EMMA launches recruitment for next museum director – current Director Pilvi Kalhama to head the new Museum of Architecture and Design
22.1.2025 11:00:00 EET | EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art | Press release
The long-time Director of EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Pilvi Kalhama (Ph.Lic.), has been appointed Director of the new Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki. Kalhama will remain Director of EMMA until the end of July and will take up her new position on 4 August 2025. The Board of Directors of the EMMA Art Museum Foundation will launch the recruitment process for a new director in February.

“We at EMMA are proud and happy about Pilvi’s appointment,” says Saija Äikäs, Chair of the Board of the EMMA Art Museum Foundation, noting that EMMA is in excellent shape after Pilvi Kalhama’s tenure. “We expect the new Director of EMMA to have strong, visionary expertise in art and design, as well as international experience. We also require demonstrable people-management and business skills. The new Director will oversee a unique and internationally significant museum in an extraordinary environment and will manage a professional, multidisciplinary staff,” Äikäs adds.
Next summer, Kalhama will have served as Director of EMMA for 13 years. During that time, EMMA has cemented its position as one of the most important art museums in Finland. Under Kalhama’s leadership, EMMA has widened its scope to include not only art but also design, and has strengthened its collaboration with the City of Espoo on public art projects. The museum’s visitor numbers and its international recognition have grown, and its finances are on a solid footing.
“I am immensely grateful for my years working at EMMA, where, together with the staff, the board and our partners, we have built EMMA’s success! My warmest thanks go to Chair Saija Äikäs and the entire EMMA team, the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation, Kyösti Kakkonen, as well as outgoing Mayor Jukka Mäkelä and all our partners at the City of Espoo and in networks with whom I have had the pleasure of working towards shared goals,” says Kalhama.
More info:
Saija Äikäs
Chair of the Board, EMMA Art Museum Foundation
saija.aikas@helsinki.chamber.fi,
+358 504925854
Saara Suojoki
EMMA Development Director
saara.suojoki@emmamuseum.fi
+358 408412621
EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art

EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art is one of the foremost art museums in Finland. Located in the WeeGee Exhibition Centre in Tapiola, it has the largest floor area of any art museum in the country. In addition to temporary exhibitions, EMMA also displays works from Collection Kakkonen and those of the Saastamoinen Foundation and the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation. Organisationally, EMMA is a private foundation overseen by the City of Espoo.
Keywords
Contacts
Iris SuomiChief Marketing Communications SpecialistEMMA – Espoon modernin taiteen museo
Tel:+358447601930iris.suomi@emmamuseum.fiImages

Links
Subscribe to releases from EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Subscribe to all the latest releases from EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Tapio Wirkkalas omfattande retrospektiv kommer till sin sista utställningsplats i Japan25.6.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Pressmeddelande
Utställningen Tapio Wirkkala: The Sculptor of Ultima Thule som har turnerat i Japan i mer än ett år kommer till sin sista utställningsplats i Shimane Art Museum, där utställningen visas 26.6–31.8.2026.
Tapio Wirkkalan laaja retrospektiivi saapuu viimeiseen näyttelykohteeseensa Japanissa25.6.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Yli vuoden ajan Japanissa kiertänyt Tapio Wirkkala: The Sculptor of Ultima Thule -näyttely saapuu viimeiseen kohteeseensa Shimane Art Museumiin, jossa se on esillä 26.6.–31.8.2026.
Tapio Wirkkala Major Retrospective Reaches Final Venue in Japan25.6.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
After travelling across Japan for more than a year, Tapio Wirkkala: The Sculptor of Ultima Thule arrives at its final venue, Shimane Art Museum, where it will be on view from 26 June to 31 August 2026.
Emmas framtid: ett brev från Krist Gruijthuijsen19.5.2026 08:30:00 EEST | Pressmeddelande
Bästa läsare, Det här är Emma. I dag, den 19 maj, är det hennes namnsdag. Hon fyller snart 20 år och befinner sig i en övergångsperiod, på väg från ungdom mot vuxenliv. I takt med att födelsedagen närmar sig stannar Emma upp för att reflektera. Att bli vuxen är oundvikligt, men i vår tid sker det inte utan utmaningar. De föreställningssystem hon en gång vuxit upp med håller på att vittra sönder. Förändringen utmanar henne att på nytt granska sitt sätt att förstå världen omkring sig. I två decennier har Emma bott i ett före detta tryckeri, ett imponerande brutalistiskt landmärke från 1960-talet i Esbo, ritat av arkitekten Aarno Ruusuvuori. I denna särpräglade miljö har rummet och konsten gått hand i hand, format varandra och skapat en egen värld där Emma har vuxit upp. Emma har vuxit upp genom relationer: med sina gemenskaper, med de konstnärer hon samarbetar med och med de samlingar hon förvaltar. Samarbetet har varit en central del av hennes utveckling och format hennes syn på den egn
Emma’s Future: A Letter from Krist Gruijthuijsen19.5.2026 08:30:00 EEST | Press release
Dear Reader, This is Emma. Today, 19 May, is her name day. She is about to turn 20 years old and finds herself at a moment of transition, gradually moving from adolescence into adulthood. As she approaches her birthday, she pauses to reflect. Growing up is inevitable, yet in this moment in time it is not without its challenges. The belief systems she was once so firmly raised with are dissolving, asking her to reconsider how she understands the world around her. For two decades, Emma has made her home in a former printing factory—a striking Brutalist landmark from the 1960s, designed by Finnish architect Aarno Ruusuvuori in Espoo, Finland. Within this distinctive architectural setting, space and art have continuously shaped one another, forming the environment in which she has grown up. Emma has come of age through relationships: with her communities, with the artists she works alongside, and with the collections she cares for. Collaboration has been central to her development, shaping
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom