8.12.2021 - 5.2.2022

Miraculously beautiful!

The three-year visual art project ”Kipinä” (Sparks) took art and art activities to early education units in Southern Ostrobothnia. The activities were experienced under the guidance of a professional artist and the art educator Virpi Timonen. ’The Miraculously Beautiful!’ exhibition displayed at Vintti of the Kunsthalle Seinäjoki is the result of collaboration between Timonen, children and adults in early childhood education, and art and culture professionals. The participants of the Kipinä project consisted of children and adults from Alahärmä, Ilmajoki, Jalasjärvi, Jurva, Kauhajoki, Kauhava, Kurikka, Lapua, Seinäjoki, and Ylihärmä. Altogether, thousand children and hundred adults. In addition, number of partners took part in the project.

The art project is coordinated so that it would be easy and effortless to take part. This means that the projects are customised to serve each early childhood education unit both in terms of content and time. Among other things, the musical band Kurikan Pelimannit visited the Day Care Centres where they played music and presented their instruments. An actor-director encouraged the educators’ creativity in particular creative moments. The educators were also sensitised by encounter art. The dance students of the Southern Ostrobothnia College took the children far into the future and danced with both the children and the adults. The theatre group of the Seinäjoki High School performed the musical ‘Tuliko kevät jo?’ (Has spring come yet?) and make children aware of different forest animals. Even two murals were painted
– in Kauhajoki and Seinäjoki.

The ‘Miraculously Beautiful!’ exhibition features costumes of the future, soft pets, nesting boxes for the birds, a large number of different robots and devices, the architecture and dwellings of the future designed by children. The exhibition also features two audovisual works. It is a positive thing that art and culture are being integrated into the everyday life of the children. The skill of making art has refined among staff working in early childhood education. At best, the skill has developed new art-based forms of activity that have become part of the early childhood education and expertise of the staff. Art has become an integral part in the everyday life and in the conceptual world of children. This manifests itself in the fact that more art-related words and concepts are used in discussions. The positive experiences and the success gained through art have created more possibilities for children to bring out their strengths. Art education has made children to be able to express themselves in new ways.

The most important thing working on the exhibition has been the pursuit of deliberateness, encounter, and presence. This was reflected in the activity in such a way that, for example, four days might be spent with a child to make one soft animal friend, varying the activity by playing, exercising, talking and reading fairy tales.The children appreciated the name of the exhibition: Miraculously Beautiful! There is a lot of wonder, miracle and beauty around us just when we give it the time and chance to emerge and appear in our lives.

Exhibition guide

Virpi Timonen, photo by Saimi Timonen

Virpi Timonen (b. 1966) is an art educator and a designer. She holds a Master of Art degree from University of Art and Design Helsinki (nowadays Aalto University) and a polytechnic level degree in media studies. Her most recent studies consider encounter art (Clinical Art) and empowering photography. In addition art effects on health and well-being. Timonen is inspired by how art can help accept human diversity. With the help of art, one can learn to tolerate the uncertainty of life and to see the ambiguity of things.

Timonen has over 30 years of experience in making, experiencing, teaching and enjoying art. Her special skills include the management of various pedagogical and artistic processes. Her strength is welcoming new challenges with gallantly. She is widely experienced in designing and implementing various projects. The procedures and options of community art are close to Timonen’s heart. Timonen has been sculpting using transient materials, snow, ice and sand over 20 years. Sculpting has taken her to competitions all over the world, including Japan, China, Italy, Canada, and USA. In the process of sculpting using natural materials, Timonen is excited by the transience of art and how with the help of sculpting one can build his or her own relationship with the environment.

In 2019-2022, Timonen piloted the Kipinä art project funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, which aims to bring art and culture to early childhood education in Southern Ostrobothnia to be experienced and enjoyed by children and adults.

 

Picture on the right:
Exhibition view, photo by Jenni Latva