Audience Ambassadors
New Performance Turku Biennale is developing a unique Audience Ambassador training program as part of its international contemporary art event. The program offers residents of the Turku region an opportunity to serve as bridge-builders between performance art and local communities.
Audience Ambassadors are not traditional art guides, but cultural facilitators who create meaningful connections between art and diverse audience groups. They organize meetings, and creative moments that deepen the art experience and promote dialogue.
During an intensive training in May 2025, a group of art enthusiasts of diverse ages and backgrounds, selected through an open call, formed a team and received a 40-hour ambassador training designed and implemented by educator and researcher María Villa, NPT Curator of Engagement. The teaching focused on the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for effective facilitation of audience engagement. This included a dive into historical and current practices of performance art, tools for its interpretation, and becoming familiar with the basics of experiential learning.
As an important part of the preparation, the team also met professionals from ten art organizations in Turku that traditionally collaborate with NPT Biennale as partner venues or programming events. With them, ambassadors had the opportunity to understand the specifics of audience work in these venues, connect with different forms of contemporary art, and discover how to facilitate group dynamics with diverse communities, from the more specialized to broader publics.
After submitting their audience engagement proposals, a group of 14 ambassadors completing the training will receive certificates and implement their proposals in the New Performance Turku Biennale. The following participants took part in the training: Aya Ahmed, Jenna Alastalo, Salla Anttonen, Cécile Le Claire, Ilkka Kouri, Ionas Laine, Diana Lauren, Janne Mattila, Carly Markkanen, Natalia Parshutkina, Mika Pasanen, Taina Saarinen, Hellin Karoliina Saastamoinen and Minka Salmirinne.
In September 2025, NPT will bring together 25 performance artists from around the world presenting works in numerous local art organizations and spaces in Turku. During the Biennale week each audience ambassador will host audience groups to witness and engage with the experimental practices of performance art, facilitate dialogues, and give way to meaningful explorations and shared experiences.
The 2025 Audience Ambassador Program is implemented with the support of Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and done in collaboration with Tehdas Teatteri, Ehkä-production, Regional Dance Centre of Western Finland, Art House Turku, Turku City Theatre, Turku City Library, WAM Kilta gallery, Aurinkobaletti Dance Company, Turku Art Museum, and Aura of Puppets. The programme is coordinated by Maria Laitila.