Hämeenlinna Art Museum’s anniversary year offers a glimpse into the collections – the public votes for the works to be exhibited
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Hämeenlinna Art Museum highlights the diversity of its collections and invites the public to participate in selecting the works to be displayed. The works that receive the most votes will be presented one at a time at the art museum from December 2026 to May 2027. The first round of voting began on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 12:00 PM on the museum’s digital channels.
The Hämeenlinna Art Museum collections include over 8,000 works, ranging from the 19th century to contemporary art from recent years. The anniversary year’s public vote offers the audience an opportunity to explore the art museum’s various collections and influence which works are put on display.
“Through the vote, we want to showcase the wide variety of our collections and offer the public a chance to influence what is seen in the museum space. This way, our visitors also get their voices heard in the art museum’s anniversary program,” says Petra Hollmérus, the art museum’s communications planner who is coordinating the vote.
The public vote includes collections deposited by collectors (the Niemistö Collection and the Vexi Salmi Collection), collections donated by artists (the Ester Helenius and Maija Isola Collections), and the art museum’s own collection.
The art museum staff has selected five works for each voting category, from which the public can vote for their favorite. The work receiving the most votes from each category will be displayed in turn on the ground floor of the Hämeenlinna Art Museum’s Lohrmann building between December 4, 2026, and May 24, 2027.
Vote and make an impact
The public vote will be carried out in two stages. The first voting round includes three categories: the Niemistö Collection, works from the Hämeenlinna Art Museum’s own collection completed before 1952, and the Vexi Salmi Collection. Voting begins on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 12:00 PM and ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
The second round of voting will take place in early 2027. This round will feature the Ester Helenius and Maija Isola Collections, as well as works from the art museum’s own collection completed after the museum opened.
Instructions and a link to the vote can be found on the Hämeenlinna Art Museum website and the museum’s social media channels (Instagram, Facebook). It is also possible to participate in the vote at the art museum’s customer service desk.
Two Museum Cards will be raffled among the respondents, one in each round. In addition, a total of ten annual passes for the City of Hämeenlinna museums will be raffled. The winners of the raffles will be announced after the voting rounds have ended.
Presentation of the winners
The winning works from the first round of voting will be published on the museum’s website and social media channels on November 4, 2026.
The works will be presented according to the following schedule:
- Niemistö Collection December 4, 2026 – January 10, 2027 (video work on display from December 4, 2026)
- Hämeenlinna Art Museum Collection (older art up to 1951) January 12 – February 7, 2027
- Vexi Salmi Collection February 9 – March 7, 2027
The winning works from the second round of voting will be presented in spring 2027 as follows:
- Maija Isola Collection March 9 – April 4, 2027
- Ester Helenius Collection April 6 – May 2, 2027
- Hämeenlinna Art Museum Collection (newer art from 1952 onwards) May 4 – May 24, 2027
Additional information