Combining art and culture with nature in Espoo, Lohja, Siuntio and Karkkila
Spring 2026 saw the start of the UUSI KULMA – Culture and nature activities in Uusimaa project, which combines culture and art with a forest environment.
How does one combine culture with nature? This is a question that Espoo, Lohja, Karkkila and Siuntio are trying to answer with a new pilot.
In May 2026, the cities started organising artist and nature guide-led art excursions. These events will be held year-round in Espoo, Lohja, Karkkila and Siuntio until 31 May 2027. The project involves artists from various artistic fields, from music to visual arts, from theatre to photography, and from circus to dance.
The target groups of the activities are people in mental health and substance use rehabilitation, older people and immigrants. The aim of these activities has been to reach people at risk of social exclusion without independent access to nature or cultural services.
Espoo arranges these activities for all the above target groups. Siuntio’s excursions focus on older people, while Karkkila and Lohja try to reach immigrants and people in mental health and substance use rehabilitation.
Both art and nature have numerous identified impacts on wellbeing. The nature art excursions strengthen the social inclusion, wellbeing and functional capacity of the participants.
“’I'm at loss for words to describe how nice the excursion was. I loved it so much. It was relaxed and everybody got to just be themselves. [...] What a wonderful day that was, I was still thinking in the evening.” – An older person’s experience of a nature art excursion
The early results of the activities show promise. We will follow the impacts of the project with surveys, both before and after the excursion. What’s especially grown after these excursions is the experience of nature wellbeing and how important nature is. The initial results also indicate an increase in functional capacity.
“Lovely nature excursion, beautiful, relaxing music, and a nice guide.” – An immigrant’s experience of a nature art excursion
The project is implemented by the City of Espoo’s Cultural Promotion and Partnerships service area. The cities of Lohja and Karkkila, the municipality of Siuntio, and the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County are important partners of the project. The project is co-funded through the Supporting Sustainable Growth and Vitality in the Regions (AKKE) grant issued by the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. Further information on the project is available on the City of Espoo website.