Altti Kuusamo

University of Turku

‘The Failure in the Identity-function of Postmodernism:  How the Stubborn Identity Position of Modernism Destroyed the Idea of the ‘Fast Changing Identity Positions’ of  Postmodernism?’

Altti Kuusamo has been a professor at Art History at the University of Turku since the fall 2004. Kuusamo has been known in Finland mainly of his contribution to semiotic studies, especially in the visual field. This has been the public side of Kuusamo’s work in the humanistic studies. The main areas of Kuusamo's scholarly work are the methodology of Art History, theories of art, Post-Renaissance art, contemporary Finnish art, the relationship between the arts, semiotics of visual culture, the research of perception and theories of art criticism. Numerous publications comprise also critique and other generally comprehensible writings within the field of art and culture.

AlttiKuusamo is the member of the executive committee of the International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS), since 1999. At the present Kuusamo is making research on “The emergence of the first guardian angels in early Baroque art.” The second area of interest is the research on the semiotics the public art in the urban milieu.

Barbara Bickel

Art Education, Director of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Southern Illionis University

‘Restorative and Transformative Learning Through Collaborative Arts Based Research.’

Barbara Bickel, Ph.D. is an artist, researcher, and educator. An Associate Professor of art education and Director of women, gender & sexuality studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA she teaches art as an inquiry and interdisciplinary meaning making process. Her research interests include arts-based inquiry methods, collaboration, socially engaged art, matrixial theory, experimental video art, feminist spirituality, women’s leadership, and restorative and transformative learning.

She has had 26 solo art exhibitions and presented her art and writing at over 50 peer reviewed conferences and 20 invited presentations in the US and Canada. She recently co-edited a book, with Susan Walsh & Carl Leggo, entitled Arts-Based Research & Contemplative Practices in Research & Teaching and is Editor in Chief of a new book series called Arts Based Educational Research with Springer Press.  Her articles on arts-based inquiry have been published in 8 book chapters and 21 peer reviewed journals, such as the International Journal of Qualitative Research, Journal of Arts and Community, Visual Culture and Gender, International Journal for Education in the Arts, and the Journal of Arts & Communities. To view her art portfolio and arts-based research on-line visit http://www.barbarabickel.com

Martina Paatela-Nieminen gained her Doctorate of Arts (2001) from Aalto University (formerly University of Art and Design, Helsinki, UIAH) where she has worked as a Lecturer and Senior Research Associate in the School of Art Education (1985–2006, 2008–2009). She served as a Research Fellow at the Academy of Finland in 2004–2006. Currently she is an Adjunct Professor of visual culture at the Aalto University, University Lecturer and an Adjunct Professor in Art Education in the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. She also served as a Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Eastern Finland for a two-year project 2009–2011. Her interests include intertextual and -cultural art education, and she continues to represent Europe at InSEA (International Society for Education through Art) World Council (2011–2014 & 2014–2017).