Stories

During his life, Ilmari Wirkkala often drifted into areas for which he had no formal qualification. However, he was bold, open-minded and confident about his skills. This gave him the courage to take on the designing of the Veteli local heritage museum.

The courtyard of the museum became a special place for the artist; he wrote and directed a historical parade and a “crown wedding” with all its ceremonies to be performed here. Once, when the regular actor was suffering from exhaustion, Ilmari even had to play the role of a local court judge. Just upriver from the local heritage museum is Nivasaari island, where Ilmari began his public performances at the age of 16 by reciting a poem in a large summer festival of youth associations in 1906.