OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2012. A working meeting of officers of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia with the delegation of the Art Committee of Oulu Province took place in the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia within the scope of the cultural exchange project. The delegation included the Committee Chairman Ulla Lassila, officer of the Art Committee Mihkel Koldits and the county literature artist Tuomo Heikkkinen.

The project of cultural exchange assumes Days of Culture of Northern Finland in Karelia in 2012 and Days of Culture of Karelia in Northern Finland in 2013. The goal of the project is to strengthen cooperation between the Finnish and Karelian art workers, institutes of culture and associations of creative professions within the framework of the exchange.

During the visit a meeting of the chief coordinators of the project, the Art Committee of Oulu Province and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia, took place. Within three days various meetings have been held where the plan of activities of the project was discussed. Days of literature of Northern Finland were discussed at the meeting of Tuomo Heiikonen with representatives of the faculty of the Baltic and Finnish Philology and Culture of Petrozavodsk State University. A meeting was also held with the Consul of Petrozavodsk office of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen. The delegation has visited the Center of National Cultures and National Arts and Crafts of the Republic of Karelia. Days of Literature of Northern Finland and other joint projects were discussed with representatives of national editions in the Periodika publishing house and the editor-in-chief of the Sever magazine.

On the plan of organizers in 2012 Days of Culture of Northern Finland will be presented by different subjects, each devoted to specific kind of art. In February within the scope of the Days of Kalevala accordion player Timo Kinnunen and the Symphonic Orchestra of the Karelian State Philarmonic Society will perform Anastasia Salo's compositions. April is devoted to choral music: the Vivat, boys! festival and master-classes for teachers and singers will take place in Petrozavodsk. Among the festival participants there will be the county choral music artist Mihkel Koldits, Boys’ Choir Junnin Pojat, the union of singers and instrumentalists of Oulu and Lapland Sulasol. Trips of writers representing literature of Northern Finland to the White Sea region of Karelia, their lectures in libraries, universities and educational institutions of Petrozavodsk, master-classes on the art of writing, seminars and literary clubs are scheduled for May. Among the participants there are the county literature artist Tuomo Heikkkinen, the Union of Writers of Oulu, University of Oulu. The central city libraries of Kajaani and Oulu, the School of the Art of Writing, Valve cultural center, National Library of the Republic of Karelia and Petrozavodsk State University. June will see guest performances of a circus in regions of the republic and in Petrozavodsk. A large exhibition Most Finnish which will present fine art from Northern Finland, and master-classes for children, and a seminar on cooperation between the unions of artists will open in September. The county artist Antti Rundelin, Associations of Artists of Oulu and Lapland, the Museum of Fine arts of the Republic of Karelia and Unions of Artists of Karelia will take part in these activities. Tours of actors of Finland at the National Theatre of Karelia and the drama art master-classes are scheduled for October. The City Theatre of Kajaani and the National Theatre of Karelia will take part in them. A subject of November is children's culture and art education. It is planned to hold a seminar Aesthetic and Art Education for educational institutions in the sphere of culture and art, universities and civil servants, and a tour of The Playing Hedgehog ensemble in Karelia. The event's participants will be Universities Oulu and Lapland, The Magic Bulb cooperation network, Valve cultural center and Petrozavodsk State University.

The preliminary plan of activities that will present the culture of the Republic of of Karelia in Northern Finland in 2013 was also drawn, including a mobile art exhibition, a choral cavalcade, guest performances of Karelian actors, joint projects of jazz ensembles and art schools.