Association for Rural Culture and Education

The scope of the operations of the Association for Rural Culture and Education covers adult education and cultural activities all over Finland; there are offices in Helsinki, Joensuu, Oulu and Saarijärvi.

The Association's educational operations are based on law, and are funded by a government subsidy in addition to membership fees and fund-raising, e.g. project funding. The main subjects of its training programmes are citizen society skills, environmental activities and the development of the countryside. The Association also runs a think tank, which focuses on societal issues.

The cultural department of the association organises art-related projects and productions.

• The Association has been surveying Finnish contemporary self-taught artists since 1997. Their art, known as ITE art, has been shown in exhibitions, publications, seminars and international projects in Finland and overseas, in collaboration with several museums.

• The Association is the founder of the ITE Art Collection, which consists of contemporary Finnish folk art. The collection was deposited at the K.H. Renlund Museum. The collaboration between the museum and the Association is called the ITE Museum.

• The Association is one of the founders of the European Outsider Art Association, EOA.

• The various art activities include producing different events, festivals, exhibitions, workshops and publications.

• International cooperation and networking are also an important part of the Association's activities.