Ars Natura - environmental art and art in the environment (ympäristötaide ja taide ympäristössä) Mikkeli Park (Mikkeli Puisto)
A first step towards a permanent international sculpture park was taken in the spring of 2009 with an exhibition presenting international environmental art and art in the environment. Not only prominent sculptures of high quality were installed in relation to the natural environment of this part of Mikkeli City - but also a first step was set towards inviting artists from around the world to make environmental installations and Land Art projects, inspired by the natural dynamism of south-east Skandinavia.
Artists will be invited to loan their works to the collection. The organization which will manage the sculpture park shall be responsible for the quality of the sculptures and projects which are presented.
Finnish Sculptors like Kari Huhtamo, Antero Toikka and Lucien den Arend have offered to loan sculptures to Mikkeli Sculpture Park. They will be the first sculptors to have done this. Every year exhibitions and symposiums will be organized, and new works of art will be presented. In order to make it a permanent sculpture park it is necessary that every year a number of the sculptures remain on their location, and the collection will continually grow.