About
Mission statement
List og Land at Laugaból Farm is an international multidisciplinary arts residency committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming space for artists and writers to create without distraction in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and solitude.
Our vision
We believe that artists and writers thrive at the intersection of nature and community. List og Land at Laugaból Farm, in Iceland’s Westfjords region, is a place where residents can draw inspiration from its extraordinary beauty and solitude.
It is our hope that the artists and writers who work and live here during their residency will take their cues from the land and from the community of their fellow artists.
At List og Land, we consider interactions with nature and each other to be the raw and sacred material for creative work.
The Land
List og Land at Laugaból Farm is located on Arnarfjordur and the adjacent valley, Hokinsdalur and is comprised of thousands of acres of land. Residents can hike for hours and never leave the property.
Laugaból Farm is magical and quintessentially Icelandic with its deep fjord, waterfalls, rivers, and a line of volcanic mountains to the sea.
Arnafjordur is unique for its glacier-carved depth which makes it one of the few local fjords where whales are a common sighting.
Curious seals will often swim along as you explore the miles of black sand beaches that ring the fjord. In the spring and summer, Arnasfjordur is a birder’s paradise. A family of swans returns every year to nest.
We are just 15 minutes by car from Iceland’s largest waterfall, Dynjandi, and close to offsite hiking areas in the nearby fjords, at Flókalundar, and above Dynjandi.
While List og Land at Laugaból Farm is remote and secluded, it is also only 60 minutes from the historical, colorful college town of Isafjordur and the airport. The town has two grocery stores, a liquor store, restaurants and coffee houses, a bookstore, hardware store, public library, and hospital. Isafjordur is home to the oldest house in Iceland.
The Farmhouse
Most residents will eat and sleep in the farmhouse which is situated at the water’s edge. There are five rooms of varying sizes and rates, (see cost) a full bathroom and a half bath.
The farmhouse is the main hub for all residents.
The kitchen is fully operational. Off the kitchen you will find laundry, a freezer, a second refrigerator, and pantry shelving.
A large dining table will seat all residents and can accommodate additional guests. Common areas are comfortable, capacious and afford an outstanding view of the fjord.
The Stable
In the stable, there are two large bedrooms with desks and comfortable beds and chairs reserved for writers, but may be available for artists as well, depending on our census for each residency period.
A third private bedroom and loft studio is in the process of renovations, and we hope to make it available by summer.
The open artist studios are located in this building and feature ample natural light, and outstanding views of the fjord and mountains.
There is a small yoga and meditation space and a common area with couches, books, a small refrigerator, and coffee maker.
General
We operate a greenhouse and will share any fresh fruits and vegetables grown there.
A hot pot, and a pool (heated to 50 degrees Celsius) are available for your use.
Our heating is geothermal, and WIFI is ample and free. Our 4G network is also strong.
We will occasionally host open studio and gallery visits on site with the community and the local tourists who wander up from Dynjandi. But residents will never be interrupted in their work—ample notice will be given—and artists are free not to interact with the public.
We are in the process of converting the old stables to an art gallery and store that will sell, among other things, residents’ books and art, plus the artistic works of local Westfjords residents. (Proceeds on all artist goods go to artists, not the residency.)
Sorry no pets. There are two barn cats on the property. And the residency dog, a gentle, sweet Golden Retriever named Olive. She is old and mostly sleeps in owner’s quarters. Owners are onsite at all times.
It is important to note that Laugaból Farm was once a working farm with barn animals including sheep and, at one time, upwards of 150 horses. Because we are in the country please be aware, along with the whales, seals, arctic fox, minx and birds, you will see mice.
The barn cats are on the case, and we do our best in other ways to deter the mice, but we do ask for a strict no-food-left-behind policy in the studio area. We have had the barn cleaned and sanitized but because the barn housed horses for decades you may smell their spirits in the wind.
