About us
Art Centar Ješkovo grew out of one idea: that art does not need a gallery in town, but a place where hands, clay and nature meet. It stands on Lake Ješkovo, an old channel of the Drava near Gola, right on the Hungarian border.
The centre was founded and developed over decades by the sculptor and ceramicist Dragutin Ciglar Lao. In 2002 he started the “Koprivnica–Ješkovo” art colony here, and in 2004 he founded the art association Motacilla alba, named after the white wagtail, a bird that lives along the Drava. Since 2007 the sculpture colonies have been creating the Eco park of Podravina notables and the River Drava, an open-air gallery of wooden sculptures. Since 2009 the international symposium of art ceramics has been held here every year.
Today the centre is led by Dragutin Ciglar and Marko Lončar. Dragutin brings more than twenty years of experience as an artist and mentor; Marko brings organisation, programmes for groups and a new generation of ideas. Our shared aim is for Ješkovo to be open to everyone: children holding clay for the first time, teams who want a day that is different from the office, and artists from all over the world.
How Ješkovo came about
- 1999The centre opens.
- 2002The “Koprivnica–Ješkovo” art colony.
- 2004The art association Motacilla alba is founded.
- 2007The Eco park begins to take shape at the sculpture colonies.
- 2009The first international symposium of art ceramics.
What we have
- A hall for about a hundred people, with a view of the lake
- A studio and ceramics kilns, including raku kilns for firing outdoors
- A covered area with tables for larger groups; food is provided by our catering partner
- A courtyard under the willows, tables by the water and the Eco park with its sculptures
- The nature of the Mura–Drava–Danube Biosphere Reserve, also known as the “Amazon of Europe”
Map of the grounds
Choose a point on the map to see what that place looks like.
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Lake Ješkovo
An old channel of the Drava. The tables stand right by the water, and swans are frequent guests.
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Courtyard under the willows
Tables in the shade of the willows, between the houses and the water. This is where raku is fired in front of the group.
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The hall
Room for about a hundred people, with a row of windows facing the courtyard and the lake.
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Studio and kilns
Work tables and ceramics kilns. The raku kilns for open-air firing are in the courtyard.
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Eco park
An open-air gallery of wooden sculptures, created at the sculpture colonies since 2007.
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Entrance and parking
There is parking next to the centre, with room for a coach.
Illustrated map of the grounds of Art Centar Ješkovo. Not to scale. The points on the map are buttons. Choose a point for a photo and a description.
Ješkovo from the air
Drone footage from September 2021, without sound. It shows the fields around the centre, the houses by the lake, the Eco park with its sculptures and the courtyard.
Tell us how many you are and when you would like to come.
For a group, all we need is the number of people, a rough date and what you are interested in. We will come back to you with a suggested programme.