Taide\Folio nuoritaidefolio.fi  is a free Finnish portfolio and discussion platform for youth visual arts. On the Näyteikkuna [showcase] page, 13 to 28-year-olds can create an artist profile and display their work. The Ilmoitustaulu [noticeboard] is a space where anyone can create a user account and join the conversation on artmaking. The website is maintained by Young Visual Art, an organisation delivering cultural youth work throughout Finland with an emphasis on visual art.  

Taide\Folio was developed in 2020-2021 in co-operation with young artists. Planning took place in live workshops and via Instagram surveys. Development and website maintenance have been accomplished with support from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The project was funded by a development grant from the ministry and is maintained by national youth organisation annual general grants. Website technical design and maintenance have been outsourced. The Taide\Folio platform was launched in May 2021 at a Nuori Taide (Young Visual Art) event. These national events for young art makers are held biennially in different cities around Finland. The website’s user and visitor numbers have steadily increased over the period 2021-2023 and we are continuously developing the website’s usability in line with the feedback we receive. In the first two years, 210 artists profiles have been created in the Näyteikkuna [Showcase] and over 1,030 artworks added. Each profile includes a clickable Contact the maker button and this function has been used 60 times to leave feedback and offers of work. 

Low barriers to entry 

Taide\Folio brings together hobbyists of what is often a solo pastime – art making – and enables young people to meet fellow makers. It is possible to create a user profile and engage with the site from outside Finland, although the work of Taide\Folio centres on Finland.   

The visual culture produced by young people depicts the age we live in. We have something to learn from the stories and art of each of these young people. Taide\Folio provides an alternative to social media channels where – amongst the millions of users – it can be challenging to get your art out there and to find audiences. The goal is to create a community where we can learn about others and the world as we engage with art. From spring 2023 onwards, there will be activities such as live-meetups, visits and training sessions.  

The website aims to reduce the pressure around showing others your work by creating an environment where everyone is welcome to tell their own story and to share their art in their own way. No prior experience in exhibiting art is required and the website is free to use. Our aim is for the website to remain free to use in the future as well. 

“The visual culture produced by young people depicts the age we live in. We can learn something from the stories and art of each of these young people.”   

Anni Rupponen

A simple tool for instructors 

Teachers, instructors, curators, artists and other art and youth sector professionals are encouraged to incorporate Taide\Folio in their practice, and our website offers downloadable tips (in Finnish, as of spring 2023). In 2022-2023, there are free educational programmes for young art hobbyists and for those working in youth visual culture. You can order the training package Ota Taide\Folio haltuun [Get to Know Taide/Folio] nuoritaidefolio.fi at nuoritaide@artcentre.fi. The training package is offered in Finnish and English.   

Taide\Folio has won praise from youth sector professionals who have expressed an interest in similar websites for other fields of art. The website can help young people and those working with youth visual culture develop important skills – both skills in visual culture and professional skills, such as being able to write about your art and being able to market and promote art projects.   

The website adheres to Youth Visual Art principles around providing a safe space and a discrimination-free zone. The safe space arises from a common set of principles that users are made aware of and asked to abide by. Young people are given the space and freedom to define and discuss art in a way that suits them 

With the basic Taide\Folio website established, from 2023 extra funding will be sought to further develop the site. One goal is to have the website translated into other languages, such as Swedish and Northern Sámi. With extra funding, could organise international study trips and exhibition projects. This would give young people from different countries an opportunity to make, produce and explore visual culture together.  

A checklist for designing youth websites: 

• Get young people involved in the planning. Map out their wants and needs via workshops and surveys.  
• Promote the website regularly to different target groups. Engage with people and let them know how the site can benefit them.  
• The launch doesn’t mean the website is done. Find out about user experiences and invite feedback on the usefulness of website content. Update your site to ensure it meets the needs of users.    
• Be proud of what you have accomplished! Your enthusiasm will inspire new visitors to check out the site.  

The Taide\Folio user experience: a professional and convenient platform for young art makers  

I’m 19-year-old art-maker Suvi Haapaniemi. I came to know about Taide\Folio before its official launch in early 2021, when my art career was just begining. I had previously published photos of my work on social media, for example, but I needed a platform where I could focus on showcasing my art in a more professional way. I was looking for a website where I could share my art and  introduce myself as an artist, somewhere where my lack of formal education would be no barrier . I wasn’t quite ready to create a whole website – my catalogue was small and I lacked the necessary practical skills – so the newly-launched Taide\Folio was ideal. 

Creating a profile on the Taide\Folio Näyteikkuna page is easy and convenient, but there are also plenty of options for customising the profile. There’s the option to write a short artist bio and you can add a selection of keywords describing the techniques you use and the themes you deal with in your work. I like to use these keywords because they make your profile easily discoverable. They also make it easy for me to find other art makers who are interested in the same techniques and themes. 

The most important feature for me is that you can include the details of your artwork along with the images. My artworks appear in my profile in a portfolio format, just as they would on my own website. What makes Taide\Folio special is that the platform is meant for young art makers. It’s important that artists like me who are just starting out have an opportunity to practice writing about their art, sharing their work and networking with other young artmakers. Taide\Folio suits young artists like me who are trying to showcase their art in the most professional way possible but it also suits those who want to share their art without any greater professional ambitions. You can set up a profile without publishing photos of your art and it is possible to create an account  even if you don’t have a single completed piece. The platform can equally just provide a space to talk more generally about your own artistic identity and your aims and aspirations as an artist.  

A really useful and practical feature of the Taide\Folio platform and of maintaining your own artist profile, is that it offers others the opportunity to get in touch. Thanks to the site, buyers and journalists interested in art have discovered photos of my work and contacted me. Journalists have also been able to make use of the descriptions I have written, quoting these texts in their articles or researching my work in advance. 

Suvi Haapaniemi’s Taide\Folio profile (in Finnish) 

Author Anni Rupponen is a cultural youth work producer and a website manager for Taide\Folio.

Author Suvi Haapaniemi is Lahti-based artist.