The Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida had a record of 63,935 visitors in its exhibitions and events in 2019. For the first time in its history, Siida had over 63,000 exhibition visitors. The personnel of Siida are pleased that an extension and renovation project and the renewal of Siida’s permanent exhibitions in near future will enable Siida to serve an increasing number of customers better and better.

The public were eager to use Siida’s services last year. The total number of visits for 2019 was 121,000, which is the second highest in Siida ever. This visitor number includes, in addition to the the exhibition and event visitors, also the customers of Siida Shop, Metsähallitus’s Service Point, the Tourist Information and Restaurant Sarrit.

Of all those visiting Siida, approximately 50 per cent – 64,000 – were exhibition and event customers, which means that Siida’s exhibitions have never been visited by a higher number of guests during the 21-year-long history of the house. The figure has increased from the previous year by a whopping 8%.

Traditionally, the flow of visitors to Siida’s exhibitions from June to August has clearly surpassed that of the winter months. The 2019 increase in the exhibition visitor figures was especially prominent during the winter months. The numbers increased the most in December, with altogether 25% compared to 2018. The exhibition visitor figure of January grew by 16% compared to 2018.

Of Siida’s exhibition visitors, 39% were domestic and 61% foreigners in 2019. The proportion of international exhibition visitors has increased every year. For example in 2014, foreign visitors accounted for 55%. The number of domestic exhibition visitors to Siida has also increased, by 4.7% compared to 2018.

Siida is an extremely international meeting place. In 2019, our visitors came from altogether 87 countries. Germans were the biggest group of foreigners (8.4% of all exhibition visitors) with the French right after them (7.7%). These two nationalities have topped Siida’s exhibition visitor statistics for years. The other top countries on the list were China and Hongkong (4.7%), Italy (4.6%), the USA (4.5%) and the Netherlands (4%).

The new trend of tourism could also be noticed in Siida. Instead of group trips, travellers follow their individual travel plans. Last year, individual foreign adults were the largest customer group buying tickets to Siida, with foreign adults travelling in groups as the second largest visitor group.

The Museum Pass – extremely popular in Finland – also brought an increasing number of visitors to Siida. The number of visitors entering Siida with a Museum Pass in 2019 was 2,707, which means an increase of 38% compared to 2018.

Siida’s basic exhibitions that highlight Sámi culture and the natural conditions of the North contain a great deal of information that visitors find interesting. In 2019, the most popular temporary exhibitions were the exhibitions “Inari Sámi Handicraft of the Past and the Present” and “Changing Winter”. Siida’s high visitor figures are also based on our diverse services: the visitor will find information, unforgettable experiences, advice, presents and restaurant services under the same roof.

Furthermore, 2,585 visitors were registered at the Skolt Sámi Heritage House – the regional unit of the Sámi Museum Siida – in Sevettijärvi. The Skolt Sámi Heritage House is open from June to September, and its visitor numbers increased by a good 400 visitors from the year 2018. The Skolt Sámi Heritage House is mostly visited by domestic visitors (82%). July and September are the peak visitor months at the Heritage House.

Siida will launch its extension and development project in earnest in the spring of 2020. The extension project will be realised in stages. During the initial phase – starting on 1 May 2020 – a collection unit and a restaurant wing will be built. After they have been completed, the Siida Building will be closed for a year in April 2021 for the renovation phase. The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre and the restaurant will continue serving customers throughout the renovation stage, using the new wings as their facilities. During the period of change, Siida will use the legendary Open-Air Museum as its exhibition venue. Siida with its new facilities and permanent exhibitions will be opened on 1 April 2022.

More information:
Visitors: Head of Sales and marketing Minna Väisänen, +358 40 58164 34, minna.vaisanen(at)samimuseum.fi
Siida renewal: Museum Director Sari Valkonen, +358 40 767 1052, sari.valkonen(at)samimuseum.fi

The Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida will be renovated and extended in 2020–2022. As the owner of the Siida Building, Senate Properties has, through a decision by its Board of Directors, made an investment decision on the extension project on 18 December 2019. The Sámi Museum Foundation is the main tenant of the Siida Building, and the Foundation sublets parts of the house to the Nature Centre and Restaurant Sarrit.

