The Fine Arts Campus is a dynamic open learning hub for visual arts. It supports creative work, professional competence and artistic development for students and practitioners. For established artists and visiting lecturers, the campus offers a space to sharpen their craft, hosting open events, seminars, and exhibitions, plus a public-facing gallery and cafeteria. For the community the ine Arts Campus provides fertile ground for new ideas, collaboration opportunities, and cultural development.
The Fine Arts Campus in Kankaanpää is the home of the SAMK Fine Arts Degree – around 120 emerging artists study here. A dedicated team runs the campus: seven senior lecturers, an administrative coordinator, workshop manager, facilities staff, student services, and roughly 20-30 visiting instructors annually.
The Fine Arts Degree Programme awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts. The programme operates in Finnish, but most coursework is available in English, and the campus regularly hosts visiting artists, international collaborators, and exchange students. Student mobility is actively supported.
The degree programme centres on contemporary visual arts – including painting, printmaking, sculpture, environmental art, public art, media-art, photography and performance. Students combine hands-on practice with critical thinking. The degree programme encourages multidisciplinary development and broad competency building.
The campus drives research and development projects exploring contemporary artistic practice, intersectoral regional development, creative innovation and resource wisdom.
Kankaanpää provides an intimate context for this work. Students develop practices embedded in place, building work that responds to their environment. They often collaborate with local communities, respond to landscape, and activate public space. The degree programme prepares artists for independent practice and communal creative work. Collaborative projects, workshops, and international exchanges are woven throughout.
Located in the city centre The Tarna-talo building houses 24 studio spaces for students. These spaces provide focused working conditions, and function as a collaborative, student-led learning environment.
Student cafeteria Paletti serves lunch on weekdays. Daily offerings include vegetarian and meat options, with dietary requirements accommodated. The café functions as a gathering space on campus. Beyond lunch, Paletti offers coffee, snacks, beverages, and both savoury and sweet items.
Visitors can enter the campus accessibly during opening hours through the main entrance doors (Paasikivenkatu 24).
There is no information desk on the ground floor of the Fine Arts Campus. Visitors should wait for reception in the lobby. Movement between floors is possible by lift.
An accessible toilet is available on the same floor as the entrance. Another accessible toilet is located on the 2nd floor.
Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.
The accessibility of the campus facilities has been assessed using the suomi.fi accessibility tool, and SAMK’s service location information can also be found on the suomi.filaunch.
Contact information
Fine Arts Campus
+358 2 620 3000
kirjaamo@samk.fi
Address
Paasikivenkatu 24, Kankaanpää
Postal address
P.O. Box 76, FI-38701 Kankaanpää, Finland
Office
Vice President for Education
Operating unit
Student Services
Establishment
Fine Arts Campus
I work as Student Services Secretary at The School of Fine Arts in Kankaanpää. I am also involved in many other tasks, such as communication, room reservations, dealing with international matters and making purchases.
Office
Faculty of Well-being and Fine Arts
Operating unit
Fine Arts
Establishment
Fine Arts Campus
I have been the head of teaching for the fine arts education program since 2021. Prior to that, I was a team leader and have been working full-time in visual arts education since 2000. I have a masters degree in art history, and besides my areas of expertise are contemporary art, aesthetics, and art theory. I am also interested in architecture, public space, and the visual environment.
Office
Faculty of Well-being and Fine Arts
Operating unit
Fine Arts
Establishment
Fine Arts Campus
I work as a technician at the Kankaanpää campus. The job is diverse and includes, procurement of materials, maintaining facilities and equipment, transporting artworks, and assisting with teaching tasks.
