Last September, the Association of Finnish Sculptors launched a project funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation to ensure the preservation of its archive for the future. During the project, the archive will be organised, catalogued and donated to the National Archives of Finland. 

The archive includes, for instance, minutes, letters and press releases from the association’s over 100-year history. The documents contain information on public art competitions, Galleria Sculptor’s activities and the association’s advocacy work.

So far, the oldest parts of the archive have been kept at the National Archives of Finland, and the more recent documents at Galleria Sculptor. In August 2021, minutes, letters and exhibition documents from the years 1938–1962, which had been thought to be lost, were found in the Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation’s premises.

Sandra Lindblom, an art historian working on the project, is organising the archive, protecting the documents and preparing the archive for donation. 

“Going through the archives, I have been surprised to see how rich and diverse the association’s activities were already in the 1950s. For example, the association’s exhibition plans from the 1950s include film screenings and portfolio reviews in relation to exhibition activities,” says Lindblom.

As a result of the project, the entire archive of the Association of Finnish Sculptors will be donated to the National Archives of Finland, where it can be preserved in the most appropriate conditions. The donation will also ensure that researchers have access to the archive material.