The Finnish Critics’ Association (in Finnish Suomen arvostelijain liitto ry, SARV) is a national, unified and professional association of critics in different arts and artforms in Finland. Its main task is to promote arts critics’ professional activity and expertise. The association improves its members’ economic, social and judicial status. The association was founded in 1950 and today it has approximately 700 members.
The association organizes training, education, grants stipends, monitors the professional assets of the critics who work in press or electronic media and transmits topical information on conditions and contents of arts critics work.
Board
President
Vesa Rantama (literature)
Members
Petteri Enroth (art)
Tenka Issakainen (dance and theatre)
Anu Jormalainen (music)
Aleksi Kuutio (literature)
Sanna Lipponen (art)
Marissa Mehr (literature)
Sara Nyberg (dance and theatre)
Maaria Ylikangas (literature)
Deputy Member
Minnamaria Koskela (literature)
Marita Nyrhinen (film, music)
Sections
The association covers all field of arts; critics of all arts are welcome to strive its membership. The association has five sections: literature, art, music, dance and theatre and film. The sections are in connections among others with international organisations of their own fields.
Art section & AICA Finland
The art section includes visual arts, design and architecture critics. It organizes discussions and training events about the questions of its sphere. Both national and international experts of the field perform in these occasions. The section invests in communication and collaboration with institutions of visual arts, organizing thematic presentations that interest wide audience and openness in international activity.
The section is a section member of the international art critics association AICA (Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art), http://www.aica-int.org/, named AICA Finland. The board of the Finnish section elects a representative to AICA annual general assembly. The board nominates the members of AICA Finland.
Members of the Board of the Finnish Critics’ Association’s Art Section
Asta Kihlman, Petteri Enroth, Marja-Terttu Kivirinta, Esa Laaksonen, Sanna Lipponen, Sini Mononen, Riku Räihä and Jane Vuorinen.
Dance and theatre section
The dance and theatre section organizes seminars and discussions of its own field. The section works as the Finnish section of dance and theatre critics’ association AICT / IATC:n (Association Internationale des Critiques de Théâtre / International Association of Theatre Critics), http://www.aict-iatc.org/. The board of the section elects its representative into assembly of AICT / IATC, that is organized every second year.
Film section
The film section strives to organize topical events of its own field. The section is the Finnish member section of the international film critics association FIPRESCI (Fédération International de la Presse Cinématographique), http://www.fipresci.org/.
The board of the section names its candidates into international juries of international film festivals. The board of the section names its representatives into the annual assembly of FIPRESCI.
Literature section
The literature section organizes annually topical seminars and discussions held especially in connection of book fairs. The board of the section nominates the representatives of the Finnish Critics’ Association into juries of the Runeberg, Mikael Agricola and J.A. Hollo awards. The section strives to organize collaboration with international and national societies of the field.
Music section
Music section strives to organize topical seminars and discussions annually. The section investigates possibilities for activity and creation of international contacts.
Turku division
Turku division is the only regional division of the Finnish Critics’ Association. The Turku division awards a prize Critics Weight to artists who reside in the province of Finland Proper.
Critics’ Spurs
The Finnish Critics’ Association founded Critics’ Spurs in 1961, an annual honorary prize. It is awarded to Finnish creative or performing artist or artists group who shows accomplished achievement in any field of arts. The prize is an acknowledgment of the best artistic breakthrough or comparable for a young artist during the year.
Contact Information
The Finnish Critics’ Association
Vesa Rantama
President
tel. +358 50 368 0072
email: puheenjohtaja(at)sarv.fi
Riikka Laczak
Executive Director
tel. +358 41 506 5594
email: riikka.laczak(at)sarv.fi
Office
Bulevardi 5 A 7e
00120 Helsinki
Finland
tel. +358 41 506 5594
email: info(at)sarv.fi
www.kritiikinuutiset.fi
www.facebook.com/Suomenarvostelijainliitto
Kritiikin Uutiset
Martti-Tapio Kuuskoski
Chief Editor
email: kritiikin.uutiset(at)sarv.fi
www.kritiikinuutiset.fi