UrbanApa

UrbanApa produces the sixth edition of the Feminist Leadership Platform during spring 2025 – apply by 23rd February!

The platform is based on peer learning, and it aims to support participants in their own work and attempts to practice feminist leadership. The frame for learning consists of seven workshop sessions that intend to allow broader contemplation on feminist tools, leadership, and structures. The goal is to summon artists and those working in the field of art and culture to share and discuss, to empower, to increase understanding of structures and their limitations, and to provide tools for more feminist and inclusive practices, as well as to collectively dream about potential futures. We all have know-how to share. By gathering and bringing that know-how forth, we create the platform for feminist leadership together.

The workshop sessions will be held (mainly online) once every three weeks or once a month (during March–June and August–October 2025, with one two-day residency taking place in Fall 2025). The duration of each session is five hours (incl. lunch break). Each session consists of a lecture, a primer or an introduction on the topic and follow-up exercises and discussions.

The platform is facilitated by Sonya Lindfors and Olga Palo. The platform is produced by Lisa Kalkowski. The lecturers are experts from the fields of art, leadership, and feminism. The participants need to also reserve some time for independent work outside the workshops (i.e., reading articles and reflecting) which should be conducted either individually or together with other participants. The working language on the platform is English.

We hope that the participants commit to attending the platform; to participating in the workshops and reserving time to familiarize themselves with the reading materials.

What is feminist leadership? How to redefine leadership?

Frictions and fictions – How to work in more feminist ways within hierarchical structures?

Power and responsibility – influence and wellbeing

Sustainability – ethical, social, and environmental conflicts and solving them

Taste and vision – whose vision guides collective work?

Facilitation – how to create circumstances for learning and collaboration?

Inclusivity and diversity – safer spaces

Leadership and dreaming – what could the future art field be like?

Communication as leadership – what could feminist communication culture be like?

We are searching for a diverse group of artists or professionals working in the sector of arts and culture, who work with directing, facilitating, curating or leadership in one way or another, and are interested in feminist ways of working. We are mainly looking for people who work or live in Finland, but other applications are also taken into consideration.

In case we receive loads of applications, we aim to choose participants who form a diverse, multivoiced group and prioritize applicants who don’t have access to similar content at the moment.

The platform starts with a live meeting in Helsinki (venue TBA) after which we will continue with online meetings on Zoom. In Autumn, a two-day residency will take place live in Helsinki.

The participants should commit to attending at least six out of the seven sessions. Please note that it is not possible to participate in only individual sessions.

Meeting times

Sun 9.3.2025 at 11:00–16:00 (orientation) | Live in Helsinki, location TBA

Sat 29.3.2025 at 11:00–16:00 | Zoom

Sun 27.4.2025 at 11:00–16:00 | Zoom

12.-16.5.2025 #StopHatredNow event week | Zoom
→ During the week there is an opportunity to participate in events and workshops. Voluntary.

Sun 25.5.2025 at 11:00–16:00 | Zoom

Sat 16.8.2025 at 12:00– | Live Hang out in Helsinki

Sat 6.9.2025 at 11:00–16:00 | Zoom

In the Autumn, miniresidency in Helsinki (September-October), dates TBA

Sat 11.10.2025 at 11:00–16:00 | Zoom

In the name of intersectionality, we are experimenting with a progressive participation fee on the platform.

• For freelancers / unemployed / low-income: the platform will cost a total of 70€
• For employed / middle-income people: the platform costs a total of 250€
• Community / company pays for your participation: the platform costs a total of 1000€

If you have problems with the price of the platform, please contact us! We will work out a solution together.

To apply, please fill the application form by 23rd February 2025 & 23:59 (Finnish time): https://forms.gle/e2pLt3uC3WUnH1nt9

If you are not able to fill in the application form, you can also send us an application via email. If you apply via email, please title your message ‘Application for Feminist Leadership Platform’ and attach to your message your CV and a short motivation letter (max. half A4). Please include your name in the attacment file names and make sure to include your contact information in the files. Send your message to sonya[at]urbanapa.fi. Email application have the same deadline as the application form.

In the motivation letter, please state

• What are you working with and how?
• Why/how are you interested in feminist ways of working?
• What kind of tools do you need and how do you hope to make use of the platform (for example for networking, as a support in a specific process, to internalize specific knowledge…)?
• Do the workshop dates suit you?
• Do you have time, energy and resources to commit to the platform right note? Note! The participants should commit to attending at least six out of seven sessions.

You will hear from us only once the application period is over. The participants will be selected by 28.2.2025.

There will be more information about the accessibility of the live meeting spaces once the venues has been confirmed.

The rest of the platform takes place on Zoom.

UrbanApa is an anti-racist and intersectionally feminist art platform whose purpose is to create space for multivoiced feminist and communal art making. Multivoiced feminist working means that we do not aim at a consensus. There must be space for new viewpoints and experiences, but the atmosphere must also remain respectful, safe and inclusive. Read the ethical guidelines of the platform here: https://urbanapa.fi/ethical-guidelines/