Voipytty (butter dish) from Finland:

Marja Lianko

Marja Lianko is a Finnish-American artist living in Cambridge and working in Somerville, where she has had a studio for nearly 35 years. At the age of twenty she left her native country Finland and after crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a trading ship she arrived in Boston with a small suitcase and a head full of dreams. Through hard work and a bit of luck she was able to fulfill some of those dreams. Marja is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University. She taught silk screening and mixed media at the Museum School for 23 years.

Marja shares the story of a ubiquitous butter dish in Finland that she brought back from her grandmother’s kitchen. Her grandmother used to share a lot of ditties. Listen to the audio recording to hear a couple and also about how the dish is typically used in Finland. This dish has come to represent not only her grandmother’s strength and resilience but also Finnish identity as a tough and perseverant people.