Yrjö Kalervo Sotamaa (born 25 September, 1942) is a Finnish designer and design strategist. Sotamaa is Professor Emeritus of Design Innovation in the Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture and President Emeritus of the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TAIK). He served as the President of TAIK from 1986 until 2008. He earned his MA in Interior Architecture and Furniture Design from TAIK, where he studied with Kaj Franck and Antti Nurmesniemi.
Career
During his studies (1965–1969) in the Institute of Art and Design, (later University of Art and Design and now Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture) Yrjö Sotamaa was President of the institute's Student Union TOKYO. He pushed for reforms in design education, founded the Scandinavian Design Students Organization SDO in 1966, and organized by SDO a series of high-profile international seminars and conferences (Industry, Environment, Design in Suomenlinna, 1968, Finland and Working Environment in Otaniemi, 1967, Finland) to discuss the social, ecological, economical, environmental challenges facing the Nordic societies and reforms in design education.
In 1967 and 1968 he invited to the seminars leading thinkers in design and architecture of the time including Victor Papanek, Buckminster Fuller, Christopher Alexander and Hans Palmstjerna. This led to a close friendship with Papanek and Fuller and later, an active cooperation with them. He also published their lectures and writings in the famous &/SDO Magazine 2/1968 in 1968, which has been recently included to two major exhibitions of the cultural radicalism in 1960's: You Say You Want a REVOLUTION? Records and Rebels 1966–1970, Victor Papanek: The Politics of Design, and Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980 (LACMA).
In 1969–1970 Sotamaa was a visiting professor at Purdue University (USA) by the invitation of Professor Victor Papanek and was a close collaborator of Papanek for several years. During his time in Purdue he also collaborated with Buckminster Fuller whose World Resources Inventory Centre was closely located to Purdue in Carbondale, Illinois.
In 1972–1973 he studied with a Finnish State Grant nomadic cultures and handicrafts in East Africa.
In 1975 Sotamaa entered the service of TAIK as Head of Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Design and was nominated by the Finnish Government to President of the university in 1986. During his time as President (1986-2008) of TAIK the university grew to one of the leading art and design institutions in the world. President Sotamaa had also a visible role in the development of the Art and Design City, the Arabianranta area of Helsinki where the university is situated, under the notion of the Living Lab. The concept was first put forward by MIT Professor William Mitchell, in terms of a research methodology for sensing, prototyping, validating and refining complex solutions in multiple and evolving real life contexts. Art and Design City become an international benchmark for innovation driven future city development.
He has also played a visible role in renewing the Finnish university system and is the "father" of the Helsinki Innovation University project, named Aalto University, which started operating on 1.1.2010.
Sotamaa has also played a key role in the creation of the Finnish and Danish national design policies, the EU User Driven Innovation Policy and the reinforcement of the position of design in the Finnish Innovation System.
Sotamaa has held a number of expert positions. Sotamaa was elected in 2001 to be the first President of CUMULUS, the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media (2001-2007). Cumulus is today the most important global association to serve art and design education and research. It is a forum for partnership and transfer of knowledge and best practices. Cumulus consists currently of 357 members from 66 countries.
He was Chairman of the Foundation of the Finnish Institute in Japan during 1996–2009, chairman of the Board of the Art and Design City Helsinki ADC Ltd (2000–2010), vice-president of the Finnish Council of University Rectors (1997–2003) and Member of the Round Table of Design in Finland (2000–2010). As Chairman of the Finnish Information Society Forum and as a Member of the Information Society Forum of the European Union (1995–1999), he participated in research on the evolution of the information society and in the planning of future strategies. He was the vice-chairman for the National Committee preparing the new Governments Art and Artist Policy Programme for Finland.