Aspa Atelier Artist Residency

Aspa's Atelier is located on a three and a half hectare plot of natural beauty on the shores of Lake Lohjanjärvi, which guarantees a peaceful environment for its visitors. The plot has partly rocky and largely forested terrain, but also peaceful lagoons with small sandy beaches. According to the donor of the plot, the log sauna cottage named Aspa's atelier is particularly suitable for leisure and as a vacation spot for both individual artists with their families and groups of artists.

Location

Aspa's studio is located in Karjalohja (part of the city of Lohja) in Western Uusimaa, on the shores of Lake Lohjanjärvi.

Mainly spruce-dominated forest terrain, but also deciduous trees and grove vegetation. Protected coastal cliff area. Sheltered lagoons, sandy beach. Good berry and mushroom terrain. Good fishing waters (worm fishing possible, for other fishing you must have your own fishing permit).

Nearest services; A Sale grocery store, library, bank, health center, pharmacy and Neste gas station can be found in the center of Karjalohja – about five kilometers from the studio. The Lohja Spa & Resort spa hotel is located nearby. The nearest post office is in Mustio (25 km) and Lohja (33 km).

Accommodations

The studio (30 m2) has a fireplace-heated living room, a kitchen, a sleeping loft and a wood-heated sauna. Electric radiators are used as needed. Tap water is pumped from the lake to the studio porch. Drinking water must be brought with you or collected in separate containers during a shopping trip.

The studio kitchen includes, among other things, a refrigerator (with freezer compartment), an electric stove and oven, a microwave, a coffee maker, a kettle, cooking utensils and cutlery.

The loft of the studio comfortably accommodates two adults or four children. The studio also has a sofa bed. Tenants bring their own sheets and towels when they arrive.

The toilet is in a separate outbuilding.

Working

Aspa's atelier is primarily intended for vacationing, but the cabin also offers the opportunity for small-scale work. However, a larger studio can be found in the surrounding nature.

Residence application

The rental period for Aspa's atelier is from May to October. Applications for a residency are made by filling out an application form; the application period is scheduled for October-November each year. The application is open to members of the member organizations of the Union of Finnish Art Associations.

Apply for residency

The history of Aspa's atelier

In the 1940s, the Finnish Association of Fine Arts received a plot of land and a villa building in Vilniemi, Karjalohja, under a bequest from the Finnish artist and cultural figure Georg Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa (1870-1946).

Wettenhovi-Aspa had the pyramid-roofed villa he designed built in Vilniemi at the beginning of the 20th century. If the villa was special, so was the owner of the house. The bushy-bearded gentleman was sometimes seen walking around in a white “monk’s robe”, sometimes in military safari gear or Japanese riding uniform. The mail was delivered with the address: “A villa whose owner rows a white boat”.

The original villa was demolished in 1981 due to poor condition and a log cabin was built in its place in 1994, named Aspa's Atelier after the donor of the plot. Today, the cabin is used as a holiday and recreation area for artists. Over the years, over 500 visual artists have stayed and worked in Vilniemi.