The cards, created in collaboration with language teachers and artists for Estonian museums and galleries, were unveiled Thursday at the Narva Art Residency (NART).

Learners pick a card from the deck and answer questions designed to guide them through a work of art, with options for both beginners and advanced students.

Teachers particularly like the "twist" questions that encourage imagination.

Sandra Vellevoog, a teacher at the Estonian Language House, said the cards stimulate students' thinking in Estonian.

"'Does this artwork remind you of something from your childhood?'" she cited as an example. "'What would this piece smell like? Is it more sweet, or is there anything poisonous about it?' And when words like that come to mind, the language really starts to click for the student."

Vellevoog added that such questions also add a "whole new dimension" to art gallery visits.

Artists, in turn, see the cards as a way to attract thoughtful, engaged visitors. NART director Johanna Rannula said contemporary art often leaves interpretation up to the viewer, including "what they see in the piece, how they feel it or what about it they notice." She added that many artists would surely love to be a fly on the wall during such lively discussions about artwork.

Teachers who previewed the deck praised the cards as learning tools — but also works of art in their own right.

"I'm worried the kids might ruin them," admitted art teacher Nadeža Rumjantseva. "Right away you get the impression they're meant to be drawn on, and that would be such a shame.

The cards are headed to galleries and museums across Estonia, ready to help learners dive into Estonian through art.

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