A gentle and creative way to face fears – a Monster workshop for children on 25 October at Tikanoja Art Museum

The Monster workshop, linked to the exhibition I’m Not Afraid – Finnish Contemporary Illustrators, invites children to explore themes of fear and imagination through collage.

In workshops based on illustrator Satu Kettunen’s children’s book Mörköjuhlat (Monster Party), children can give form to their fears and face them gently and creatively. Tikanoja Art House is hosting two open workshops for children aged 5 and over in three languages (Finnish, Swedish and English) on Saturday 25 October at 11.00, with English as the main language, and at 14.00, with Finnish as the main language.

Children created their own monsters before the exhibition

Three early childhood education groups – from Tervajoki, Vaasa English Playschool, and the language immersion group at Inkerinpuisto – took part in Monster workshops led by Kettunen in May.  Some of the children’s monsters were also included in a three-dimensional installation Kettunen created for the exhibition. At the turn of the year, some of the monster characters in the installation will be replaced.

At the workshops, children were able to explore their fears and ideas in a tangible way through art. The children responded to the monster theme in various ways – some with hesitation, others with curiosity. The collage technique made the work feel natural, as the children created their monsters piece by piece.

– The children found it easy to get started, as they could select ready-made paper pieces to build parts of their monster. Each child’s monster and its story gradually took shape as they chose pieces they liked, says early childhood educator Salla Välimäki from the Tervajoki pre-primary group.

Children let their imagination shine

The children had explored the theme beforehand using Satu Kettunen’s Mörköjuhlat (Monster Party) book, which made the topic easier to approach and helped ease any nervousness.

The workshop produced a diverse range of unique monsters – some inspired by the children’s favourite things, others by colours, shapes or emotions. Each monster developed its own story, and the children responded to both their own and others’ creations with enthusiasm and acceptance.

– The children were proud of their creations, and each monster was presented and admired during circle time, says early childhood educator Camilla Lehtonen from the Inkerinpuisto language immersion group.

The children’s imaginations too the adults by surprise: even the smallest details held meaning for many of the children. The workshops sparked a lot of creativity, and the educators found collage work an inspiring way to explore other challenging topics.

– The children’s imagination and inventiveness were absolutely brilliant and took us by surprise.  The significance that even the smallest details of their monsters held for some children showed just how deeply this project had sparked their thinking. Overall, the Monster workshop was a very positive experience for both the children and the adults in the group, says Nina Södergård, Director of the English Playschool.

Activities for lower secondary students

The exhibition is accompanied by a wide range of additional programmes, catering to visitors of different ages. The supplementary material also offer lower secondary school students an opportunity to explore the comic-making process in more depth through the works of Juliana Hyrri and Riina Tanskanen. The linguistic accessibility of the exhibition’s artworks has also been improved.

The group exhibition I am not afraid – Finnish contemporary illustrators showcases six accomplished and award-winning illustrators, and features artworks by  Juliana Hyrri, Satu Kettunen, Janna Lindfors, Jenny Lucander, Saara Obele and Riina Tanskanen. In addition to traditional drawings and paintings, the exhibition also includes animations and spatial installations. The exhibition is on display from 27 September 2025 to 23 May 2026.

The exhibition and workshops have received support from The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland’s Hallå! Språkmöten år 2025 project.