The document describes a collaborative art project called Crossroads Saksalanharju that will take place in Finland. The project aims to bring together migrant Nordic artists and native Finnish, Nordic, and European artists to engage in artistic dialogue and create collaborative works. Over 4-6 week periods, artists from different backgrounds will live and work together at the Saksala ArtRadius art center. They will verbally and visually communicate through their artworks and challenge one another's creative boundaries. The project seeks to stimulate cultural exchange and increase awareness of history and culture through this international artistic exchange.

1. COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU
haukivuoren
aluejohtokunta

2. The ridge Saksalanharju is situted on the biggest monolith of Europe.
Rregistration number:
MOR-Y06-049
Types: drumlin
Height: 168 meter
Length: 5 499 meter
Width: 1 600 meter
PROJECT LOCATION
Saksalanharju, an ancient settlement site, is situated in
South East rural Finland between the small cities Mikkeli
and Pieksämäki. Currently art center Saksala ArtRadius
is founded on the ridge of Saksalanharju. The profile of
the art center is based on cooperative art projects, art
education and international cultural exchange.
Modernized artists residences are available for 6 artists
visiting at the same time. There are also work spaces,
studios, exhibition spaces and good working space
possibilities outdoors.
The tranquil landscape, with fields and forests around
Saksalanharju, creates good possibilities for maximum
concentration on art work and contribute to genuine
understanding far from commercialized and
hierarchical art societies in the cities.

3. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
. project group:
marja de jong - finland
tiina suhonen – norway
lucien den arend – finland
ian newbery - sweden
ilse van den berk - the netherlands
image ©2008 behrouz rae image ©2006 sarawut chutiwongpeti
The collaboration project –crossroad SAKSALANHARJU– engages international multi-disciplinary
dialogue between active arts professionals. Artists from Nordic countries exchange and
collaborate with artists from Europe. The artists meet each other on the same crossroad. It is this
crossing that identifies the impact of place on an artist’s practice.
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU will be carried in art centre Saksala ArtRadius, Haukivuori, Finland.

4. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
artist artist
ilse van den berk nl behrouz rae ir

5. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is an international
exchange and collaborative art project where migrant
Nordic artists and Finnish, Nordic and European artists
come together for intense artistic dialogue. The quiet and
authentic culture of East Finland will guide them into new
and challenging territories. It will contribute to cultural
exchange and increase awareness of historical and
cultural knowledge as well as the emergence of new
traditions and contemporary cultural heritage.

6. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
In this project, it is interesting that the physical place of
SAKSALANHARJU, a national heritage, will be viewed
through the eyes of professional observers of different
origin with the specific goal of shaping a concrete
impression. By borrowing the eyes of an outsider, members
of the community in the small village of Haukivuori can see
their culture and landscape in a new light and from a
different angle. It is especially interesting that Finnish artists
living abroad in Nordic countries will contribute having
cultural experiences both inside and outside of Finland.

7. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The main purpose of the project CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is to create a platform to
investigate and exchange, collaborate and produce international multidisciplinary dialogue. This
dialogue will be realized with migrant artists living in NORDIC countries. The leading participants of
the collaboration and workshops will exchange and collaborate with native artists and others and
possibly interact with cultural workers, teachers, craftsmen, policymakers and youth of the
multicultural community of Haukivuori (who are another target group of this project).
INTERNATIONAL OUTCOME
The intensive collaboration between migrant NORDIC artists and native artists from Nordic
countries and Europe, will give the participants the possibility to adopt a deeper understanding
about forthcoming art at a personal level. They will acquire cultural influences that they are
partially integrated in and from the people they work with. This will stimulate development in the
participant’s ways of thinking and working and indeed positively affect all involved. This in turn has
the positive effect of insuring a continued movement and development of local culture by way
involvement and embracing them.
Exchange of skills and ideas is an absolute necessity to keep all cultures vital and ever
developing. In CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU artists can stay and work together in an exchange
and create something that furthers Finnish and foreign culture in innovative forms. It is also
important for the development of the art field in entire Europe that there is a vital alternative, like
this project, to the commercialized world.

8. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
image ©2006 sarawut chutiwongpeti image ©2008 behrouz rae
Through intense dialogue As a part of the project In order to get acquainted and involved
the arts professionals will the artists will also with the location the artists also need to
communicate verbally participate, keep and explore the environment, the nature and
and visually. This dialogue produce together with the Finnish local rural culture (forestry and
takes place during 4-6 local and other agriculture).
weeks on one or more art interested culture The impact of place is different for every
works, drawings, paintings, workers. That will artist.
installations, side specific influence and improve With all these different backgrounds and
art, sculptures, video and the local all these different influences of the place,
a mixed media. The result craftsmanship and is the outcome of this project will show the
will be art created by valuable for the artistic uniqueness of the place where it is
minimum two artists. The exchange. created. The project will contribute to
selected artists will have to cultural exchange and increase
collaborate with each awareness of historical and cultural
others and challenge them knowledge, as well as the emergence of
so they can cross their own new traditions and contemporary cultural
boundaries in their work heritage.
and receive new
influences.
marja de jong lucien den arend ilse van den berk tiina suhonen ian newbery

9. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
In the pilot-project CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU, migrant and native artists from Nordic
countries and Europe will exchange and collaborate with each other. This will challenge them to
cross the boundaries in their work and experience new influences. This crossing identifies the
impact of place on an artist’s practice. New forms of expression and communication are
anticipated to produce intense dialogue that the professional artists will communicate verbally
and visually. The atmosphere in landscape and climate, and the mood and attitude of the people
living more or less isolated in the country side in the NORDIC region will offer the specific
impressions to the artists.
This project will stimulate Nordic cultural exchange and increase awareness of historical and
cultural knowledge in a Nordic context. It will develop democratic access to cultural
participation, also for rural areas. With the contribution from different funds the exchange and
collaboration of migrant Nordic artists will create new forms of expression and communication. It
is this migration what is important to develop the specific historic and culture value of the Nordic
rural areas.
Think global and act local is reformulated in this project: act locally, but with a global effect.

10. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is a project that takes place in the peaceful and authentic
rural area of East Finnish Saksalanharju and creates good conditions for intensive
concentration in art work. The artists require time to get involved with their work in the new
environment, with each other, with nature and with the local culture.
After a few weeks the artists will be challenged to start an artistic dialogue with each
other. This dialogue is based on the work’s inherent communicative aspects. There is no
restriction to the medium artists want to use. It can be drawing, painting, installations, site
specific art, sculpture, even mixed media are possible. For the resulting work, it is
important for SAKSALANHARJU, that the Nordic element and the varied backgrounds of
the participants give the works an inspiring mix. In other words, it could not have been
anywhere else.
To maximize the mutual impact and the various outcomes, it is important to select artists
with different visions and diverse ways of working. An interesting artistic dialogue between
artists of different origin and with different cultural references will be the anticipated result.
The contrast between the artists will give an added dimension to the works created in the
project.

11. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
Besides the collaboration, the artists are invited to create an interaction with local and
other interested culture workers. For example: the children and young people of the
local schools are familiar with the international artists in their community. It is very exiting
for them to have a creative dialogue with the artists. Involving the children and students
with the collaboration project will be something new for the artists. This will be a good
challenge for the artists by presenting themselves and the collaborating work. The form
of this interaction with the schools or the culture workers can be chosen by the artists
themselves. With their international background, there is an opportunity to influence and
possibility enrich local craftsmanship.
During the process and afterwards, the outcome of the project will be presented through
lectures, seminars, exhibitions and publications. This will document the background, the
exchange, the regeneration of the work of the artists involved and the influence the
project had on the society of area. A discussion with the local population about the
social and physical impact in the project is also an opportunity.

12. global project Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Future of Art
sojourn in white
international collaboration project
artist-in-residence
accepted into TransCultural Exchange Boston USA
martti karttunen
director mikkeli museums
kirsimaria törönen-ripatti
chairman regional arts council
curator
claire watson australia
artists
artists at work behrouz rae iran shows
ilse van den berk the netherlands 1.-31.5.2008
AllaprimA MuseuM
art centre Saksala ArtRadius
Haukivuori - Finland
1.11.-7.12.2008 Cowwarr Art Space
Cowwarr – Victoria - Australia
13.12.2008 - 24.1.2009
Maffra Exhibition Space
this project shows how Maffra - Victoria – Australia
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU April 2009
can develop Trans CulturalExchange
Boston USA

13. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
PLACE:
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU will be carried in
art centre Saksala ArtRadius, Haukivuori, Finland.
PERIOD:
The collaborative project will start in August 2009 and
.
end in April 2010. There are collaboration sessions in
August 2009, Autumn 2009 and Winter 2010.
WHO:
Migrant and native artists from the Nordic countries
(Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden) or
self-governing areas (Faroe Islands, Greenland, and
the Aland Islands)
APPLY:
Interested artists can send an open application by
email to the project group: atelier@marjadejong.com
DEADLINE:
July 31 2009

14. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
CONDITIONS
The applying artist has to be a citizen of one of the Nordic countries.
(Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, as well as the self-governing areas
the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and the Aland Islands)
The applicant has to commit him/her self with the idea, aim, strategy and intention
. of the project CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU and have to stay at least 4 weeks in
the residency.
It is not necessary to have experiences with collaboration, we are interested in
artists who want to except the challenge to cross the boundaries of their own work
and to attain new influences.
The selected artist will participate on the following conditions:
There is a FEE of 900€, paid to the artist after the collaboration period
FREE LODGING FOR 4 WEEKS in the residency of art centre Saksala ArtRadius
COMPENSATION LIVING COSTS: maximum 250€
COMPENSATION TRAVEL COSTS: maximum 250€
The art works - installations will be published on the website and in the catalogue
The project will be carried out in at least 3 sessions of collaborating artists.
The first period is in August 2009
The second period is in Autumn 2009
The third period is in Winter 2010 (January-February-March)
.

15. crossroads SAKSALANHARJU
a new collaborative project for international artists
APPLICATION
Interested artists can send an open application by email to the project
group: atelier@marjadejong.com
. Send by email your CV and maximum 5 images (400x600 pixels, 72 dpi) of
recent and/or relevant work and maximum A4 explanation why you want
to apply.
The collaboration period starts in autumn and ends in February, you can
note in what period you are not available and/or what period you prefer.
After we have received your application we will send you the final
conditions of the project.
In August the work group will make the selection and after that we will
inform all the applicants about the decision.

16. CULTURAL ARTISTS-IN- ART
TOURISM RESIDENCE EDUCATION
ARTISTS
ART COURSES SYMPOSIUMS
ART
ART & BUSINESS EXHIBITIONS SOCIETY

17. COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT
CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU
haukivuoren
aluejohtokunta