Equality Plan for Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
23.4.2021
Kiasma is an art museum for all, and takes into consideration the diversity of both audiences and the art field. We work towards ensuring that social, cultural, physical, financial, or regional backgrounds do not constitute a hindrance to experiencing art.
We are continuously learning more, we listen to feedback, and correct our activity accordingly. This plan outlines Kiasma’s equality actions from the viewpoint of audiences, programme and collection-related operations, as well as staff.
Equality Plan of the Finnish National Gallery
Kiasma is part of the Finnish National Gallery, and is committed to the Finnish National Gallery’s Equality Plan. This means that
- We are an art museum for all, with expanding activity and diversifying audience base.
- Our programme and customer services increase understanding and interaction between people.
- Our museum and online services are accessible socially, physically, culturally, and economically.
- We take into account the diversification of society in our collection operation and in planning our programme.
- We have zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and bullying.
- The diverse backgrounds of our staff constitute one of our assets.
- Our staff members promote equality in their work.
Diversified audiences
The diversity of our audiences and society is taken into account in planning Kiasma’s services, the museum experience, and programme. We want to make participation in art possible and meaningful for all.
- Our public spaces are accessible. The museum has gender-neutral WCs. Read more about accessibility at Kiasma.
- We want everyone to feel safe in Kiasma. Therefore, we have drawn up safe-space principles. Read our principles for safer space.
- We promote economic equality by offering a free-entrance day for all museumvisitors once a month. Entrance to Kiasma is free of charge for visitors under the age of 18 years. The Kiasma Library, which specialises in contemporary art, is open to all and free of charge.
- Our online services bring art within the reach of all: audiences can visit the Finnish National Gallery’s art collection and the Kiasma Online Art collection regardless of where they live.
- We promote cultural and regional equality through age-group events: the “Tokaluokkalaisten taideretki” (“Second-graders art trip”) is an excursion to Kiasma for all second graders in Helsinki, and the “Taidetestaajat” (“Art Testers”) initiative reaches eighth-graders from around Finland.
- We promote interaction and the position of minorities through, for example, the URB festival events and event collaboration (e.g. Helsinki Pride).
- We offer services in a number of languages: exhibition texts are available in Finnish, Swedish, English, and Russian. In addition to these, basic information is available on the website in Japanese and Chinese.
- We ensure that our communication does not exclude any genders, family configurations, or groups.
Equality and diversity in our programme and collections
Kiasma collects and displays contemporary art that reflects our time in as diverse a way as possible. Recognition of current phenomena and readiness to react are important in planning our programme.
We follow the field of art on a broad front, and acquaint ourselves with the art of artists from different backgrounds, residing in Finland or elsewhere the world. We actively seek diverse makers of art as well as diverse content and ways of expression. When acquiring additions to our collections, we keep track of the gender distribution of the artists (female/male/other).
When making programme choices, we take into account special groups and minorities, and attempt to strengthen intercultural interaction. We recognise the limited nature of our own knowledge. When, for instance, we display art related to minorities and vulnerable groups, we consult those whom the matter concerns. We know that the spaces provided for Kiasma Theatre’s performing artists are not currently accessible.
Through its subject matter, contemporary art displays a diversity of identities and values. We help museumgoers approach also new and unknown topics by offering background information and opportunities for dialogue and participation.
Kiasma employs artists in different expert roles, including, for example, artist, curator, guide, workshop guide, lecturer, and writer. Kiasma also pays a compensation for artists featured in its programme (artist’s fee, copyright fee, daily allowance, or a combination of these).
Contemporary art as a channel for freedom of speech and expression
In its programming and collection operations, Kiasma is pluralistic and polyphonic. Contemporary art and interpretations of it function as a channel for freedom of speech and expression.
Kiasma displays multicultural, societally relevant and also socially engaged art. The programme explores issues that are topical in art and society at a given point in time. This may mean, among others, human rights issues and environmental matters, or themes on cultural encounters and interaction. Being displayed in a museum links these topics as part of the history of art and culture.
Kiasma promotes freedom of speech and expression
- By supporting polyphony through art and the museum’s programming.
- By ensuring freedom of expression for all who work with us.
- By offering different interpretations to the programme on display: exhibition texts, blog posts, specialist texts in exhibition catalogues, opinion pieces, and artists’ interviews.
- By encouraging the audiences to make their own interpretations, to discuss, and to share their experiences.
Kiasma as a workplace
Kiasma’s operations are based on the values of the Finnish National Gallery: together, transparently, professionally. We have zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, and improper behaviour.
We actively develop our operational culture and policies. In the past few years, we have focused in particular on improving managerial work and leadership, as well as transparency of professional roles and salaries within the museum.
Equality and diversity of staff
We work towards Kiasma being a place of employment in which equality and equal opportunities are actualised.
Strengths
- Diversity of professional roles and educational backgrounds of the work community.
- Equal salaries for same professional roles, regardless of employee’s gender.
- The age and gender distribution of the staff is broad.
- Different backgrounds and languages are represented to some extent among the staff. Finnish and English are our working languages.
Challenges
- Most of the staff members are still white, native Finnish- or Swedish-speaking, non-disabled people.
- The number of people from different backgrounds with an education in the art-museum field is still limited. We are laying the groundwork and lowering the threshold for people to seek out different positions in the field, through internships and projects (for example, practicum work experience periods at different phases of studies, working as a guide and workshop employment)
- Not all of our work premises are accessible.