Museum of world cultures to open in Espoo

The Helinä Rautavaara Museum, which presents the life of globetrotter Helinä Rautavaara as well as world cultures, will open in the Entresse shopping centre in Espoo on August 31 marking the Espoo Day, said a press release.

The opening of the museum on the new premises in Espoon keskus will expand the area’s professional cultural offering.

“We will operate in the middle of a shopping centre in one of the most multicultural places in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Espoon keskus. The location has attracted the interest of future customers, other museums and the shopping centre sector,” said Museum Director Ilona Niinikangas.

Helinä Rautavaara (1928–1998) was a unique explorer, journalist and collector, who tirelessly toured the world.

She wanted to experience and understand the life of different communities. Rautavaara left a legacy of Finland’s largest collection of West African artefacts, tens of thousands of photographs, hundreds of hours of audio recordings and dozens of hours of super-8 films.

Helinä Rautavaara’s collection and stories come back to life in the unique ethnographic museum, which is also the only museum in Finland dedicated to the life work of a woman. It has been operating since 1998.

“The role of museums in society has changed greatly. Our strength, besides the collection and exhibition, is lively audience work, in which the local immigrant communities are also actively involved,” Niinikangas added.

The theme of the museum’s first changing exhibition is climate change, and it tells the story of the indigenous Mashco-Piro tribe living in the rainforests of Peru.