Kari Huhtamo Foundation

Mission statement

The mission of the Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation is to preserve the artworks and other art-related material of sculptor Kari Huhtamo, and to ensure that his art can be viewed by the public. The Foundation also promotes the education of fine arts in general and the research of northern visual arts in the University of Lapland in particular. The Foundation realizes this mission through the unique in scale exhibition of Huhtamo’s sculptures in the University of Lapland, supporting the research initiatives by making the archives of Huhtamo’s work available to the public, arranging seminars and other educational programs, and promoting the visibility of Northern art in general through exhibitions and other means.

History

The Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation was founded in 2005. The need to conserve Huhtamo’s artistic legacy and display in public the core production of his career was solved by the co-operation between the University of Lapland and the Foundation. The ground-breaking contract stipulated that the collection of twenty-two sculptures dating 1982 – 2003 will be exhibited in the premises of University of Lapland for the period of fifty years. Thanks to the efforts of the founding board members and co-operation of the University art now has a presence in everyday campus life. The young art students may get to profit from the availability of a unique collection both as an inspiration to their own creative work and as a resource for research.