Päivi Venäläinen has started as a Fund Officer for the Finnish Cultural Foundation's Uusimaa and Kymenlaakso funds on 2.10.2023. She is also the person in charge of the Art Testers project at the Foundation.

In her previous position, Venäläinen was the Executive Director of the Art Centre for Children and Young People Foundation that promotes the art education of children and young people in Finland.

She brings a solid knowledge of children’s and youth culture and expertise in art and pedagogy to her new workplace.

"It will be exciting to work in a specialist organisation like the Finnish Cultural Foundation, with a wide range of skills, both in staff and trustees. I have often applied for grants, which makes peeking into the other side particularly interesting," says Venäläinen.

She has worked in cultural education and audience development for most of her career. Her doctoral thesis in art education, completed in 2019, has focus on the same topic: contemporary art as a learning environment.

Previously, Venäläinen has worked in various roles at the Art Centre for Children and Young People Foundation, in pedagogical positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Finnish National Gallery, and has taught museum pedagogy. She holds a PhD in art education and a master's degree in education.

In her new role, she is particularly inspired by broadening her perspective from children and youth culture to the wider phenomena of art and science. "It's great to get to know what kind of thoughts and ideas our grantees have."