ITE art in Finland celebrates its 20th anniversary

This year 2020 it will be twenty years since an exhibition of outsider art was held in Finland, named Itse Tehty Elämä (Self Made Life). A Finnish working group was already trying to find ways to trace outsider artists and their work and to support them. Under the designation ITE-art, a project was started that over the years grew into a permanent focus and a long-term framework for this kind of art.

In the article below, Raija Kallioinen, who was involved in the development from the outset, looks back at how it started and how ITE-art has developed so far. (The original article in Finnish can be found on the MSL-website)

This article is followed by an overview of activities that take place during this jubilee year (as published on Facebook)

Raija Kallioinen

ITE-art celebrates its anniversary

This year 2020 is celebrating ITE art and ITE artists! Twenty years ago, the first ITE art exhibition took place in Kaustinen, organized by the Finnish Association for Rural Culture and Education and the Folks Art Center. It has since traveled countries and treasures, found hundreds of self-taught artists, brought ITE art to the world, and made it more widely available to museums and curators. ITE art is alive and well! There is a specific theme for this year.

Already in 1998, under the leadership of Liisa Heikkilä-Palo, the Finnish Association for Rural Culture and Education, began to assemble open-minded visionaries of the art world to think about how to bring forward the creators of visual folk culture of our time and how they could be assisted.

Provincial Counselor Viljo S. Määttälä also paid attention to this approach. He hoped that the Association for Rural Education would investigate whether folk visual expression could be as rich in creativity as it had been in folk music.

A team was invited to take part in the challenge, consisting of artist Veli Granö, artistic director of the Kaustinen Center for Folk Art, Hannu Saha, professor in the research of traditions, Seppo Knuuttila, researcher, Martti Honkanen of the Academy of Finland, Liisa Heikkilä-Palo of the Association for Rural Culture and Education, and Raija Kallioinen. Support was provided by Yrjö Sepänmaa, Professor of Environmental Aesthetics. As we talked, we went to the bottom of what we really wanted to find.

We started by naming the subject of our interest contemporary folk art. It was not obvious to find a specific characterization. It was clear that we were interested in the pictorial creativity of self-taught creators. The characterization should reflect the traditions of vernacular expression, but the core should be the free, individual expression of art of our time, without the need for practicality. Modern + People + Art. This illustrated our ambition.

At that time the internet just made its entrance as a source of information for the general public in western societies. Being somewhat "advanced”, I researched online to see if there was a match in English. Well, it really was true - contemporary folk art was a very common term in the world. Its scope also matched with our own interest. In the years to come, large international networks would be built on this concept.

From Modern Folk Art to ITE....

But contemporary folk art was a long and rumbling term and search terms need a more attractive name. Veli Granö, a pioneer of artists who decorated their courtyard, had created the exhibition Itse Tehty Elämä (Self Made Life). In the task force we tasted the words and we thought they aptly described what was being pursued. So, Granö’s Self Made Life became the name of a project that was planned for a couple of years.

I then realized that the initials I-T-E would be a good acronym. So good and functional ! You could almost call it a brand, right?

Very soon, the acronym began to spread in the daily use of speech, and the term ITE-art came to describe Finnish visual contemporary folk art. (NB The acronym ITE in Finnish language is a folksy, dialectical word, meaning ‘self’, Ed)

We asked and the people answered

We began to distribute search announcements, asking people for suggestions of what they considered today's visual creativity of everyday life. We invited artist Erkki Pirtola, an influencer of art interfaces. Immediately, a flame of enthusiasm caught fire.

We got wonderful, frantic and inspirational letters and photos. It was breathtaking!

Erkki Pirtolla started touring with his camera to meet and photograph these creative personalities who are building their own worlds. With his immediate style, he won their trust as an artist mate (Here is a link to the playlist of his videos on YouTube, Ed)

Over the years, hundreds of hours of unique video material has been created. "ITE art is art from people to people", was one of Erkki’s expressions.

From a project to a long-term approach

In 2000 we organized the first exhibition of the "informations" we had received at Kaustinen Folk Art Center. Folk creativity has been around for ages, but that Kaustinen exhibition has been chosen as the starting point for the 20th anniversary of ITE art.

After the phase of the ITE art project, which has been internationally unique, the Association for Rural Culture and Education has continued the work in a systematic way and with a long-term approach. Our projects are currently managed by Director of Culture Helka Ketonen. ITE artists from the Satakunta and Häme regions are in the spotlight during the anniversary year.

The past twenty years have been joyful with regard to international cooperation and the introduction of our ITE artists around the world, Paris, London, Moscow, Budapest, Amsterdam ...

