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Art Prescription -project tours playgrounds in Helsinki     In Finnish


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Pictures on participatory artworks made by playground children
Pictures on Art Prescription workshops

Cultural Association Lila project Art Prescription tours playgrounds in Helsinki. The Art Prescription effect is based on participatory art. It is distributed in doses of two week long intense workshop sessions which result in an art work specifically designed for the local library. All visitors to the playground from toddlers with their parents to primary school kids are encouraged to participate in the workshops and everybody´s artistic contribution is welcomed as part of the mutual community art piece.

The effective ingredients in Art Prescription are the joy of being creative and the self-confidence boosting experiences of having succeeded in making art. These influences from workshops are further boosted when the children see an art installation which has been created as result of their own art making in the local library in their own neighbourhood.

As side effects Art Prescription may encourage ideas about increasing creativity and artistic activity in the everyday life of children both in the playground and at home, as well as increasing the visibility of the visual hand print of children in urban spaces.



A blue snowflake is being created at Taivallahti playground in February 2012.


So far Art Prescription has been administered to playgrounds Linja in Kallio, Lahnalahti in Lauttasaari, Taivallahti in Töölö in Spring 2011, and in Autumn 2011 playgrounds Lampi in Kontula, Rusthollari in Puotila and Myllynsiipi in Myllypuro. The last Art Prescription in 2011 went to playground Harus in Rastila. At spring 2012, Taivallahti playground got its second Art Prescription, and the next one will be Ruoholahti.

The Art Prescriptions have been taylor made to each playground, and all installations are site specific. In Linja children created "glow fishes" for Kallio library, in Lahnalahti they made ships and boats for Lauttasaari library, in Taivallahti the theme was butterflies for Töölö library. In Kontula library there are now treasures created by the children in Lampi playground, in Rusthollari children made cow fly to Vuotalo library, and in Myllynsiipi children created a cake shop for empty premises in the new shopping centre.

Art Prespriptions are doctored professionally jointly by visual and community artist Tiina Hallakorpi and by social worker Tuija Salovaara.


Art Prescriptions have been supported by:

Spring 2012 - The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Helsinki 200 years as capital
Autumn 2011 - the Uudenmaa regional fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Education and Culture , City of Helsinki Social Services Department
Spring 2011 - Lauttasaari foundation, Lions Club Lauttasaari, City of Helsinki Social Services Department, Lindell Staples, Oy Moomin Characters Ltd
Autumn 2010 - City of Helsinki Social Services Department