The Siida Building – inaugurated in 1998 – will now be renewed to meet the needs of an increased number of operations and higher visitor figures. In the project, Siida will get museum and nature centre premises that will fulfil modern demands both technically and operationally. The project will cover approximately 3000 m2, this will also increase the area of the building by 50 % .

At its front, the extension project will have new, proper collection facilities for the Sámi Museum. With an extension of the Collections Unit, the new facilities will provide the Sámi Museum with the capacity for continuing as a national museum responsible for its special field. After the project, the Sámi Museum will receive a repatriation of the Sámi Collection of the National Museum of Finland (more than 2000 items). A repatriation of this size is noteworthy even internationally.

Siida’s extension project will be realised in stages. During the initial phase – starting on 1 May 2020 – a collection unit and a restaurant wing will be built. After they have been completed, the Siida Building will be closed for a year for the renovation phase in April 2021. The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre and the restaurant will continue serving customers throughout the renovation stage, using the new wings as their facilities. During the change, Siida will use the legendary Open-Air Museum as its exhibition venue. Siida with its new facilities and permanent exhibitions will be opened on 1 April 2022.

The architectural design of Siida’s extension has been entrusted to Architects Soini & Horto Ltd from Helsinki. The Construction Manager will be Miikka Teppo from Senate Properties.

The renewal of Siida’s permanent exhibitions will have the same schedule as the extension. Friends of Industry Ltd / Harri Koskinen will be the Exhibition Architect.

The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida is pleased to realise a development project that will enable Siida to renew and expand its operations. Customers will also in future find Siida’s diverse services and operations in one building.

There will be an information meeting – open for the public – on the project on 9 January 2020 at 5 p.m. at the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida.

Further information:
Sámi Museum Siida:  Sari Valkonen, Museum Director, sari.valkonen@samimuseum.fi, tel. +358 40 767 1052
Senate Properties: Tuomas Pusa, Division Director tuomas.pusa@senaatti.fi, +358 (0)50 390 2143

Illustrative drawings for media use: https://www.flickr.com/gp/siidainari/921165

Updated 18.2.2021: (2600 items) –> (more than 2000 items)

The permanent exhibitions of the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida will be renewed. The Sámi Museum Foundation has received a 400,000 euro grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation for renewing the cultural part of the exhibitions. In the project, the Museum will create an exhibition manuscript for the permanent exhibitions and the Open-Air Museum that will be based on atmospheres and the intepretations of Sámi artists. Through creating consciously atmospheres and a dramatic curve in the exhibitions, the information offered by the Museum will be better conveyed to the visitor.

The total budget for the renewal of the joint permanent exhibitions of the Sámi Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida is approximately 2.5 million euros. The Sámi Museum has been granted funding for the cultural part of the exhibitions from the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Kone Foundation and the Wihuri Foundation, altogether 750,000 euros. The Museum’s share of the exhibition budget is fifty percent. The Nature Centre has got funding for its part from the Ministry of the Environment. The project is connected with Siida’s extension and renovation project. The project will be carried out in 2020–22.

The personnel of the Sámi Museum is happy about the grant

More information: Museum Director Sari Valkonen, sari.valkonen@samimuseum.fi, tel. +358 40 767 1052

https://skr.fi/ajankohtaista/miljoonien-tuki-suomalaisten-museoiden-uudistumiseen

The joint permanent exhibitions of the Sámi Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre will be renewed. The Sámi Museum has received a grant of 300 000 euros from the Kone Foundation for a project on the modernisation of the cultural part of Siida’s basic exhibitions.

https://koneensaatio.fi/en/kone-foundation-awarded-more-than-eur-30-million-for-art-and-research/

The Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida is heading for great changes: an extension, renovations, the renewal of exhibitions and transfers of collections. Before this, we will shake off the dust from Siida’s website. We have now improved the website www.siida.fi: with a fresh look, the website is now mobile optimised and available in five languages. Furthermore, tickets for our exhibitions can now be bought online.

