The autumn art courses of the Annantalo arts centre for children, young people and families start on Monday, 4 September. The new course offering is part of the reform of Annantalo’s art education activities, which has also brought changes to the durations of art courses and enrolment practices from previous years. The aim of the reform is to ensure even more children and young people living in Helsinki have access to the art education of Annantalo.
Autumn courses open to new and old students of Annantalo
Starting from the 2023 autumn term, most of the leisure-time art courses at Annantalo will run for the full academic year from the beginning of September to the beginning of May. The 2023–2024 academic year offers courses in visual arts, ceramics, theatre art, media art, comic book art and photography. More workshops open to everyone are also available this year. In addition, the scheduling of workshops has been changed to be more convenient for families. From 2024, art education will also be held in summer.
Enrolment for leisure-time courses is changing from autumn 2023 onwards: advance enrolment is ending, and instead course enrolment is open to everyone at the same time. The continuity of art courses aimed at groups with special needs is being considered separately.
“The reform will enable more children and young people to participate in Annantalo’s activities. This also supports the city’s goal of making public services accessible to the widest possible range of Helsinki residents. Naturally, all of Annantalo’s previous students are still welcome to take art courses at Annantalo,” says Pirjetta Mulari, Director of Annantalo and Chief of Children’s Culture in Helsinki.
Making Annantalo one of the most popular meeting places for families with children
The reform of Annantalo will continue in the coming years with the aim of increasing art education activities open to everyone, produced in cooperation with Helsinki-based children’s culture operators and other partners. The course selection is also intended to grow in the future with the addition of short courses to allow people to try out a particular art form for a short time.
“We want Annantalo to become one of the most popular meeting places for families with children in the next few years, offering plenty of guided art hobbies as well as opportunities for independent recreational activities and spending time,” says Mulari.
Annantalo’s autumn also includes exhibitions, performances and events
In addition to art courses, there are many other leisure activities open to everyone organised at Annantalo, such as theatre, circus and dance performances, family events and exhibitions with side events. Most of the programme is free of charge.
The autumn season of Annantalo starts with the Night of the Arts on Thursday, 17 August, featuring contemporary circus, art workshops and performances aimed at infants. In late August, the international SAMPO Festival, produced by Puppet Theatre Sampo, will bring three performances aimed at audiences of different ages to Annantalo (22–27 August). You can read more about all the events of the autumn on the Annantalo website(Link leads to external service).
For more information, please contact:
Pirjetta Mulari
Director of Annantalo and Chief of Children’s Culture in Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 310 37174, pirjetta.mulari@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)