New School Year, New Art Testers
16.08.2024
The eighth year of the Art Testers program has begun. During the 2024–2025 school year, all eighth graders in Finland will once again have the opportunity to participate in two high-quality art visits. A total of 88 art organizations from various fields and regions of Finland will be involved in creating these art experiences.
This year, all 65,783 eighth graders in Finland will enjoy these art experiences. Accompanying them on the trips will be 6,546 teachers or other supervisors, making a total of 72,329 people. The journeys to these art experiences will once again be made by train, bus, and airplane.
The 2024 art tests will start on August 20, 2024, with a joint production by Tampereen Teatteri and Tampere Hall of “The Lord of the Rings,” directed by Mikko Kanninen. About 1,700 art testers from Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa, and Central Finland, along with their teachers, will experience this thrilling fantasy adventure, which combines unforgettable theater, new music composed by Tuomas Kantelinen and performed by the Tampere Philharmonic, and the impressive circus arts of Sorin Sirkus.
Supported by Private Funders
State funding for the Art Testers program ended at the close of the 2023–2024 school year, and starting in fall 2024, it will be fully funded by private foundations. The program will continue through spring 2027 thanks to support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Swedish Cultural Foundation. The total budget for the upcoming school year is around 7 million euros.
“In the future, the continuation of Finland’s largest and only national cultural education program cannot rely on private funders; the state must take responsibility for funding the Art Testers program. This is the only way to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to participate in art visits as part of their basic education,” says Art Testers program manager Joonas Keskinen.
The Art Testers program is widely respected, and its value was highlighted in the feedback surveys sent to schools during the 2023–2024 season.
“I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years, and I believe the Art Testers is the best initiative organized for us from outside the school. This is incredibly important art education for everyone, but especially for the children in our area who don’t regularly visit art venues,” commented one teacher in the survey.
New Team Members
There were staff changes in the Art Testers production team over the summer. Due to an organizational change, all program employees have now transitioned to being employed by the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers. Erja Saaranen, Laura Holm, and Karolina Ajanki joined as new coordinators, and Marianna Penttilä started as the new communications and events coordinator, responsible for the communication of the Art Testers program.