Kuva: Kansallisgalleria / Aleks Talve

For schools

Welcome to the Ateneum – a place for learning, experiencing, enjoying and creating! A house full of art awaits for you. Our competent and encouraging guides are ready to enrich your experience. The Ateneum’s art is also available online, so you can start the museum visit in your own classroom.

Instructions for a museum visit 

A museum visit provides many opportunities for various projects. Make the most of your visit and prepare for it in advance. You can also recall the museum experience after your trip.  

Tickets

Admission is free for visitors under 18 years old and teachers accompanying student groups. Teachers may purchase a yearly pass that gives admission to the Ateneum, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and Sinebrychoff Art Museum. Present your OAJ (the Trade Union of Education in Finland), KOL (the Finnish Association of Adult Education Centres) or similar teacher card at the ticket office. 

Read more about tickets and yearly passes

Inform us about your visit 

Please let us know of your visit in advance by emailing ainfo [a] ateneum.fi if you are coming to the Ateneum with your class and you have not booked a guided tour or an exhibition intro.

School children are warmly welcome to visit the exhibitions with their teacher as their guide.

Arrival 

Admission is free for visitors under 18 years old and teachers accompanying student groups. 

The Ateneum’s main entrance is on the Kaivokatu side. The accessible entrance is on the Ateneuminkuja side.

The group leader must register the group at Ticket Sales. If you have booked a guided tour or an exhibition intro, a guide will meet you at the inner courtyard next to the museum shop. 

The museum staff is here for you; please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

 

Prepare for your visit 

What do we know and what are our expectations?  

Talk about what a museum is. What is art? That’s a big question to think about. What do you expect from your upcoming visit? Search for information, discuss, write and draw according to the age of the students.

Arrival and accessibility 

Find a picture of the Ateneum Art Museum. Where is the building? How can you get there? Share your experiences of earlier visits.   

You can find more information about the Ateneum online. When was the Ateneum building completed? What has the building been used for in the past? What are the current exhibitions at the Ateneum?  

The story of Ateneum

Our Collection

At this point, it is good to have a look at the frequently asked questions. When students know where they are going, you can get straight to the point when you arrive at the museum.  

Get more out of your visit on a guided tour 

On a guided tour, you look more closely at selected works of art. A guide encourages you to look at the details, make observations and discuss the works you have seen. The museum visit is a chance for you to learn and experience as a group.    

Discounted price for schools and kindergartens 

Schools and kindergartens can book guided tours at a discounted price. We are flexible about the sizes of school and kindergarten groups, but the maximum group size is, in any case, 25 people. 

A guided tour lasting 50 minutes is €70 per class. 
An exhibition intro at the Ateneum Hall lasting approximately 30 minutes is €60 per class. 

Bookings:
Finnish National Gallery sales
sales@fng.fi
tel. +358 294 500 500 (Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00)

Book your guided tour no later than one week before the desired date.

A Question of Time

My Ateneum – a guided tour of the collection exhibition for schoolchildren

In the photo, young Tove Jansson stands with her hands on her hips.

What is “Your Ateneum” like? What do you find interesting? What doesn’t interest you that much? Do you feel at home or does the place feel totally strange? 

This guided tour offers a glimpse into the history of the museum and an introduction to the exhibition A Question of Time. We also encourage participants to discuss art and offer their interpretations. Art often deals with being human and evokes emotions, so art experiences provide a natural opportunity to practise emotional and interpersonal skills. 

It is important to us that children and young people feel welcome and can actively participate. The methods of guidance and participation vary by age group. 

Bookings: 

Finnish National Gallery sales 

sales@fng.fi 

tel. +358 294 500 500 (Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00) 

Tour languages: Finnish, Swedish, English and Russian 

Price: €70  

Group size: max. 25 students 

Duration: 50 minutes 

My Ateneum – a preparatory assignment for the guided tour

The preparatory assignment enables the group to familiarise themselves with the Ateneum and its art collection through spontaneous discussion. It also helps them to orient themselves to the visit.

Duration: approximately 30 minutes.

Target group: Suitable for all educational year groups; the teacher guides the discussion according to the age group.

Albert Edelfelt

5.5.-17.9.2023

Exhibition intro for schools: Albert Edelfelt (grades 1–6)

The photo shows a young girl staring. She wears a red hat and black shirt.

In this popular exhibition intro, an expert guide introduces you to Albert Edelfelt’s art with the help of a rich visual presentation. You can take in the exhibition intro while sitting comfortably in the Ateneum Hall, after which you are free to explore the exhibition at your own pace. The intro lasts about half an hour. 

Bookings: 

Finnish National Gallery sales 

sales@fng.fi 

tel. +358 294 500 500 (Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00) 

Available: Tue–Fri at 10:15 

Intro languages: Finnish, Swedish, English and Russian 

Price: €60 

Group size: max. 25 students  

Duration: 30 minutes 

Workshops

At the Ateneum workshops, you get to create art yourself! Workshops are mainly free of charge for schools and kindergartens.  Registration will open exceptionally in March 2023. Information about the workshops will be available in early March 2023. The selections are determined by drawing lots.  

My Ateneum in the classroom 

The Ateneum Art Museum’s works of art are also available online. Images of the works of art and audio guides can be used to integrate the museum trip with schoolwork. Alternatively, the whole museum visit can be virtual.  

Thinking and doing together! 

Designed by the Ateneum Art Museum, these assignments use images of art to inspire discussion in the classroom. After viewing the images, it’s time to get to know art hands on through the assignments. The assignments are designed for four age groups, but the materials can be adapted for other grades as well.

Art assignments for schools

Explore the entire art collection 

The works in the collections of the Ateneum, Kiasma and Sinebrychoff art museums can be explored on the Finnish National Gallery website. You can search for works by title, year, artist’s name, or theme. Copyright-free works can be downloaded directly from the website. 

Search the Finnish National Gallery collection