Joette Crosier grew up in West Virginia, USA and always had a passion for nature and the environment. This interest became a career path after getting a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. After a couple of years working in ecological research, she moved to Helsinki and is currently completing a master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. While trained and experienced in many aspects of ecology, Joette’s specific field is mycology. She is conducting thesis research on Finnish fungal ecology and works in a mycology laboratory in Mustio, running projects on everything mushroom related. Within mycology, her main focus is mycorestoration, driven by the desire to find ways humans can work with fungi to
restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. Through volunteering and work with various
organizations, she has been involved in mushroom projects to jumpstart forest
regeneration, reintroduce threatened species, efficiently degrade cigarette waste, and
treat polluted water from mines. Motivated from early on by environmental challenges
around coal mining in her home state, she plans to further research on the amazing
potential fungi have to remove toxins from the environment, particularly heavy metals and chemical waste.
Joette is inspired by a movement towards sustainable societies with a foundation of
strong community engagement and a true connection with all life on earth. In her
hometown, she participated in diplomatic gatherings in which citizens from different
political and ideological backgrounds would team up to work on art or other community
improvement projects, in the interest of finding common ground on often contentious
issues related to the environment and natural resource extraction/protection. As an
American living in Finland, it’s easy to find similar types of controversy and
stakeholders and she is interested to foster this same type of social engagement
through artistic projects in a society where there’s even greater conscientiousness
around environmental issues.
Tanja Koistinen (1984) is Rovaniemi origin, now Kolari based Applied visual artist (MA). Her background is on visual arts; painting and graphic art which she studied in Liminka Art school and the University of Lapland. Her previous artistic production has involved public paintings, public art in small communities and arts reflecting on research. Trough arts Koistinen seeks and implements northern identities and place and nature connection, aiming to create dialogue and bringing out diversities of thinking and being. Currently, Koistinen works in Tapama project as an Artist-Researcher, developing and piloting art-based services for travellers in collaboration with Lapland art institutions.
Running & hiking with a dog, meditating, eating, dancing and singing are Koistinen’s favourite way to use free time.
Meeri Koutaniemi (1987) is a freelance photographer, journalist and documentary filmmaker born in Kuusamo. Her work as a photographer and journalist spans more than 50 countries. At the heart of Koutaniemi’s work is the human right to define his or her identity and role in society. Koutaniemi was chosen as the Journalist of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and has received numerous international awards.
Raisa Raekallio (1978) is a visual artist, working in the field of drawing, painting, and performance, born in Kittilä. Raisa graduated from Lahti Institute of Fine Arts and from 2013 she has held a working collaboration with Misha del Val creating paintings and performance pieces together on their studio in Sirkka, Lapland. Together they have held several exhibitions in Finland and abroad. Their latest series of paintings ‘Uusi normaali’ will be exhibited in tm-gallery, Helsinki in summer 2020.
In addition to painting and performance, Raisa has her diary-like daily drawing practice, in which she creates intimate and spontaneous works on paper.
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