SÄRESTÖNIEMI MUSEUM

The world of Reidar Särestöniemi-explanatory book brings Särestö within everyone's reach!

Särestö, located in Kaukose, Kittilä, is a unique place to visit, where unfortunately not all customer groups can visit. The museum buildings were built at a time when accessibility requirements were not at today's level, i.e. it is difficult to access the buildings with, for example, wheelchairs or other aids. With a new visual work in plain language, the atmosphere of Särestö can be felt and the life of the artist Reidar Särestöniemi (1925–1981) familiar, especially to those who cannot physically visit the museum.

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The initial idea for the work was born a couple of years ago in Kittilä parish in the mind of children's teacher Elina Koivuniemi. In her work with intellectually disabled people in Metsola, Kittilä, Elina began to think about how to bring the atmospheric art of Särestö and colorful Särestöniemi closer to those who for one reason or another have been prevented from coming to the museum. The idea of "Art belongs to everyone" began to develop into the idea of a work that would bring Särestö within everyone's reach. 

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A working group is formed

Anne Koskamo, the museum director of the Särestöniemi Museum, started working on the idea together with Marika Salminen, the cultural secretary of the municipality of Kittilä, and soon the manuscript of the book began to take shape. Social worker Maarit Niskanen, drama director Tiina Puljujärvi and cultural assistant Jaana Hokkanen were also involved in the planning. Finally, in October 2018, Tuija Alariesto, who became the deputy director of the museum in Särestöniemi, delivered and folded the book into the final layout, with the help of the professional people of Särestö, Raija Kulppi and Taru Tuomisto.  

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Reidar Särestöniemi's world is written in plain language, and the book has plenty of interior and exterior photos of the museum. There is also historical image material from the museum's archives and, of course, many works of art from Särestöniemi art.

You can read the work independently or even with an instructor. In connection with the works, there are also activation questions that awaken the reader to think about the different dimensions and meanings of the art of Särestöniemi. Reflection can be done either independently or, for example, together with others. The book also comes with a booklet, where you can find more information about Särestöniemi's life in longer texts.

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The possibilities brought by clarity

The book is excellently suitable for various treatment facilities as a stimulus. In plain language, the target group of the book is also those who are learning to read and, for example, those who work with immigrants. The text of the book takes into account the requirements of plain language, and special attention has been paid to ease of reading. The text is larger than normal, and the art has tried to avoid things that make reading difficult, such as text on top of the image. It is estimated that up to half a million people in Finland will benefit from the plain language text.

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Kittilä's cultural activity and the Kauko Sorjonen foundation have provided financial support for the realization of the book, for which many thanks!

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In the media

About the book projectLapland in Kansa16.3.219

Story about the book in the 20.3.2019 issue In Kittilälehti