Felted Futures: crafting transformative learning experiences in the Arctic

This article explores visual art and design education in higher education. Teachers, researchers and international Master's degree students collaborated on project-based studies aimed at supporting rural communities and the sustainability transformation in Northern Finland. Through an art-based action research approach and co-design processes, a heritage craft was revitalised for the needs of remote regions and the circular economy. Artist-designers and students developed a traditional horse-aided felting technique into bicycle-aided felting and facilitated a public workshop to bring together local knowledge holders, university students, and researchers. The Felted Futures concept consisted of collaborative felting workshops using discarded local wool as well as an architectural plan for a contemporary shelter at a nature-based tourism site. Evaluation of the design process and student feedback highlighted the potential of culturally rooted craft practices and ancestral techniques to inform sustainable design solutions, the bioeconomy and transformative education. The study contributes to Arctic art education, sustainability education and collaborative craftsmanship in design and education.