Occupying Non-Place – Art Education Disturbed

In our ongoing study, we ask: How does site-speci c art and activism reveal norms and power structures within urban spaces? In our study, art and art education are perceived to be in a dialogue with the multidisciplinary framework of urban studies, humanistic geography, and youth research. Thus, we perceive our research to be arts-based (see Kallio, 2008; Suominen, Kallio-Tavin, & Hernández- Hernández, 2017). In this visual essay, we approach our topic from two angles: First, we begin by introducing the shift in art education that is taking place as a response to changes in art and in the Finnish national curriculum for elementary and secondary schools. Second, we discuss our process of understanding the phenomena domination and normative use of public spaces and their disruption through four artistic or activist projects.