Collection and exhibitions

Collection

Our collection forms the basis of the Foundation’s activities. The Foundation manages an important collection of old maps and a collection of maritime art, which includes around 2,000 artefacts and thousands of documents about John Nurminen Oy’s corporate history. Our archive consists of the Foundation’s archived documents and a small library.

In 2024, data about our collection was transferred to new collection management software. During 2024, we also prepared for the transfer of our collection to the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Collections and Conservation Centre. We also had to conserve a large number of our artefacts, artworks and maps as a result of conditions in the Foundation’s warehouse.

Some of our collection can be viewed on request at our museum, which was visited by almost 50 groups during the year.

AiAiSea

We launched the AiAiSea project with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Structural Support for Cultural and Creative Industries and the European Union’s NextGenerationEU financial instrument. The project will digitise the atlases in the Foundation’s collection in cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency. In late 2024, we organised a service design workshop for museum operators at the Foundation’s premises in collaboration with our project partner, Userix Oy.

Exhibitions

We also organised other exhibitions: Birds in the Baltic Sea, an exhibition based on photos by archipelago photographer Raimo Sundelin, was on display on m/s Viking Grace and at Turku’s ferry terminal from 15 May 2024 to 2 January 2025. This exhibition reached more than half a million cruise passengers. The Sea of Memories exhibition continued on the island of Örö, where it attracted about 15,000 visitors.

Three new virtual exhibitions were launched at the Digital Museum: From Nautilus to Aranda, Birds in the Baltic and Fog of War joined the Foundation’s ongoing general exhibition, Baltic Sea Heritage. These exhibitions attracted a total of almost 4,000 visitors.