Särkilahti BLÅ
The former vicarage of Kuorevesi (built in 1872) has seen many lives since the closure of the vicarage in 1954. The building served as a camp center and a party venue until 2022, and is now dedicated to art and leisurely life.
The area is free from politics, religion, and discrimination.
The building has been stripped off the 1970s chipboard that was added later and was, for a time, oh-so-fashionable. The log walls are now allowed to breathe in the art with their centuries-old lungs.
The house has received its artist name (BLÅ = blue in Swedish) from the color it has acquired after originally being pale red. The name is in Swedish simply because it is a nice short word with a fancy letter, Å. Also, Swedish is the other official language in Finland! And of course, because the person running the place is half a speaker of Meänkieli, a minority language spoken in parts of northern Finland and Sweden.
The BLUE building now functions as a workspace and houses two exhibition halls, a residence, and a shop, and also serves as a café.
RED (RÖD) granary building is as old as the blue building and offers accommodation as well as the AITTA art gallery (“Aitta” is a Finnish word for a traditional granary building).
All activities are available only during the summer, as the buildings have no heating. Winter is a completely different experience – so if you want to experience what it might be like sleeping outside at the North Pole, you are welcome to stay overnight in January or February. It can get as cold as –35°C.
In winter, ART is on wheels.
Ask for mobile workshops: tarja@sekuvain.fi
Almost anything can be arranged.
Art courses and all other activities are run by Tarja Jakunaho – an artist, decorative painter, animal caretaker, solution-focused visual arts therapist, scriptwriter/director,
and (an eternal) student of visual arts.
Individual courses may also have guest teachers.
Tarja is originally from northern Finland, which is why the pennant of the Lapland region flies on the flagpole.
All activities are funded by our own small resources – that is, what we earn during the summer. The small entrance fee only partly covers the maintenance costs of the property. You can support our work by booking a group visit, participating in courses, shopping in our old-fashioned online store, or buying products from the on-site shop and café.
Thank you for your support and welcome to visit us!