Minu Eesti
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Free art programme · Tallinn

Minu Eesti

See Estonia. Paint your experience. Share your story.

Five workshops at Sarle Gallery for adults from different language and cultural backgrounds. You look at Estonia with your own eyes and turn what you find into a painting of your own.

  • Free, all materials included
  • Five Saturday meetings
  • No art experience needed
  • In simple Estonian (about A2+)
  • For adults living in Estonia
Apply to participate See the programme
Art examples
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Art examples
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Art examples
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What does Estonia look and feel like through your eyes?

The creative journey

  1. 01observe
  2. 02compare
  3. 03collect
  4. 04sketch
  5. 05paint
  6. 06reflect
  7. 07exhibit

What is Minu Eesti?

Five meetings. One painting that is entirely yours.

Minu Eesti (“My Estonia”) is an art programme that starts with looking. You explore Estonian art, nature, architecture, patterns and the streets of Tallinn, then find something here that means something to you, and connect it with your own memories and background.

The programme combines

  • 01Painting and visual art
  • 02Estonian culture and visual environment
  • 03A walk through Tallinn
  • 04Simple Estonian, spoken in practice
  • 05Conversations across cultures
  • 06Your own artwork, from idea to canvas
Art examples

You finish with

A painting on canvas, its title and a short text about the work, ready for the final exhibition.

Who is it for?

For adults who live in Estonia and want to look at it more closely

  • You live in Estonia and your background is in another language or culture.
  • You are curious about Estonia and would like to explore it through art.
  • You would like to meet people from different backgrounds.
  • You want a relaxed, practical place to use your Estonian.
  • You have never painted, or you already make art. Both are welcome.

Practical details

Estonian
About A2 or higherThe workshops use simple Estonian, supported by pictures, demonstrations and hands-on work.
Art experience
Not required
Age
Adults
Group size
About 10–12 people
Groups
Four groups, about 40–48 participants in total

What will I gain?

What you take home

  1. 01Your own finished painting on canvas.
  2. 02The basics of colour, composition and acrylic painting.
  3. 03A closer look at Estonian art, architecture and visual culture.
  4. 04A guided artistic walk through Tallinn.
  5. 05An idea of your own, developed from sketch to finished painting.
  6. 06A link between something you found in Estonia and your own experience.
  7. 07Practice in simple Estonian, in a supportive, hands-on setting.
  8. 08New people from different language and cultural backgrounds.
  9. 09The words to talk about your artwork and the ideas behind it.
  10. 10The chance to show your work in the final exhibition.

Programme

Five meetings, from first look to finished painting

20 academic hours in total. Each meeting builds on the one before, so the programme is taken as a whole.

Detail: coloured grains, layer by layer
Detail: coloured grains, layer by layer

  1. Meeting 1

    My place in Estonia

    Getting to know the group. An introduction to colour and composition.

    Which place, colour, image or memory connects me with Estonia?

    Outcome A first visual idea map and your personal starting point.

  2. Meeting 2

    Signs and stories

    We look at examples and compare their colours, forms, patterns and meanings with things from our own cultures and experiences.

    We explore

    • Estonian art
    • Nature
    • Architecture
    • Heritage patterns
    • Estonian visual culture

    Outcome First sketches and visual elements for your final work.

  3. Meeting 3

    Look at Estonia

    An artistic inspiration walk through Tallinn. We sketch, make visual notes and talk about what we noticed in pairs.

    We explore

    • Architecture
    • Details
    • Colours
    • Light
    • Patterns
    • Forms
    • The city around us

    Outcome Your own visual material and a plan for your final artwork.

  4. Meeting 4

    My stories on canvas

    You start your final painting, combining something you experienced or saw in Estonia with something from your own life or culture. Individual guidance throughout.

    We explore

    • Composition
    • Colour
    • Acrylic technique
    • Turning an idea into a painting

    Outcome The main part of your painting is done.

  5. Meeting 5

    My Estonia

    You finish the painting and we reflect together. You give your work a title and write a short exhibition text about where the idea came from and how it connects with Estonia.

    Outcome A finished painting and its exhibition text.

!This is a five-part programme

Participation is free, and you apply for the whole programme, not for single workshops. Before applying, please check that you can attend all five meetings of your group.

