History

1940s

Founding Joensuu Artist Association was initiated after the war when people took interest in art.
Joensuu Friends of the Art foundation was established in a meeting in 1945, and the motion came from theatrics.
The Friends of the Art were engaging in visual arts, theatrics, literature and music.
In addition to art exhibitions, the Friends of the Art organized multi artistic events and the tradition continued until the year 1955.

1950s and 1960s

Different art forms were separating into their own associations in the year span of 1950-56.
1960s sprung a development in both exhibiting and criticizing art. Olli Valkonen, an art connoisseur, had written a review of the annual exhibition of the Friends of the Art foundation, and called for more rigorous screening for selection of works and demanding a stricter division between professional and non-professional art.
In the dawn of 1960s, the Friends of the Art were focusing on visual art, presentations and movies, as those could, in their mind, help the masses ”understand modern art”.
The need for communal workspaces arose in 1961.
The name Friends of the Art was changed to Joensuu Art Association in 1963 and remained until 2002.

1970s

The Art Association became more organized and professional as the foundation attracted younger members, many of whom had just finished their art education.
Different rules were applied to professional, non-professional and supporting members. Later, a membership criteria was set to highlight the development of the professional function of the foundation.
After the rule reformation, Art Association held 24 artists. The number included all professional artists from North-Karelia. To this day, the number has increased fivefold.
Joensuu Art Association established the first art lending service in 1971, still up-and-running.

1980s

On the 1980s, the foundation was striving to engage in political issues regarding art and culture.
The artists were not active only in seeking suitable work environments for personal use and for art exhibitions, but also in cultivating a newly established Children's and Youth School of Visual Arts.
The foundation settled in a timber house that was named Artteli, located in Merimiehenkatu, where they held art exhibitions and carried on their work.

1990s and 2000s

Organizing art exhibitions was carried on from the Artteli premises. The complex held four artist work spaces and even two small apartments.
The building is still a workspace for artists, even though the name Artteli was abandoned and the association and exhibition activities have been transferred to Ahjo Arts Center.
The name Joensuu Art Association was changed to Joensuu Artist Association in 2002.
The late sculptor Veikko Jalava, a notable and influental contributor of the Friends of the Art, keeps the memory of the foundation alive by awarding title awards to artists from his trust fund to this day.
The longest-serving contributors of the membership also include Seppo Könönen, Jouko Solonen, Kauko Kortelainen and Eeva Saurio.
Since the Artist Association settled in Ahjo Arts Center, the responsibilities like arranging art exhibitions, were divided to both Ahjo's and the Artist Association's staff.
The association being located in Ahjo has blurred the borders between different art forms and so, brought them closer together. The members have been active in arranging their own art exhibitions in the Arts Center.
The Association has organized group exhibitions to cities like Turku, Tampere, Varkaus and Helsinki.
The years of working in Ahjo have brought new artists to the foundation, thanks to the local wide variety of arts education.
The Association has also taken responsibility for art education by launching children's pedagogical activities together with the Joensuu Art Museum.
In addition, the cultural life of Joensuu has been made more abundant by establishing Galleria Kohina, an art gallery in 2006 in connection with the Art Lending Service. Both can be found in Joensuu Artisan's Quarter.