The premises of the House of Arts are almost fully occupied

Remodeling of the building will be done during the summer, and new users will be able to move into the premises in September.

- With a few exceptions, the leases come into effect on September 1. Currently, there are already 21 signed contracts, some are in reservation status, and only three spaces are completely free, says the property manager Katrina Tella from Mitra.

Totalin total, there are 38 spaces available for making art.

- The situation is very good. There has been a lot of discussion about old school buildings - the House of Arts enables a high utilization rate of the space left vacant for educational purposes, continues Tella.

The stone school and canteen building will remain, Tainiotalo, or the former middle school, will be demolished this autumn.

- The restaurant is still without an operator. Contact regarding that is very welcome. The building offers really functional facilities for food service, for example. Perhaps a cafe or a lunch place would be suitable in that connection, because in addition to the users of the Taitein talu, there are of course also residents of detached houses in the area, Tella thinks about the possibilities of the canteen.

Among others, Sirkus Soihtu and a painter and a visual artist start performing artistic activities in the building Tiina Marjeta. Kutomo, a large part of Virta-opisti's labor college operations, will also move to the new Taiteiden talo.

- The workspace is good and different from my previous one. I think it's great that the environment shared by many artists can encourage us to cooperate, says Marjeta.

The artist Marjeta has, among other things, a university of applied sciences degree and a higher university degree from the Imatra School of Fine Arts. He hopes that the House of Arts will be a long-term place to make art.

- In my new space of about 40 square meters at Taitein talo, I plan to mainly practice art painting. I have moved many times, and now I hope to work here for a longer time. I prepare for my work, for example, by plasticizing the floor and preparing a wall where you can hammer nails. It's very good that there is plenty of cupboard space in the space - an artist needs a considerable amount of tools, which I have carried into the warehouse as a contractor. I also store my own works in the storage facilities, says Marjeta.

Virtaopisto's art courses are emphasized in Taitein thalo.

- The majority of our manual skills and visual arts teaching is carried out in Taitein talo. Only one-on-one teaching can still take place in Imatra's school premises, says the deputy principal of Virta school Kari Salin.

Kutomo is moving from the old Tainiotalo to Taitein talo.

- Kutomo will be used independently in the future. Equipment such as looms are moved to their new location. We do not organize actual teaching in weaving. It is no longer part of our official operations. More information about the weaving operation will follow when the practical arrangements are confirmed, says Salin.

Property inquiries are answered by property manager Katriina Tella, tel. 05 235 2831 katriina.tellamitra.fi (katriina[dot]tella[at]mitra[dot]fi)