Introducing: The Field Studies Artist Residency Program
We are excited to officially launch something that I’ve personally wanted to do for several years: an artist residency program that combines art, architecture, creativity, and nature. I have fond memories of recording a Daytrotter session with Jones Street Station back in the day when we were on tour and wanted to share a variation on this concept on our farm in Finland. Instead of quick sessions, we wanted to give artists a quiet space and time to create at their own pace. Also, although my background is mostly in music, this residency is extended to all kinds of art, design, and writing. Big shoutout to our friend and collaborator, Ville MJ Hyvönen, who upon hearing the initial idea, helped us test and refine the concept.
What is it?
Through our collaboration with Ateljé Sotamaa, we’ve developed a number of unique wooden buildings on Ulla’s family farm here in Kontiolahti: the Meteorite, the UFO, the Usva House, and the Kosmos Learning/Media Space.
In addition to renting these spaces for meetings and small events, we are now making them available for low or no-cost artist residencies. We’d like to share what we’ve built with others, foster creativity, and bring more cultural experiences to our local community.
The artist residency program offers the following:
Opportunity to work on creative projects in a peaceful and inspiring place
Stay in a beautiful piece of wood architecture without anyone bothering you
Proximity to nature, fresh-water lakes, and forest trails
A home-cooked welcome meal
An option to play a private show at the USVA house main hall
Where is it?
Koivula farm is located in Kontiolahti, Finland. We are a 20 minute drive from Joensuu, a university town with a small airport and train station. From Helsinki: a one hour flight, a 4.5 hour train ride, or a 5+ hour drive.
Activities: Once you’re here, you’re 5-10 minutes away from Lake Höytiäinen (the 15th largest lake in finland!), the Kontiolahti Biathlon stadium (with groomed x-country ski tracks from October-April), and numerous public hiking/running/mountain biking/x-country ski trails. There is also a grocery store and a couple lunch spots a short drive, bus, or bike ride away.
Sound Interesting?
We hope this space and environment helps you start that book/podcast, record those demos, finish that song, create that piece of visual art, or aid you in your creative journey in a small way. In return, we are asking artists to provide a small example of something they made or worked on while visiting and answers to a few questions so we can document and share on our blog. (Bonus points if you are also willing to give a talk, exhibition, or an intimate performance for a small group of local folks from the community.)
So far, this has been something that we have done exclusively through word of mouth but moving forward, we are going to take a limited amount of applications so if you’re interested, please send us a note at info@fieldstudiesprojects.com
Here are a couple examples of past residents:
Alpo Nummelin - Musician/Songwriter/Producer
Jenni Ypparila - Visual Artist
Salla Hakkola - Musician/Composer
We’re excited to share this journey with you as a resident or someone following along so either way, see you soon!
Jonathan
