HIMMELI STUDIO

at The American Swedish Institute 

in the Artist Studio during Holiday 2023

With the support of a 2023 Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions grant from the American Scandinavian Foundation, Tia traveled to Vaasa, Finland in July 2023 to study the traditional art of Himmeli with premiere Finnish Himmelist, Eija Koski. Tia was immersed in daily rhythm of Eija’s life - living with her husband, Kari, on his grandfather’s farm where he grows the rye that Eija uses to make her Himmeli. Not only did Tia learn all of the steps of processing the rye from field to dried material, she also learned the spirit and method of constructing these sculptures with only straw, needle and thread.

Tia created seven Himmeli for the artist studio at the American Swedish Institute, and was present in the studio to engage with visitors on six Thursdays throughout the run of their holiday exhibition. Pre-dating the Christmas tree, Himmeli were made around the winter solstice and were suspended in the home until summer to ensure a good harvest.

Images by: Hugo Ciss