So that every 8th grader could experience art

Art Testers is the largest culture education program in Finland, offering all 8^th graders and their teachers 1–2 annual visits in esteemed cultural institutions. Our program reaches over 65,000 people annually in all Finnish municipalities. The attractions and the number of visits vary according to the funding of our program.

The core goal of our program is to offer young people experiences in art and to find them tools to form well-versed opinions on their experience. What did they think? Would they revisit?

Look at some reviews from art visits by 8^th graders here.

According to the feedback received from young people, we learn together with the Finnish cultural institutions about how to meet the needs of young people in planning the content and especially improving the audience work in the organisations. From an educational viewpoint, we want to offer teachers opportunities and support on how to utilise art: the role of the teacher is significant in making an 8^th grader’s art experience successful.

The Art Testers program is produced by the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centres. The program was initiated in the school years 2017–2020 by our main financer, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, followed by The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.

The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture also funded the project from autumn 2020 to spring 2024, but the Parliament decided not to continue the funding starting from autumn 2024. Currently, the program operates with support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.