The Kuopio Art Museum is stepping into a new era by adopting the name KUMMA. The name reflects the museum’s bold and open-minded approach to art and museum activities, as well as its desire to offer visitors unique and surprising experiences. The new name KUMMA will be officially adopted on April 26, 2025.

“We received the name KUMMA as a gift from our colleagues in Lahti,” says Anna Vilkuna, the director of the Kuopio Art Museum, who had asked them how they came up with a new name. The colleagues admitted that finding a name was difficult and that they had long considered a name that sounded too much like the Kuopio Art Museum. “Thus, I brought KUMMA with me from The Museum Days in Åland almost three years ago,” Vilkuna continues.

The name change was prompted by the confusion caused by the similar names of the museums in Kuopio. People could not distinguish between the museums. The new name KUMMA highlights the museum’s strengths and brings out its distinctive and surprising character. The museum has prepared to become KUMMA by changing its attitude: distinctive exhibitions, open-minded collaboration, focusing on young people and young adults as special target groups, and customer orientation are part of KUMMA’s persona.

KUMMA’s appearance is the handiwork of Antti Laitinen from the Kuopio-based company Grafiant, who also created the museum’s previous graphic design. The museum will continue its operations in the familiar location right in the heart of Kuopio, but with a new name and an even more inspiring approach..