Studies and work
I graduated from the Department of art education in the University of Art and Design in the spring 2006.

I have been teaching adults, youngsters and children, music and visual art, leading short courses and been in many roles in different projects. Since 2003 I have been working as an art teacher in schools of art for children and youth. My special interest in art pedagogy is to organize projects with connections to nature, especially the sea, and different cultures.

1° Art- and environmental education workshops
2° Erämaa - experinmenting environmental art pedagogy
3° Nordic messages from the seas -cultural sailing trip
4° new cultural sailing trip projects
5° Schools of art for children and youth

During the studies I became interested in art-based environmental education, learning through experience, and environmental and communal art. During my study years I have been part of many big projects which I also tell about on other pages.

I have been working in different kinds of projects investigating the border zones of art, culture and environmental education. With some student collegues of mine we have got opportunities to lead experimental workshops around that area, two workshops for class teachers in further studies in the University of Helsinki 1999 and 2000, and for the partisipants in the International art education "Lighthouse - Forum" in 2000. In the worksops we have tried working methods that take the students out from the classroom, to explore the environment.

I have taken part in making the exhibitions in the projects presenting the underwater nature of the Baltic sea, one on Harakka Island year 2000 and one in the ferry terminals in Helsinki and Tallinn year 2004. We planned the experiental program of the seminars. After the research presentations we lead a workshop, where we outlined the visual form for the information with the planning group. Our ojective was to give both knowledge and emotional approach to the sea nature. These projects "Sama meri kaikissa meissä" (same sea in all of us) and "Meri minussa" (Sea in me) was created in co-operation of professionals from different areas: nature scientists, divers, sea-archeologists, geologists, environmental educators, artists and art pedagogues.

In these projects the role of art pedagogue has got wider. Most important is the co-operations between experts of different fields for the goal of environmental education. We share enthusiasm, scientific knowledge and inventive implementation to make our topic more understandable for people.

The first experimental project of my own on the area of environmental art and environmental education was called ERÄMAA "wildmark". I invited seven friends and colleges of mine from different professional fileds to participate on a skiing hike tour in the mid-winter 1999. We were three girls and four boys: a wildmark guide, a graphic designer, a high school studying sailor, fine art student and three students of art education. Our goal was to investigate together how the extreme conditions that we chose would effect in forming our relationship with untaimed nature, and how art pedagogy would help in the process in those conditions.

We noticed, that the conditions were impressive, but very hard for making art. We had to be very determined to do what we wanted done, and sometimes it wasn’t possible. It took all our energy and concentration to stay warm, dry and full in the freezing wildmark, where there is nothing we wouldn't have to do ourselves. So the experience was good to give a very good personal view on the human perspective in the relation of environment and culture. We realized how well this kind of pedagogy has to be planned - and how the plan still will change according to the untaimed nature, which is the beauty of it. It stops being just a course, and turns into real life and adventure. Almost the only visual art we produced during the trip was documentary photographs and our note books. We discussed the motives for connecting this kind of experience and an artistic approach to the relationship with the nature. Art is a good tool to work the themes we are interested in, but we have to realize, that the basic needs come first, you need to have the right time and space for real art working to get deeper.

As this was a study project in environmental education course, I collected the experiences, talks and pictures into a small book, and made a multivision with a soundscape and music. The multivision was showed to the other students of environmental education.

Nordic messages from the seas was an art education project with many dimensions: internationality, Nordic Countries, special learning environments, meetings of cultures on board a sailing vessel and in the harbours, sending and receiving messages… Art served as a language and a bridge on the sailing trip from Finland around Iceland and back.

The cultural sailing trip project was our Master’s thesis for the Department of art education in TAIK with student collegue of mine, Taina Mannila. The project took one and a half years from the idea to the implementation 2002. The sailing trip itself took three months in the summer 2002. Taina Mannila wrote her Master’s thesis before the trip about the backgrounds of this working method. My part was to evaluate the project and methods after the trip. My Master's thesis was ready in the spring 2003.

In the project we had three main co-operation partners, University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH, Sail Training Association Finland, and Raahe Sailing Ship Foundation in addition with several co-operation partners in the Nordic countries. The Expedition (7-9 young people) was changed five times during the trip. The participants were guided to investigate the themes of the sea, maritime culture, and local cultures, through making their own art and discussing about the themes together. In the harbours we met local people, and in the crew changing harbours we collected the experiences of the trip to an exhibition, happening or a concert. The most important things, according to the interviews of the participants, were the meetings between the international crew and the locals, and also getting a deeper relationship with the sea by learning to live on board.

After the project we built an exhibition containing art works and documentation from the trip. It has been traveling in Finland, Åland Islands and Denmark.

Here you still find the reduced pages of the project. They were updated with new material during the trip. You can also read more about the project in our new internet pages.

At the moment (2005-2006) I am working on Joutsenen Jäljillä –project, which takes the schooner Helena on the fifth ocean travel of Suomen Joutsen (one of the most famous old finnish sailing ships). There will be an art course for the students of the University of Art and Design, who take part in the sailing expedition. More about this project in www.staf.fi/joutsen.

We are also planning a new project with Taina Mannila. It will take place on the Baltic sea area, and will be organized with our Nordic co-operation partners together with hopefully some new ones from the Baltic sea countries.

I started my weekly work as an art teacher in 2003 in Forssa school of art for children and youth. At the moment I work in Espoo school of art. My students have been 7-18 years old. I have also taught on short courses in metal graphic, experimental graphic art and kite building. Also environmental education is in the program.