Riina has extensive experience working with a wide range of communities beyond art institutions, where she has developed participatory artistic practices centred on each individual’s experience of empowerment and inclusion. In her facilitation, Riina aims to dismantle barriers to participation, communication, and creative expression, ensuring that everyone’s skills and backgrounds are valued. She is inspired by reimagining the “user interface” of art to make creative experiences accessible to as many people as possible. She sees each person’s embodied, lived experience as a compass to guide their artistic journey.
Her work includes developing artist residency models for educational settings, embedding artistic processes within schools and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration between teachers and artists. Riina contributed to the TALK project (2013–2018, Zodiak), which pioneered movement-based approaches to language learning. She also brings significant experience working with people with developmental disabilities and consciously seeks to disrupt conventional power dynamics. For Riina, it is essential to create spaces where individuals facing challenges and barriers can work in roles as guides and experts.
Some previous community arts projects and residencies:
Huuma — Future skills for youth through Art 2019—2020
Slow Paths - Dance and movement sessions in an elderly care home in 2019—2020
Our World — Artist residency in an inclusion class in 2018.
Amazing Phrase and Martsari Goes Wild - A project that aimed to integrate newly arrived students into a wider school community in 2017–2018.
Mitä jos? — Artist residency in integration education for immigrants in Tampere in 2017
Photos below: Annukka Pakarinen / The Children and Youth Foundation
Updated 19 Sep 2025