Siida’s new website works in five languages. In addition to the earlier Finnish, English and North Sámi languages, we now offer the website also in Inari and Skolt Sámi. We use all the three Sámi languages spoken in Finland every day at Siida, for example in activities dealing with museum and nature education, exhibitions and projects. Therefore, we also want to spotlight the Sámi languages on our website and to promote their use.

With the renewed website, Siida will board the new train of tourism sales by starting to sell tickets online too. Here, we are among the first ones amid Finnish museum and nature centres. You can now buy tickets to Siida in advance at our online shop at www.siida.fi. As means of payment, you can use Finnish Internet banking and most credit cards. When you arrive at Siida, you will still be met by our customer service representatives, who will provide you with information on the exhibitions and the services available at Siida.

To celebrate the Sámi Language Week, the new website of the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida and Restaurant Sarrit will be launched on Thursday 24 October 2019. The website has been created by Advertising Kioski.

Further information:

Sales and Marketing Minna Väisänen
tel. +358 40 581 6434, minna.vaisanen@samimuseum.fi

Edited October 29th 2020: Siida’s online-ticket sales system is changing. Online sale of tickets is now closed, and will reopen for summer 2021.

Designer Harri Koskinen has been selected as the architectural designer for the new permanent exhibition at Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida. The existing exhibition will be renewed in conjunction with the expansion and renovation of Siida and will be completed in April 2022.

Harri Koskinen and his Friends of Industry company will be responsible for architecture and graphic design related to the permanent exhibition and supervision of its construction and implementation. Koskinen’s long-term partners include Iittala and Genelec. He created the architecture for the latest Tapio Wirkkala and Oiva Toikka exhibitions. Koskinen has had many international clients – mostly from Japan and Italy – during his career. A hotel concept that he designed is set to open in Kyoto at the end of this year.

• The exhibition at Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida is an amazing and diverse design challenge at the heart of Sámi culture. I’m really looking forward to cooperating with so many partners, says Harri Koskinen.

The Siida exhibition renewal is an integral part of the renovation and expansion of the museum and nature centre building. The exhibition is more than 20 years old and Sámi Museum Director Sari Valkonen is very happy to see it being renewed and to have Koskinen involved in the work.

• Koskinen is the right choice to create the best setting for exhibition content, such as the Sámi material returning from the National Museum of Finland. This material will play a particularly important role in the new exhibition, explains Valkonen.

National Park Superintendent Pirjo Seurujärvi from Metsähallitus is delighted to have a renowned designer like Harri Koskinen join the team.

• Siida’s current main exhibition was designed by the respected architects Juhani Pallasmaa and Sami Wirkkala back in the 1990s. The selection of Harri Koskinen as exhibition architect is a worthy continuation of the Siida story. Koskinen will have a key role in coordinating the cultural and nature contents of the exhibition.

The selection of the architectural designer was carried out via a public procurement procedure. This was a two-stage process in which the tenderers who advanced to the second phase were asked to provide a sample of their work.

Further information:        

Museum Director Sari Valkonen                                    +358 (0)40 767 1052 sari.valkonen@samimuseum.fi

National Park Superintendent Pirjo Seurujärvi          +358 (0)40 767 1052 pirjo.seurujarvi@metsa.fi

Designer Harri Koskinen                                                 +358 (0)40 5518160 harri@harrikoskinen.com

 

For more information about Harri Koskinen:

http://www.harrikoskinen.com/

 

Located in Inari, Siida houses the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre as well as Restaurant Sarrit. The Sámi Museum Foundation is responsible for operations at the Sámi Museum. The Northern Lapland Nature Centre is part of Metsähallitus’ national network of nature centres.

 The Siida building that opened in 1998 will be renovated and expanded, with the new parts housing the Sámi Museum Collections Unit and the restaurant. The joint permanent exhibition of the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre will be renewed. Things are changing, but we will remain open throughout the renovation and exhibition renewal. The larger, renovated Siida and the new exhibition will open in April 2022.  

