdf)»
The Art Ecosystem is edited by producer, educator and art critic, MA Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo, Poike Productio, 2025. Graphic design: Anne Virta, Illustration: Anastasiia Lapteva.