A press Thursday release from Finlandia Foundation National, announced that National Sauna Week, Feb. 18-24, celebrates its third year with a new look: the winning entry in the inaugural poster art competition.
Debbie Paver of Calumet, Michigan, submitted the winning poster entry and says, “I am incredibly excited to be a part of this tradition!”
The graphic designer grew up in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, and loves calling the Upper Peninsula and the Keweenaw Peninsula home. She enjoys hiking, time with her dog and her “beloved Lake Superior,” rockhounding, photography, vinyl records and invitations to her friends’ sauna.
In her artist statement, Paver says, “For National Sauna Week, I want to celebrate the sauna’s role as a central opportunity to rejuvenate, meditate and connect with your own mind, body and spirit. In the heart of winter when our region is cascaded in a palette of blues, whites and grays, the beckoning warmth of the sauna shines brightest. This piece is a celebration of the power of the sauna’s abilities to warm us to the core and provide the energy to wholly enjoy and appreciate both the power and majestic beauty of a Keweenaw winter.”
In February 2022, Finlandia Foundation National launched the annual sauna celebration to increase awareness and appreciation of traditional Finnish sauna through a weeklong series of free, online programming on different aspects of the subject. Given Finland’s renown for the arts, it was a natural next step to express the importance of sauna through an artist’s eyes.
The judges, noted Vermont artist and FFN Artist of the Year Eric Aho, and Finlandia Art Gallery Director and Curator Carrie Vander Veen, pored over the 15 entries from all corners of the United States. They were impressed by many of the designs submitted and engaged in quite a bit of discussion before deciding on Paver’s interpretation, saying, “We liked the elegant, refined view of the winter palette of the Keweenaw and also the inviting warmth of the sauna, making the sauna experience welcoming to all.”
The National Sauna Week poster contest entries will be on display at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. National Sauna Week information is available online at FinlandiaFoundation.org.
