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Partnership Project with Icelandic Art School Completed – Erasmus+ Activities Continue

The EU-funded project created a model for close collaboration between two painting schools and launched the development of a network for European painting schools. The two-year pilot project included teacher exchanges between Finland and Iceland, study trips from Helsinki to Reykjavík and vice versa, as well as other forms of cooperation between students, teachers, and administration of Free Art School and Myndlistaskólinn í Reykjavík. International study modules, teacher exchanges, and other mobility activities will continue, as the school has been granted Erasmus+ accreditation.

The aim of developing a collaboration model was to establish international activities as a regular and systematic part of the Free Art School's curriculum and operations. The emerging European network of painting schools supports both the international mobility of painters and the preservation of painting traditions in Europe.

The project began with teacher exchanges in February 2024. In April, the third-year students of the Free Art School visited the partner school, Myndlistaskólinn í Reykjavík (The Reykjavik School of Visual Arts), as well as various art institutions and sites in Reykjavík and around Iceland. An exhibition inspired by the trip and a student-organized seminar reflecting on what was seen and experienced took place in Suomenlinna in September. In turn, a group of Icelandic students visited Helsinki in late October and early November, and their exhibition was held in Reykjavík in December 2024.

The project concluded in spring 2025. The final activity involved a meeting in Oslo between Elina Merenmies, Principal of the Free Art School, and Jón B. K. Ransu, Head of the Painting Programme at Myndlistaskólinn í Reykjavík. During the visit, they explored potential collaboration with Einar Granum Kunstfagskole (Einar Granum School of Fine Art). The developing school network will thus include three Nordic institutions, all committed to strong painting education.

Internationalisation at the Free Art School Continues

In December 2024, the Free Art School was granted Erasmus+ accreditation, enabling continued EU support for student, teacher, and staff mobility. The next international study module is planned for autumn 2025 in Perugia, Italy, in collaboration with L’Accademia di Belle Arti “Pietro Vannucci” di Perugia, founded in 1573.

The school’s internationalisation strategy emphasizes close Nordic cooperation and a strengthened relationship with the Swedish language and culture, both in Finland and in Sweden. At the same time, familiarity with the artistic traditions of Europe's major historical art countries – such as Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands – is seen as essential.

“We believe that knowledge of Scandinavian languages and natural mobility within the Nordic region can support emerging painters in pursuing their careers beyond Finland,” says Principal Elina Merenmies. “Meanwhile, Southern and Central Europe offer access to art historical treasures that cannot be experienced anywhere else.”

About the Project (2023–2025)

The Free Art School is the lead coordinator of the project, which runs from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2025. The project has received €60,000 in funding from the European Union.

Basic project information can also be found on the European Commission’s website: Project Card. More information about the Erasmus+ programme is available on the Finnish National Agency for Education's website.

This project is co-funded by the European Union. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

Landscape in Iceland. Photo by Virppi Sysilehto.
Landscape in Iceland. Photo by Virppi Sysilehto.