ITE Summer City
The abbreviation ITE refers to the phrase “self-made life” (Itse Tehty Elämä) ITE art is art that is connected to the creator’s environment, cultural background, and personal experiences.
Parkano is an ITE Summer City!
Since 2011, ITE art has been visible in the streets of Parkano. The art has received enthusiastic feedback from locals, summer residents, and tourists alike. In the summer of 2018, the city of Parkano decided to further develop this idea and declared itself an ITE Summer City in collaboration with the Rural Education Association.
From June to August, a changing annual ITE exhibition is displayed, which can be explored using the ITE mobile route. The route guides visitors from the Kolmoskeskus artworks to the parks and streets of the town center, and from there to the beautiful rapids landscape of the Viinikkajoki river. In addition to the route, information about the artworks is available, along with a gamified experience.
ITE-art is…
- ITE art is contemporary Finnish visual folk art of its own time.
- ITE stands for Itse Tehty Elämä (Self-Made Life). ITE art is part of the creator’s life journey.
- ITE art is boldly individualistic and creatively original.
- ITE art is rooted in the creator’s environment, cultural background, and personal experiences – a way of living a good life that emphasizes aesthetic values.
- ITE art is primarily created and exhibited outside the art world, in the creator’s own everyday environment.
- ITE art is part of the international outsider art scene.
- ITE art is living contemporary folk art, and as such, its forms of expression are in a constant state of change.
ITE artists are self-taught, meaning they do not have formal training in the art field. ITE artists do not view professional artists as role models, nor do they require guidance or support from art circles to create their art.
2024 Exhibition
The theme of this year’s exhibition is ITE in Motion. Welcome to marvel at and admire the artworks!
The theme of Speed is a perfect fit for Parkano, which, with its new strategy, created the Pysäyttävä Parkano (Stopworthy Parkano) brand. Trains stop in Parkano, and it’s easy to exit from the highways, making it convenient to stop by and view the dynamic artworks.
The artworks can be found using the mobile map.
The exhibition curator Arto Tuominen is bringing artworks to Parkano for the thirteenth time, yet he continues to amaze both locals and summer visitors alike.
An impressive collection has been created, for example, in Juhlapuisto, where a magnificent salmon rises from Pappilansalmi and the Loch Ness monster swims in the pond.
Both works are by Raimo Hautaluoma. On the other side of the strait, Alpo Koivumäki’s artwork Whale Calf can be found swimming.