Wonder of Creation Har pa Björnsdóttir & Unnar Örn
When you drive along the east side of Eyjafjörður, on route 1 from Akureyri, after 10 minutes you can spot one of the wonders of Icelandic museums where the road cuddles up to the roadside above Svalbarðsströnd. The first thing you notice is a known landmark by the road known as the blue-clad Curator, a tall figurative sculpture holding a perpetually lit lantern. Beside it stand majestic houses that put their imprint on the
beautiful surroundings. As visitors step inside the vestibule, they are welcomed by Ragnar Bjarnason’s colourful sculptures. This is the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum (Safnasafnið). The founders of the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum are Níels Hafstein, a visual artist, and Magnhildur Sigurðardóttir, a psychiatric nurse. They have
The blue clad curator greeting guests at the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Ar t Museum is a work by members of the group Huglist (Mind ar t) f rom Akurey r i. Huglist was founded in 2007 as a venue for people that have exper ienced mental problems, to f ight prejudice and make themselves noticeable in the society. Photo Magnhildur Sigurðardóttir.
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been passionately developing the museum since 1995. In 1997 they decided to move from the capital of Reykjavík and settle in a vintage building of the former elementary school and community centre on Svalbarðsströnd. The move, and their growing collection, prompted extensive rebuilding and renovations which ended in 2007 when the museum was reopened in its present form, with roughly 500 square metres