Façade relief

Kivimaa elementary school was the first primary school built in Lahti after the war. Its construction budget included a work of art for the façade by Michael Schilkin. Depicting work and home, the art still adorns the wall of the old part of the school. The relief was unveiled at the school’s inauguration in November 1948.

The motif is a family of four going about their daily chores. In the lower right-hand corner, a shirtless man is shown working in the field with a hoe in his hands. Above him, a boy reaches out of an open window to feed birds, while behind him his mother holds a small child in her arms. The overall composition is extended by small birds spreading out towards the left side of the wall. The idealising spirit of the post-war reconstruction period is palpably present in the relief, which underlines the importance of childcare, homecare and work.

Artwork on the map

On the wall of the old part of the Kivimaa school. – Lahdenkatu 62, Lahti.
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