Finland

Liz Slusher

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=Finland's Arts Education =

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Overview of Finland
Finland is located in Northwestern Europe. It boarders Sweden, Norway, and Russia. The inhabitants of the country are known as Finns. During the 19th and 20th centuries Finland had depended on the logging and farming industries. Today things are much different. Finland is proud of its diversified industrial economy. The nation has an export-based economy and has one of the highest incomes per capita in Western Europe. Helsinki is the capitol of Finland and is an extremely important city to the Finns and their economy. About 1 in 5 residents of Finland live in Helsinki. Below is a video which paints a picture of the culture of one of the most populous cities in Finland.

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Arts, Education, and the Finish Culture
Finland is focused on providing a quality and equal education to all children as well as equal opportunities for promotion to all of its residents. The Minister of Education and Science, Henna Virkkunen, supports adding more art into the basic education of children. She feels this is a “precondition for creating an innovative climate in Finland.” As a diversified industrial economy is the basis in Finland, many people, like Henna Virkkunen, see the arts as a way to enhance this industrial economy. Providing students with means of creative expression and exploration through the arts during the duration of their schooling could help with their innovative thinking processes once they are in the adult workforce. Thus, providing Finland with innovative ideas to expand their industrial economy.

=Accomplished Artist =

Nanna Hänninen Biography
Nanna was born in Rovaniemi, Finland in 1973. She earned a MA from University of Art and Design's Photography Department and a BA from the Lahti Institute of Design in Finland. She has become one of the most successful Finnish photographers. An aspect of Nanna's work that sets her apart from other photographers, is that she adds paint to the photographs she takes. Take a look the pictures below. She added color to the black and white photograph on the left to help the flower come to life and add a unique aspect to her work. Nanna also added color to the photograph of the branch seen in the middle. She will sometimes simply photograph, as seen on the left, but she has been becoming more known for the additions of paint to her creations in the past couple years. 

The Arts Council of Finland
The goal of the Arts Council of Finland is to protect the working conditions of artists and to support the arts across the nation. Along with many other things, the council distributes grants (over 30 million euros each year), promotes art policies, and emphasizes the expansion of Finnish artistry to other countries of the world. While adding more arts to the basic education of children is not the Art Council's only goal, it is one of their main focuses. The council has worked with the Ministry of Education and Culture for many years to strengthen the role of arts and encourage art mandates and policies within the educational system. Below is an image from the Art Council of Finland's website. I think the quote on the right hand side embodies their passion and conviction to unique artistry.



Programs Offered by The Arts Council of Finland in the Community and Schools
The council developed the Regional Arts System in 1972. This system began to try to reduce the gaps in the quality of education children were receiving throughout the different regions of Finland. The program's goal aligns with the goal of the country to provide all children an equal education regardless of the region they are from and the socioeconomic status of their family. Artists are now assigned to a region and provide seminars and other community resources and activities both in and out of schools to spread the art form they are passionate about. The Arts Council of Finland ensures the money that is being spent on this program is worthwhile by surveying the effectiveness. There are annual reports done by the council to track to progress and effectiveness of the Regional Arts System program for each region and artist involved.

Including the Arts in Finnish Education
Comprehensive Schools in Finland try to provide equal education for all students. This policy comes from the Basic Education Act, which considers core subjects to include music, visual arts, arts and crafts, as well as physical education. Over 50% of Finns, male and female between the ages of 15 and 29 as well as 56% of administrators believe that “there should be more arts education in comprehensive schools.” With this information it is clear that many Finns believe the arts are an important aspect of learning throughout all years of education.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Examples of the Offerings in Schools
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Educational facilities provide clubs for their students to participate in. These are free of charge to the children and their families, as the government provided 20.7€ for the 2008-2010 school year from the Basic Education Act. Sports clubs are the most popular; however, music clubs are the second most popular in Finland. Looking at the 2009-2010 academic year of 300 schools in Finland, the amount of arts clubs provided for the children are promising. These are expected to grow in the continuing years as well! See the graph below. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students can always choose to participate in morning and afternoon activities also. These services are not free of charge, but include many arts options just as the clubs do. Often times the children who participate in the clubs also attend the morning and afternoon activities. There are pushes to combine the morning and afternoon activities with the art clubs. Finland’s interest in incorporating arts in a meaningful and positive way into all children’s education is a result of the hope to continue the unique industrial inventions of the country.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Conclusion
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">During my K-12 education the arts were included; however, their benefits were not emphasized as much as they are in Finland’s educational policies. The Finnish government has ensured through the Basic Education Act that all children receive an education where arts are considered part of the core subjects. In my middle school and high school education, if students took a music, visual arts, or theater class they were considered “electives.” They were not included in the graduation plan from my high school; they were just there for the people who already had the interest in them. But what about the students who may not have been exposed to them yet? If the United States had an educational plan mandating that all students have arts within the curriculum as well as clubs and morning and afternoon activities, there may be a greater interest in creative expression among American youths.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was surprised to learn that Finland was as focused on the arts in the basic education of all children as they are. I am Finnish and my grandmother, aunt, and cousins have traveled to Finland. The way they described it to me I didn’t think Finland had such an emphasis on the arts. They described it as a very technologically advanced and fast paced society. After researching the country and their educational practices though, it makes sense that such a technologically-based country would be encouraging their young citizens to become involved in the arts. The artistic creations and out-of-the-box thinking that creating can bring to people will help their country to continue making the latest technological advances. It was inspiring to hear how much the Finnish government cares about their children learning about truly unique creative experiences.

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