Culture as a resource of the countryside (KULMA) is a two year project launched in 2003. The project developed cultural strategies for rural municipalities and cities in Southwest Finland. It was a co-operation project between the municipalities, the Arts Council of Southwest Finland and Finland Futures Research Centre. The Provincial State Office of Western Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation (Southwest Finland Foundation) and Ministry of Education were also involved.
During the project, culture was developed together with the municipalities and other regional cultural actors. The aim was to tighten cultural co-operation networks and to establish common cultural strategies and furthermore to establish culture as part of municipalities’ strategic thinking in enhancing well-being and vitality.
KULMA has developed a cultural futures process with which the ideas and plans of the strategies have been produced. The cultural organizations of each municipality have been widely represented in workshops. The strategies were published on April 23, 2005.
The co-operation within the municipalities tightened even during the project. A good example of this in the city if Paimio, where an association called “Kulmikkaat” was founded as a co-operation forum for cultural activities. Cultural strategies will support the cultural work of the municipalities and all other actors working in the cultural field. The strategies are also a means of co-operation in themselves.
The following rural municipalities and cities took part in KULMA:
Askainen, Kiikala, Kisko, Laitila, Lemu, Loimaa, Paimio, Parainen, Piikkiö, Merimasku, Mietoinen, Mynämäki, Naantali, Nousiainen, Rusko, Rymättylä, Salo, Suomusjärvi, Uusikaupunki, Vehmaa and Velkua.
The funding of the project
Culture as a Resource of the Countryside (KULMA) was funded by European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, governed by the TE-Centre of Southwest Finland, by the Southwest Foundation of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and by the municipalities involved on the project.
Society and economy cultivate
“As the competition between regions grows, history and tradition offer ways to stand out. Often behind the need to emphasize the identity is the need to raise region’s competitiveness by raising its positive image and thus make way for new dimensions and possibilities for action, both in enterprises and in civil actions.”
Regional Council of Southwest Finland
Regional plan 2020, p. 31
Further information:
> Finland Futures Research Centre