Page 5 - SKR-annual-report-2022-EN

RAMI MARJAMÄKI 5

During his twenty years as Secretary General, Antti Arjava has led the
Finnish Cultural Foundation towards increasingly effective projects.

Another initiative with a potentially profound impact is a new fund, called
New Classics, which we have established together with the Ministry of Culture
and three other major foundations. It will grant at least 10 million euros in
the next 4–8 years for artistic productions which may have a longer life and
wider audience. The fund’s novelty lies in the way the final sum of the grant
is determined: the amount grows as more tickets are sold. Thus, the lifecycle
of the performances becomes longer and we are able to support high-quality
art which has significance for as many people as possible. If successful, the
artistic groups are able to accumulate a surplus which will strengthen their
future financial base. As a result, grantmaking and the market system will
reinforce each other, instead of separating the artistic field.

This is my last review as Secretary General. Two decades in the finest
workplace one can imagine are suddenly over. Like Lensky in the opera
Eugene Onegin, I can only wonder where all those golden days have gone.
While there is much that I failed to do, I know that the Foundation is
mentally and financially prepared to carry out greater tasks than ever.

Antti Arjava
Secretary General