Title page of OER slide share of the Assets focus for EalaCreative.

A number of OER materials were sourced and generated by the EALA team to explore ideas of Assets in Scotland and the Arctic.

“Accounts of who ‘is’, ‘owns’ or has ‘control’ of community assets as land, physical resources, culture, language, history and image circulate regularly, informed by and informing of socio-political allegiance, policy and cultural expression in Scotland,” Danson and Burnett (2021).

Recommended Reading: Danson, M. and Burnett, K. A. (2021). Current Scottish Land Reform and Reclaiming the Commons: Building Community Resilience. Progress in Development Studies, 21(3), 280–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/14649934211018393

Assets and Education: Arctic Arts with Pride

Arctic Arts with Pride: Discourses on Arctic Arts, Culture and Sustainability

There has been growing interest in Arctic arts and culture as well as in sustainability among artists, researchers, and policy makers. However, until recently, the comprehension of Arctic arts and culture within the framework of sustainable development has remained vague. In this study, by analysing diverse debates from the Arctic Arts Summit 2019 in Rovaniemi, we investigate how the arts and culture sector promotes Arctic sustainability. An analysis of abstracts, conclusions, blogs and newspaper articles reflecting the presentations, art events, exhibitions and dialogues showed that the discourse on sustainability is organised around five themes: (1) global politics and ecological crises as part of the cultural politics of the Arctic; (2) indigenous and non-indigenous Arctic arts and culture; (3) ‘handmade’ and the material culture of the Arctic; (4) place-making, revitalisation and regional development; and (5) economy and sustainability. These partly interlinked themes have relevance for policy making, defining principles for arts and culture funding, artistic practice and research on the Arctic. In addition, education and artistic training are important for all of the five themes; therefore, resources for educational institutions are crucial for the sustainable future of the Arctic. Arts, culture and education have the potential to empower people in the Arctic, increase cultural pride, educate and inform global audiences and create connectedness between the past, present and future. Arts, culture and education contribute to Arctic sustainability

Huhmarniemi, Maria, and Timo Jokela. 2020.

Keywords:  Arctic arts; sustainability; sustainable culture; cultural sustainability; cultural policy; creative economy; higher education; political art; indigenous cultures

Recommended Reading: Huhmarniemi, Maria, and Timo Jokela. 2020. “Arctic Arts with Pride: Discourses on Arctic Arts, Culture and Sustainability” Sustainability 12, no. 2: 604. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/604