organisation

Although Konstrundan culminates in a weekend event in September, the preparations are a year-round process. The year begins with the application process and participant selection, followed by the creation of marketing materials and the extensive Konstrundan magazine. Planning and organizing additional programs and events also take considerable time. Each step requires careful planning and collaboration to ensure a successful event that delivers a unique art experience to the public.

PROJECT MANAGER

Frida Gullichsen is Konstrundan's project manager since August 2023. The project manager is responsible for the planning and implementation of  Konstrundan. She also serves as the regional contact for the capital region, where she herself lives and works as a cultural producer and art curator.

Frida has a bachelor of arts in communication and has studied visual communication and art curation in France and Finland. In recent years, she has worked as a cultural producer in art-related projects; e.g. as an event organizer, art curator and radio show host and has thus worked with artists in several different formats.

"Bringing contacts within the art sector, finding the right channels and building structures to make art experiences accessible to everyone, is something I'm passionate about. Konstrundan is a phenomenal platform for this!”

SECRETARY

Anne Johansson Padilla is the secretary of Konstrundan from 1.1.2023. Anne works at Kulturhuset Grand in Porvoo as a cultural planner. She is in charge of the project together with the project manager and works in close cooperation with the Regional contacts. Anne has a Master's degree in Political Science and has also studied photography and media. Anne loves to travel and has lived abroad for over 20 years. 

REGIONAL CONTACTS

Helsinki & Marketing Assistant

Gisela Montonen is the marketing assistant and region contact for Helsinki.
She has a degree as a cultural producer from Arcada University of Applied Sciences, she is also a visual merchandiser. Art and culture has always been an important part of her life and she is looking forward to working at Konstrundan. In her free time, Gisela enjoys visual arts and crafts. When she's not creating, she reads books or gets inspired by exhibitions, concerts and colorful clothes.

“Through art, we can create joy and meaningful connections between people, dream of a flourishing future, and simply enjoy the act of being.”
 

Kymenlaakso, South Karelia & Eastern Finland

Tiina Rajakallio is a jewellery artist and designer with an M.F.A. from Konstfack Metal School in Stockholm. She is active in associations and projects in her field and has been the president of Täky Ry, the association for artisans of South-East Finland for the last three years. Rajakallio works full-time with jewellery and small series jewellery in her studio in Lappeenranta and exhibits her work internationally.

She believes that Konstrundan is an excellent medium for interaction between artists and craftspeople and between the public and users of their work. "It's great to be able to contribute to these encounters!"
 

Eastern Uusimaa

Leena Stolzmann has been regional contact for Konstrundan in Eastern Uusimaa for 15 years, from the beginning of Konstrundan. Her journey into the world of art started in Turku, Turun piirustuskoulu in the seventies and continued after some time in Western Uusimaa to Porvoo where she functioned as the headmaster for Porvoo artschool for 35 years. Konstrundan gives a beautiful opportunity to become familiar with art and the artist in the environment where art is born, in a fascination world, that gives us joy, hope and takes us to new dimensions.
 

The Åland Islands

Therese Hjälmarstrand’s home island is Vinön in Hjälmaren, Sweden. She was born and raised there. Via Örebro and Gothenburg she and her family ended up in Åland 16 years ago and there they will stay. Therese is a lifelong painter, she has always painted, as ABBA would have put it "I could paint before I could walk". In high school, she attended the arts and form major, but then life took her on a different path and eventually after ten years as a systems specialist, she decided to make a change and applied to the Handicrafts program at Ålands folkhögskola. Now paints and brushes have been joined by shells, yarn, metal wire, clay, and more yarn. Therese loves to use many different techniques and she also like to mix, no rules and limits, just free creation. She is very much looking forward to being Åland's regional contact for Konstrundan and to being able to contribute to getting more art in to people’s lives.

Western Uusimaa

Nicole Hjelt is the regional contact for Western Uusimaa and Southwest Häme. She is a visual artist and also works as a guide and workshop leader in galleries and as a leader of children's clubs. In her art, Nicole explores the self-portrait from a psychological perspective. She paints, draws and creates visual poetry in video format. 

"Konstrundan is an important event where visitors and artists meet and experience how artists work", says Nicole.

Southwest Finland, Satakunta, Pirkanmaa & Central Finland

Sara Panelius is the regional contact for Southwest Finland, Satakunta, Pirkanmaa and Central Finland. She is a master's student in art history at Åbo Akademi University and is also the deputy conductor of the academy's women's choir Florakören. With experience as a museum guide at several cultural institutions in Turku, she has a passion for art and history. In her spare time she enjoys music, nature and cooking.

Ostrobothnia

Heidi Stenberg is Konstrundan's regional contact in Ostrobothnia.

"I grew up in Jakobstad, art and culture have been strongly embedded in both family and friendship circles. A creative outlet has always been a common thread through working life, first as an entrepreneur and dreadlock artist, now even more concrete when I dive completely into my own expression and graduate as a visual artist at Novia University of Applied Sciences.

I am looking forward to improving my own artistic skills and the art scene we have here in Finland. Konstrundan is a fantastic network for exactly that and I am so happy to be part of it!"
 

oulu, kainuu & lapland

Ami Avellán acts as regional contact for our newest region, Oulu, Kainuu & Lapland!

Jewellery has taken Ami around the Nordic countries, from Western Uusimaa via Sweden and Norway to Lapland. Ami has studied up to a Master degree in jewellery art, worked as a goldsmith in Norway and as a teacher in goldsmithing, both in the south and north of Finland. In her company, Ami Avellán Jewellery, she designs and manufactures silver jewellery in her workshop in Inari.

“Konstrundan is a very well organized event. For a very small amount of work the participants get visibility all over the country - additionally in three languages and through many different channels! Having participated in Konstrundan since 2010, I know that it works smoothly. Therefore, I want to expand the event to include the whole country, especially in the northernmost parts. Like the cherry on the cake, Konstrundan is arranged in the finest autumn color season, the ruska time” 

 

the board

Konstrundan is directed by a board which meets a few times a year to evaluate and develop the event. The board is presented with the feedback from visitors and participants, and they plan Konstrundan’s future accordingly.

The members of the board are from different relevant fields and areas in Finland in order to guarantee diversity and a variety in perspectives. Projectmanager Frida Gullichsen summons the board.

Members of the board in 2024

• Maija Albrecht, graphic artist, Degerby, Western Uusimaa
• Hanna Wiik-Rosenqvist, artisan, The Åland Islands
• Johan Sandås, artist, Ostrobotnia
• Leena Stolzmann, principle, Porvoo Art School, Eastern Uusimaa
• Tarja Suomi, event organiser, Turku region
• Frida Gullichsen, project manager, Konstrundan
• Cecilia McMullen, executive director, Kulturhuset Grand

Organizer

Kulturförening Grand r.f. is the organizer of Konstrundan. The 25-year-old association protects and supports cultural activities in Porvoo. Lucka i Borgå was opened in 1999 under the auspices of Grand and continues to operate in its premises. Their mission includes being a Swedish room in central Porvoo and an important meeting place for associations, companies and individual actors. Read more about Kulturföreningen Grand here.

THE JURY

The members of the jury are experts in art, handicraft and design. The jury is anonymous and does not comment on their decision.

Evaluation report 2022  [PDF]
The Konstrundan strategy 2019-2024 (in Swedish) [PDF]