Umeå Arts Campus
In the summer of 2009 construction work for Umeå Arts Campus began in the area by the Umeå Institute of Design and Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, situated on the scenic banks of the Umeå River, within short walking distance to the city centre and ten minutes to Campus Umeå.
"The Umeå Arts Campus venture is an investment in the development of knowledge," says former vice-chancellor Göran Sandberg. "By having a unified location for education, research, entrepreneurship and artistic development in architecture, design and fine arts, unique opportunities are possible to make groundbreaking achievements."
"The goal is for Umeå to become a creative centre on the global stage," adds Göran Sandberg.
New buildings to complement the older structures
The first new building being constructed is the Umeå School of Architecture, which was established in 2009.
Umeå University’s museum of contemporary art and visual culture- Bildmuseet - will relocate to a modern new building here, as well as a new branch of HUMlab (HUMlab X) which will be a experimental workshop in digital culture. Bildmuseet is open to the public and an exciting place to visit.
The objective is for Umeå Arts Campus to function as a venue for education, research and professional activities within architecture, design, art and digital culture - a creative environment which can be quite unique to Sweden, Europe and even worldwide.
A total of SEK 350 million will be invested over a six years period towards Umeå Arts Campus, including SEK 36.6 million from the Baltic Group donation trust fund.
Incubator for companies in the creative industries
There will also be a business incubator for the creative industries to help entrepreneurs and promote entrepreneurship by providing active and customized business support, office services, technical and commercial networks, and financial support - all in a creative environment. The incubator at Umeå Arts Campus will be similar to Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI), as it will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Uminova Innovation.
Click the image for a larger view.
Umeå Arts Campus is also included as part of the investment towards Umeå's European Capital of Culture 2014 venture. The aim is for it to be a stimulating and exciting meeting place for residents and visitors.
Some voices on Umeå Arts Campus
"The line of thinking is similar to those at Aalto University (Finland), which is to create something that can be more than the individual parts. I am convinced that creative thinking will be better when different backgrounds meet."
Anna Valtonen, Rector of Umeå Institute of Design (autumn 2010)
"It is a fantastic chance to be involved in the start of a new architectural education and the development of research. The concept of Umeå Arts Campus offers further opportunities to create something unique. The university's business incubator endeavour is also very intriguing. Therefore, it was an easy decision."
Peter Kjaer, on why he accepted the job as Rector of Umeå School of Architecture
Illustrations at the top: White Arkitekter/Henning Larsen Arkitekter
Photo of Anna Valtonen and Peter Kjaer: Elin Berge
Umeå Arts Campus area on Google Maps
Display Umeå Arts Campus with a larger map.
