Visitors to the Savanna can encounter a wide variety of animals.
Yet this is not Africa. We are in Kauhajoki, at a park showcasing the works of self-taught artist Alpo Koivumäki. But the site is much more than a park.
Over the past three decades, Alpo’s Savanna has evolved into a popular ITE art park, gallery, café and venue for a wide range of cultural events.
Alpo Koivumäki began his full-time career as an ITE artist in the mid-1990s, and his works soon attracted international attention. In addition to being exhibited throughout Finland, they have travelled across the Nordic countries and elsewhere in Europe. In 2017, an ITE art exhibition in Parkano consisted entirely of 30 of Koivumäki’s works, while more than 30 of his pieces were simultaneously touring Sweden.
“At that time, a few hundred visitors a year were already coming to Alpo’s studio in Kauhajoki, but when the works were travelling around Europe, the art experience often depended on the artist’s own descriptions. I suggested to Alpo that he should create his own park so that visitors would have something to see on site as well. He immediately liked the idea – especially as he had grown tired of constantly travelling with exhibitions,” recalls Loviisa Kautiainen, who had been assisting the artist from the very beginning.
Alpo’s Savanna was established through a Leader-funded project managed by the Kauhajoki Society and officially opened in 2018. The name “Alpo’s Savanna” originated when a visitor remarked, “This place is just like a savanna.”
“STAFF” Alpo’s Savanna
In 2019, Kautiainen and other admirers of Koivumäki’s art, including representatives of the Kauhajoki Society, founded the Friends of Alpo’s Savanna Association. Under Kautiainen’s leadership, the association has been developing the site and its activities ever since. Alongside an active board, a large group of volunteers contributes to its work.
The Savanna also hosts international volunteer work camps, with the third camp scheduled for this August. Young volunteers have travelled from as far away as Italy and Egypt to take part.
Alpo’s Savanna has attracted considerable attention as a visitor destination. Like the neighbouring Kammi Village, it was featured in the Finnish television programme Egenland a few years ago. The site has also appeared on the popular television programme Puoli seitsemän and even on Swedish television. Numerous newspaper articles have been written about the Savanna, and visitors can browse scrapbooks filled with press clippings in the café.
In 2023, the Rural Education Association selected Alpo Koivumäki as Finland’s ITE Artist of the Year. Sadly, the artist passed away during the celebratory year at the age of 83.
Alpo Koivumäki presenting his work during the filming of the Geopark’s In a Blink of an Eye promotional film.
The Yellow House, now converted into a café, can be seen from the campfire area.
Alpo’s Savanna as an Event Venue
Many people do not realise that the popular Campfire Thursdays have been held every summer since 2020, when a campfire site was built at the Savanna. Performers are invited from both nearby and farther afield, and nowadays artists increasingly contact the organisers themselves to request an opportunity to perform.
“While sitting by the campfire, we often looked at the empty yellow house on the neighbouring property, and someone jokingly said, ‘You could buy that house.’ The joke became reality when we purchased and renovated it through a Leader project to serve as a café and event venue. The café, gallery and cultural barn were officially opened in 2023, although we had already hosted preview events the previous year,” says Kautiainen with a smile.
A beautiful maiden welcomes visitors to the café.
The gallery is in active use. This summer, four artists are exhibiting indoors and one artist has works displayed outdoors. The setting is charming, and the artworks are both impressive and thought-provoking.
The gallery remains open until the end of August. Groups are welcome to visit at other times during the snow-free season as well.
Opening hours can be found on Alpo’s Savanna’s website.
The Cultural Barn at Alpo’s Savanna provides an atmospheric venue for performances.
The cultural barn and outdoor stage are equally busy. Poetry recitals, choir performances and concerts are held throughout July.
On Finnish Poetry and Summer Day, visitors will hear performances including poetry recitations by actor Hannu-Pekka Björkman. The event also offers members of the audience an opportunity to present their own poems.
Choir performances will be given by Spoon River Singers and Heikoollenkki. Under the guidance of Minna Salmela, visitors can join in singing traditional children’s songs.
There is something for every cultural appetite – for people seeking joy and inspiration, a momentary escape from everyday concerns, or perhaps a chance to explore the deeper corners of their own soul.
Alpo’s Savanna is a meeting place with a relaxed atmosphere where it is easy to feel at home. The colourful and imaginative artworks inspire positive thoughts, while Koivumäki’s legacy lives on in pieces that are carefully designed in both form and scale and demonstrate astonishing creativity in the use of recycled materials.
The young international volunteers who have participated in the work camps have also left their mark on the site. Their vibrant collages decorate the café terrace fence, delighting visitors with colour and creativity.
Text and photos: Terttu Hermansson
For this article, Loviisa Kautiainen was interviewed. She is herself a versatile figure in the fields of art and culture.
