Art for the homes of the elderly

The Art for the Homes of the Elderly project, which has been running since 2021, continues! The project brings participatory art activities into the everyday lives of the elderly in Helsinki. In the project, people encounter art in different ways. As part of the project, professionals and students working with the elderly will be trained. 

In the spring season of 2026, the project consists of the Time to Shine festival, From Story to Theatre activities, participatory interaction training, the Stories I Carry performance and a tour of the photo exhibition Light Draws the Furrows of Your Face.

All our activities are free of charge for participants. The events will be held in the Helsinki area.

You are warmly welcome to join us!

 

Time to Shine FestivalEvent time: Monday 30 March at 14–19 and Tuesday 31 March at 11–17

Venue: Helsinki City Theatre, Eläintarhantie 5

Time to Shine – the Performing Arts Festival offers art, workshops and encounters for everyone over the age of 65. Admission to the event is free.

The foyers of the main building of the Helsinki City Theatre will be filled with the joys and encounters of performing arts on 30.-31.3.2026. The festival is aimed at everyone over the age of 65 and offers a free and accessible opportunity to enjoy art together.

Time to Shine is carried out in cooperation with Helsinki-based cultural operators. The event brings together a wide range of cultural work carried out around the City of Helsinki. In addition to the Helsinki City Theatre, the event is attended by the Armas Festival, FloweRescue, KOM Theatre, Maria Baric Company, Music Theatre Kapsäkki, Myrskyryhmä, Opera Tellus, PerformanceSirkus, Q-teatteri, Hospital Clowns, Senior Info, Sirkus Magenta, Soria Duo, Susanna Leinonen Company, Dance Group Lipstikka, Teatteri ILMI Ö. and Yhteisö tanssii ry.

Secure your place by registering in advance here. Please note that the number of spectators at some performances is limited and seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

From Story to Theatre

activities The From Story to Theatre activities are based on the use of story theatre in encounter work. Story theatre is a form of improvisational theatre in which the participants’ experiences and stories are brought to the stage into small performances.

The groups, which meet weekly at senior centres in Helsinki, have already started training in autumn 2023. These groups form a performing group, whose participants work as story theatre actors under the guidance of professionals. The group, which will perform in the spring season of 2026, will continue to delve into story theatre and will perform in different parts of Helsinki.

The activities are guided by the project’s employees Talvikki Eerola, Laura Ikonen and Reetta Kankare.

Further information on the From Story to Theatre activities: Talvikki Eerola, talvikki.eerola@hkt.fi, tel. 050 4774313

Participatory interaction training

The project involves multi-professional cooperation with the City of Helsinki’s development services and home care in the Helsinki region. Trainers Reetta Kankare and Hanna Nuorala organise advanced training for home care nurses, nurses, social instructors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and cultural instructors, among others.

The training focuses on strengthening interaction and encounter skills, which bring confidence and new perspectives to everyday situations.

The trainings offer participants the opportunity to try out different exercises themselves, which enrich the work from both the customer’s and the employee’s point of view. The focus is on encounters, strengthening inclusion, and the use of play, contact and storytelling in client work.

For more information about the training, please contact: Reetta Kankare, reetta.kankare@hkt.fi, tel. 050 4344 930

Stories I Carry

The Stories I Carry is a solo musical performance based on the stories of older people. The performance takes the viewer through the landscapes of life; from the quiet summer mornings of childhood to the enduring power of friendship and the change of one’s own role.

The performance can be ordered for groups of the elderly and housing units.

Light Draws Your Face’s Lines photo exhibition

The opening of the Light Draws Your Face’s Lines exhibition was celebrated in the spring of 2022 at the Redi Shopping Centre. The exhibition features the elderly, who were interviewed and photographed by Helsinki City Theatre’s project artist Martta Pesonen and photographer Sonja Tolonen during autumn 2021 and spring 2022. The exhibition has toured around Helsinki, e.g. in service centres, the Cable Factory, shopping centres, libraries and Studio Pasila. A video recording of the exhibition has also been made, which you can watch here. The exhibition’s multi-year tour will end in May 2026.

The Art for the Homes of the Elderly activities are part of the Helsinki City Theatre’s audience outreach. The project is funded by the City of Helsinki and is implemented through an extensive cooperation network.

Join the Art for the Elderly mailing list. You will receive the project’s news and information about upcoming events by email twice a year.

More information about the project:

Reetta Kankare
Project Coordinator
reetta.kankare@hkt.fi