Autumn Star At Kaleva Art Gallery

Autumn Star is the quilt pattern chosen by the members of the Kaleva Art Gallery. They liked the simple pattern and used blue as a predominant color reminiscent of the Finnish flag.

The Kaleva Art Gallery cooperative was started in 1997 and has occupied this building, the oldest in Kaleva, since 2004. In 1900 the building housed the office of the New York Land Company which was formed to sell the land after the white pine had been cut down. The Siirtolainen, or immigrant, brochure was printed here and sent out to Finns in the US and Finland encouraging them to settle in Kaleva.

The town was named after the epic poem, the Kalevala, and the streets were given Finnish names. For many years after that enterprise ended the building was known as the Drug Store, famous for cherry cokes, 45 rpm records and various drugs and sundries.