To complete the programme you need at least 80% attendance and a finished final painting.

Participation is free

Free. Everything is included.

There is no fee for participants. You don’t need to bring anything.

  • All five workshops
  • Guidance from a professional artist
  • Canvas
  • Paints
  • Brushes
  • Sketching materials
  • All other art materials
  • Coffee, tea and refreshments during longer sessions
  • A place in the final exhibition

Schedule

Groups and dates

Each group meets five times, usually on Saturdays. Choose the group whose dates all work for you.

Loading the schedule…

Note: official programme registration may also require a step with the Integration Foundation (Integratsiooni Sihtasutus). We will guide you through it after reviewing your application.

Why this programme?

You get to know a country by looking, making and talking

Nobody here copies ready-made “Estonian symbols”. Each participant looks at Estonia for themselves and starts from their own questions:

  • What catches my attention?
  • What feels familiar?
  • What feels different?
  • Which colour, building, pattern, place, landscape or story stays with me?
  • What does it remind me of?
  • How can I turn that connection into an image?

Two people can stand in the same street and see something completely different. Those differences are not a problem to solve. They are the material for conversation and for art.

The same window, a different world inside.
The same window, a different world inside.

Team

Who you will work with

Tea Lemberpuu

Tea Lemberpuu

Artist and workshop leader

Tea is a painter and art teacher who has taught painting and drawing to adults for many years, including Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking students. She sees art as a way for people to meet across language backgrounds.

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Tea holds an MA in Contemporary Art from the Estonian Academy of Arts, a BA in Painting, and a teacher’s education with a specialisation in art teaching. She received the EKA Young Artist Award in 2023.

In the programme Tea leads

  • Painting
  • Colour
  • Composition
  • Sketching
  • Looking at Estonian art and visual culture
  • The Tallinn inspiration walk
  • Your individual painting
  • Group reflection
Valerie Sarle

Valerie Sarle

Programme manager

Valerie is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural organiser. She looks after your journey through the programme, from your first question to the opening night of the exhibition.

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Valerie holds an MFA from the Estonian Academy of Arts. She develops and organises artistic and cultural programmes, workshops and international events at Sarle Gallery, and is responsible for coordination, communication and the final exhibition.

Questions about participation? Write to Valerie: valerie.v.sarle@gmail.com

Venue

Sarle Gallery

Aia 17, Tallinn

You make your artwork in the same gallery where the final exhibition takes place.

Accessibility
Ground level, no stairs. Accessible toilet.
Getting there
In the city centre, next to the Old Town and a few minutes’ walk from Viru Keskus and its bus and tram stops.

Directions ↗

Sarle Gallery

The map loads from OpenStreetMap.

Final exhibition

Minu Eesti — final exhibition

Every participant who completes the programme creates a finished painting, a title and a short text about the work. With your permission, your work becomes part of the final exhibition at Sarle Gallery.

  1. Observation
  2. Experience
  3. Artwork
  4. Sharing
Opening
Dates to be announced
Exhibition
Dates to be announced
Sarle Gallery
Aia 17, Tallinn
Admission
Free

The exhibition runs for at least 14 days.

FAQ

Questions

Is the programme really free?

Yes. Participation and all art materials are free.

Do I need to know how to paint?

No. Beginners are very welcome.

What level of Estonian do I need?

The programme is designed mainly for participants with about A2+ Estonian. Activities use simple language, visual examples and demonstrations.

Are the workshops taught in Russian, English or Ukrainian?

The working language is simple Estonian. Other languages may be used for limited support when needed.

Can I attend only one workshop?

No. Minu Eesti is a five-part programme and participants commit to the whole series.

What happens if I miss a meeting?

Please plan to attend all five meetings. Completing the programme requires at least 80% attendance and a finished final artwork.

Do I need to bring materials?

No. All materials are provided.

Will my painting be exhibited?

Participants who complete the programme may have their artwork included in the final exhibition, with their consent.

Will photographs be taken?

Activities may be documented, but we ask separately for permission to use your image. Saying no does not affect your participation in any way.

Where does the programme take place?

Sarle Gallery, Aia 17, Tallinn.

Ready to look at Estonia through your own eyes?

Places are limited to 10–12 per group. Applying takes about five minutes.

Apply to participate
Apply to participate