REPORT 2015
The board of AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry in 2015
Matti Karttunen - chairman
Jukka Tikka - vice chairman
Juhani Palonen - secretary
Lucien den Arend - vice-secretary
Marja de Jong - treasurer
During 2015 AREFS was operating at the old railway station of Hiirola.
In 2015 AREFS has been active in the field of art education
(Hiirola, Rämälä), the SAVON-RADAN päivä of the SAVO
rail and involved in the local community of Hiirola. These
activities are important for strengthening the cultural awareness of
the rural habitat in the region of Mikkeli.
AREFS cooperates with Hiirolan kylätoimikunta, SAVON-RADAN ryhmä,
Vehmaskylä Wanha Koulu, Rämälä school, AllaprimA Foundation (NL) and
other organizations in the field of art and culture.
This report is an overview of the activities which were organized by
AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry in 2015.
To read more about the different items click on the images and see
more information and images.
Activities and programs
a. New Year Meeting
On January 17 there was a celebration of the 2015 program at
Hiirola Railway station.
New Year celebration at Hiirola
b. renovation railway station
The railway station in Hiirola is an old building which is still
under construction.
To work properly it is important to organize tools and material in a
way that several persons can find them easily. In 2015 it was
possible to replace the tools room to a new constructed part of the
'cold' area. This part of the building is now in an open connection
with the rest of the building.
The part behind the new constructed wall is now in use as an
archive.
The former tools room is transformed into a gallery.
the new tools room is efficient and organized.
c. gallery STUDIO 23
As the old railway station is a remarkable building and loved by
the villagers and railway lovers, it is a pleasure to transform one
of the rooms into a small gallery. The gallery has the intention to
invite people to visit the place and to contact them with the
activities of AREFS, artists who exhibit their art and to initiate
performances for different audiences.
The former tools room is also the entrance room of the building and
even it is small it can be used as a gallery. It is connected with
the library and with the atelier. These three rooms are suitable for
art activities, research and presentations.
In 2015 three exhibitions have been organized in this new gallery.
the first exhibition "try-out" with art from the
collection of the AllaprimA Foundation has taken place in September
second exhibition 'premiere' with art by the artists: Luis
Blanchard, Sami Funke, Harri Heinonen, Margreet Huisman, Marja de
Jong, Tiina Kyliäinen, Conny Minnema, Alexander Nikitin, Susanna
Pälviä, Janina Rudnicka, Paula Ruuttunen, Birgitte Sasshofer, Julio
Tobal, Kirsimaria E. Törönen-Ripatti, Hanna Vahvaselkä, Marjaana
Valve os Leppänen, Seppo Väänänen, Nadia Zubareva
during Christmas time 'Christmas at Studio 23' with arts and
craft from different origine
In 2016 new exhibitions are planned.
d. art education symposium NATURALLY ART
As part of the Erasmus + program teachers from Portugal have
participated in the art education symposium NATTURALLY ART which
took place in May 2015.
During the symposium the participants were participating in a series
of art lessons with children in the age of 7-8 years, a theoretical
background of art education, practical art activities, excursions to
different art institutions in the region.
Contributors to this symposium: AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry, Rämälä
school, Taidelukio Savonlinna, Gallery Arts Nova Savonlinna, Riitta
Moisander expert in the field of art education and previous
secretary general of the regional arts council, Marja de Jong artist
and art teacher.
It was a great experience to work together with these Portuguese
teachers and to exchange experiences from different countries.
In this program have participated: 24 children and 12 adults
NATURALLY ART pdf file
Blog by
Portuguese teachers (in Portuguese) with many images of the
activities.
e. international youth art camp
AREFS has participated in the international youth art camp in
Vehmaskylä. A group of young people were studying English and art in
a nature environment. This combination is very successful and
attractive for young people of this age. The magic of nature
experiences create a natural attitude to develop their language
skills, the art activities support an intensive way of observation
and offers new ways to express their experiences.
In this program participated: 18 young people and 4 adults
different program parts during the international youth art camp,
the final results of the painting sessions show the fallen trunk
f. art activity Rämälä school
In September children of the 1-2 and 3-4 class have transformed a
piece of plywood into a train wagon. One side the outside of the
wagon and the other side the interior of it.
Finally the wagon get buttons as wheels and all the wagons were
connected together and presented in the yard of Hiirola railway
station during SAVON-RADAN päivä on October 3rd 2015.
In this program participated: 40 children and 4 adults
children at Rämälä school (class 1-2 and 3-4) were painting
train wagons and when finished playing in the sport hall
g. SAVON-RADAN ryhmä
In 2013 AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry has started to participate in
the annual celebration of the SAVON-RATA by having open doors at the
railway station in Hiirola.