An important milestone was Minna Haveri’s thesis on Contemporary Folk Art (2010).

We are also proud of the ITE-art collection of the Finnish Association for Rural Culture and Education, which we have deposited at the K.H. Renlund Museum in Kokkola, with Elina Vuorimies as curator, in charge of ITE art topics.

Liisa Heikkilä-Palo, Minna Haveri and Elina Vuorimies, a central trio that has put together various exhibitions, made expert use of the ITE collection, mapped information about artists and the network created through collaboration. Gallery curator Veikko Halmetoja has often been active in the group of curators.

It is a great satisfaction that many important ITE art environments have been taken care of so that visitors can enjoy the sites. We mention Veijo Rönkkönen Parikkala Sculpture Park, Alpo Koivumaki's Savanne, the decorated homes of Enni Id and Väinö Ylén and Edvin Hevonkoski’s Sculpture Trail. A huge amount of gratitude goes to the tremendous amount of work that friends and cherished art sites have done!

With regard to events, the Bear Carving Festival, rooted in Ilomantsi, is a triumphant happening. Each year it brings chainsaws, locals and travelers together to enjoy a unique experience.

The same applies to the lot of enthusiasts, who every summer enjoy exhibitions in parks and streets of Parkano, which declared itself as a Summer Town of ITE art.

And what a delight, the Finnish broadcasting company Ylen Egenland has shared many reports on ITE artists, events and art environments in the last few years.

Art and artists are celebrated together

Among the most important topics of the celebrations of this anniversary year are the ITE artists, to whom we all wish happiness, health and joy in life - and great memories for later!

Working from the outset in the whirlwind of ITE, I extend my warmest thanks to all those involved in the exploration and presentation of the work of these artists, those who worked for them, and those who offered their partnerships! Collaboration is powerful and brings strong skills to do different tasks. These accomplishments are not solo performances. Every person involved has been needed and will continue to be needed.

The main financial pillar of our long-term work has been the rural funding of the European Union, channeled into our projects through various centers and associations. On this basis new explorations have always been made possible and new artists could be supported.. It is also on this basis that the various actors of today became able to seize the benefits of the gathered information. Thanks for the support from the EU and also from foundations and other partners!

Happy ITE art anniversary to you all! Explore the backgrounds, authors and events of ITE art at our address ww.itenet.fi.

And the work goes on …

February 14, 2020

Activities in the jubilee year

The jubilee year exhibition Kohtalona luovuus (Destined for creativity) will tour three art museums in Finland: the ITE Museum in Kokkola, the Oulu Museum of Art, and the Hämeenlinna Art Museum. The exhibitions are produced by the museums, and curated by Liisa Heikkilä-Palo, Elina Vuorimies and Minna Haveri. At the exhibition, ITE art meets selected works by contemporary artists.

The jubilee year also celebrates the first ITE Artist of the Year, Paula Huhtanen, who promotes “joyism'' in her art, which spreads the idea of trust and optimism that erupts in her brilliantly colorful paintings and collages. Her paintings are characterized by abundance, power and joy.

One of the key techniques in Finnish ITE art is wood sculpting, and understandably so, given that Finland is one of the world’s most wood-rich countries and the material is easy to come by. Many Finnish people who live in the countryside are skillful users of the chainsaw, and there are hundreds of master chainsaw sculptors.

The most popular subject is the bear, which is considered the king of nature in Finland. From 13-15 August chainsaw sculptors will demonstrate their skills at the Bear Festival in Ilomantsi, the easternmost municipality of Finland. The theme of the festival’s sculpture competition this year is Freestyle.

Chainsaw artist Juha Käkelä will add something fantastic to the jubilee year calendar: he will sculpt a bear every day of the year – a total of 365 bears!

There are numerous ITE art environments in Finland, located in courtyards and in public places. There will be an ITE picnic on Saturday, 25 July, where ITE art enthusiasts from all over the country can visit these environments. Everybody is welcome as long as they respect the environments. The ITE art website offers tips on the best-known ITE art environments, and the website is also the source of a lot of other information on the subject.

ITE art is also featured on the Arjen Luovuus idea cards. The cards, in Finnish, provide ideas for using creativity in everyday life. The cards can be downloaded free from this website.

Maahenki publishing house, which is owned by the Association for Rural Culture and Education, has published numerous books about Finnish ITE art.

The Association also has an extensive Collection of ITE art, which is maintained by the ITE Museum in Kokkola on the west coast of Finland. Both the Association and the ITE Museum provide guidance and advice on all issues related to ITE art.