The future will bring us the renovation of the Siida Building, the construction of a restaurant wing and a renewal of our exhibitions. A new Collections Unit will be erected behind the Siida Building. We are right now in the planning phase of this project. The construction of the extension part will start in spring 2020. Until 31.3.2021, Siida will operate just as before.

In 1.4.2021-30.4.2022, when the present Siida Building will be renovated and the exhibitions renewed,you can still visit us! At that point, our exhibition centre will be situated in our Open-Air Museum, which will serve the audience in avariety of new ways. We will tell later more about our services during this exceptional period.

Our goal is to have the new, grand Siida opened on 1 May 2022.We are exhilarated to head for this newphase!
Siida – Sámi Museum and Nature Centre, Inarintie 46, FI-99870 Inari, tel. +358 (0)400 898 212, www.siida.fi, siida@samimuseum.fi, siida@metsa.fi

In 2018, Siida in Inari, Finland, was again visited by a huge number of people. The Sámi Museum, the Northern Lapland Nature Centre and the restaurant Sarrit, all based in Siida, are pleased with the 2018 visitor figures! Siida’s 20th anniversary year with its interesting exhibitions and diverse events attracted the public to a great extent.

Sámi museum, Siida, Inarintie 46, FI-99870 Inari, tel. +358 (0)400 898 212, siida@samimuseum.fi, www.siida.fi

The Sámi Museum Siida’s first exhibition of this year, “The Powerful Voices of the Earth”, spotlights Sámi handicraft, or duodji. The crafts created by Jouni S. Laiti, a skilled artisan in the field of traditional Sámi handicraft, offers a view of Sámi crafts today. The exhibition provides the visitor with an opportunity to view modern Sámi handicraft both in a traditional form and as modern art.

The crafts of the exhibition tell about the present Sámi concept of beauty and use of materials. Furthermore, Laiti’s crafts contribute to the discussion on the vitality of duodji in the world today, reflecting events that take place in Sápmi and the world in general. Through some of his works, Laiti consciously participates in the present social discourse. For the Sámi, Sámi handicraft does not mean just producing objects from different materials: it is a way of interacting with the community; a language understood by those who have learned to interpret it. The way Laiti engages in social discussion through his craft is an example of the tacit social discussion of the Sámi.

Artisan and teacher of handicraft Jouni S. Laiti comes from Utsjoki. He has worked for many years as a teacher of Sámi handicraft at the Sámi Education Institute in Inari. In his work, Laiti has been especially interested in developing the instruction and preserving the language of duodji. He has reflected on how to develop Sámi craftmaking as a source of livelihood: how could an artisan get an income from craftmaking and how should the products be marketed to potential buyers.

At present, Laiti studies at the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Kautokeino for a master’s degree in duodji, and the exhibition is part of his thesis. The supervisors for Laiti’s MA dissertation and for the exhibition are duodjiexperts Tuula-Maija Magga-Hetta and Sigga-Marja Magga. One of the objectives of the exhibition is to create a connection between the craft maker and the viewers, and to get feedback from them on the feelings and experiences looking at handicrafts evokes in them. The information produced through a survey in connection with the exhbition will be used as source material in Laiti’s written thesis. Thus, we hope that exhibition visitors will lend some time for research on Sámi handicraft and fill the questionnaire when visiting the exhibition.

The Powerful Voices of the Earth exhibition has been produced by the Sámi Museum Siida, and it will be open from 8 January to 17 March 2019. In the winter season, Siida is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Mondays, Siida is closed. Welcome to the exhibition, to listen to the voices of the earth!

Further information:

Áile Aikio, Curator, aile.aikio@samimuseum.fi

Jouni S. Laiti, Artisan, jouni.laiti@gmail.com
Sámi museum, Siida, Inarintie 46, FI-99870 Inari, tel. +358 (0)400 898 212, siida@samimuseum.fi, www.siida.fi

Photo: Máhtte Sikku Valio