The Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers

Art Testers is the largest culture education program in Finland, offering all eighth-graders (ages 13 to 14) and their teachers 1–2 annual visits in esteemed cultural institutions. Annually, the program reaches over 65,000 people in all Finnish municipalities. The visits are part of schoolwork and therefore offered equally to every eighth-grader in Finland - regardless of their socio-economic background, place of residence, special needs, wealth of their municipality, or their teacher’s interests.
The core goal of the Art Testers concept is to offer young people equal, accessible, and unforgettable experiences in art and to find them tools to form well-versed opinions on their experience. What did they think? Would they revisit? After the visit, the students are asked to review their art experience with a browser-based app. The reviews are then published on the Art Testers website for everyone to see.
The visits are accompanied with pedagogic materials provided by the art institutions. These pre- and post-visit materials include information about the event, the particular art form, and the individual artists behind the work. All this makes it easier for young people to approach art and enjoy the visits, even if the art forms and their traditions were completely new to them.
At the art visits, the students learn many skills that will be important for them in the future, such as critical thinking, perspective taking, self-expression, empathy, and interaction with others. The experiences can also provoke the eighth-graders to reflect on the concepts of right and wrong, virtues and values, or what constitutes a good life.