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The Fire Fox: a multi-sensory approach to art education in Lapland
- Source: International Journal of Education Through Art, Volume 1, Issue 2, Sep 2005, p. 161 - 177
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- 01 Sep 2005
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.