In 2014 AREFS started cooperation with SAVON-RADAN ryhmä. This is a
collaboration group of railway stations along the railway in
Etelä-Savo. The group has started their collaboration in 2013 to
give attention to the heritage of old railway stations and to use
its meaning as a source for innovative cultural and economic
development in the field of art, technology, design and tourism and
all what is related to these fields.
The SAVON-RADAN ryhmä is looking for local, regional and
international collaboration to share their knowledge and
experiences, and to exchange their expertise. This will contribute
to challenge new conditions for living and working in the
countryside.
The group is working together in different compositions, depending
on the goal and the needed expertise.
SAVON_RADAN ryhmä has the intention to inform a wide audience about
the status and development of the railway stations along the Savo-rail
through publication on the internet.
On the website of AREFS a special part is created for this
initiative.
- See more at:
http://www.arefs.org/savon-radan-ryhma/savon-radan-index.html
h. Hiirola community program SAVON RADAN päivä
On Saturday October 3rd the SAVON-RADAN päivä has taken place.
This annual event takes place in Haukivuori, Kalvitsa, Hiirola,
Mikkeli and Otava. People can visit the stations and go by train
from one station to the others. During the year the old train is the
only train that stops on these stations. Many people are interested
in the old stations and their activities.
In Hiirola the building was open for public and the first exhibition
with art works from artists living in the region was free to enter.
In the library two musicians had a performance with traditional
Finnish songs.
In the atelier people were offered the knitting works of a Dutch
artisan.
The local Hiirolan kylätoimikunta has their coffee and snack stand
and there was a fair.
Around 200 people have attended this event. A part of them came from
the south.
Impressions of the annual SAVON-RADAN paivä in Hiirola, the train
wagons are painted by children of Rämälä school
i. international cooperation
Sweden
With the Swedish organization ART&TECHNOLOGY AREFS is building on a
Finnish contribution for international artists to participate in
this program.
Russia
With the Wanha Koulu Vehmaskylä AREFS is working on a program for
art, culture and nature in rural Finland.
Netherlands
From the beginning AREFS collaborates with the Dutch AllaprimA Foundation in
the field of art education and publications in this field.
Both organizations are interested in developing new ways in
embedding art and culture in the school curriculum. Through an
exchange of expertise and views they are able to offer interesting
and inviting programs for artists, art teachers and teachers of
elementary school and free time programs.
Norway
The international museum of child art in Oslo has selected some art
works from the collection to use in their publication about "Daddy
World Wide". The images were published in the
book Daddy World Wide
j. planning publications
1. It is the intention to edit and publish a publication about
the art education THIS IS MY BACKYARD.
2. The results of the different art education programs are valuable
for a larger audience, it is the intention to set up a digital
database which will be open for (art) teachers.
Both plans are under construction and need funding to be able to
finish them.
k. promotion
During 2015 the following promotion has been printed:
1. invitation SAVON-RASAN päivä
2. time table old timer train on SAVON-RADAN päivä
3. invitation exhibition CHRISTMAS at STUDIO 23
l. meetings
During 2015 the board has had a meeting 1 time.
m. financial review:
A financial report about 2015 will be ready in spring 2016.
AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry has 48 members
170 persons are following AREFS on Facebook
During 2015, about 11 copies of the book THIS OUR NATURE are sold.
The special contribution promotion in combination with a piece of
art of the series "Hiirola-Homage to Knut Nylander " has been used 9
times. The promotion will continue in 2016.
In 2015 AREFS has not received any grants.
At the end of 2015
1 application is still running.
Financial support in 2015:
Annual contribution of AREFS members
Donations through the action "Hiirola-Homage to Knut Nylander"
n. PLANNING 2016
Related to the goals of AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry and its
activities in the past we are developing a various program in the
field of art, art education, cultural heritage and rural
development. It is our intention to involve local communities in
participating in the program parts.
In 2016 AREFS is planning the following activities and programs:
1. Exhibitions with art works from artists in the region of Etelä
Savo in STUDIO 23
2. Art workshops ART STEPS FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE at the school in Rämälä
3. Cooperation with Wanha Koulu Vehmaskylä in the field of art and
culture activities
4. Cooperation with the the regional railway group SAVON-RADAN ryhmä
5. Preparing the publication TÄMÄ ON MINUN TAKAPIHANI - THIS IS MY
BACKYARD
6. International cooperation in the field of art education and
artist-in-residence
7. Art lessons on the internet based on the programs of last years
AREFS is applying for grants at different locations to be able to
finance the planned activities.
See more about membership and
membership
fee on the contribution page of AREFS
REPORT 2015 PDF file
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