Call for proposals: "Relate North 2026 – Show and Tell" at Arctic Arts Summit 2026
The Arctic Arts Summit (AAS) brings together representatives of Arctic countries and Indigenous Nations of the Circumpolar region to strengthen arts and culture in the North and to foster collaboration in the creative industries. The ASAD networks collaborate with the event and will host the annual Relate North 2026 as part of the AAS in Umeå, Sweden, in June 2026.
Call for Proposals
The Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design (ASAD) invites artist–researchers and designer-researchers to present their processes, productions and research posters in a pop-up exhibition format. The network event follows the theme of the Arctic Arts Summit “Land, power, art” and focuses on microchanges initiated by participatory and community-driven art and design research and art and design education research. Rather than a traditional gallery setting, the session unfolds in an open, interactive space for informal encounters, dialogue, and shared reflection. Artist–researchers and designer-researchers will be present alongside their works, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with the creative processes, inquiries, and knowledge embedded in the artworks.
This event highlights how artistic research can generate situated, embodied, and relational understandings of the North. By bringing diverse art and design practices into a shared, conversational environment, the session foregrounds the role of art and design in exploring northern experiences, cultures, and Land. The pop-up format encourages spontaneous discussion, and new connections between makers and viewers. This session celebrates artistic creation as a mode of knowing that is open, processual, and rooted in relationships. Artists and designers participating in this network event will be selected based on a call through the network. The session is organised by the Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design network and part of the program of the Actic Arts Summit. Presenters must registate in to the Arctic Arts Summit.
For more information and guidelines for proposals, visit the ASAD network website.