Arna Rennan shares Stories from Norway.
Arna Rennan is a painter and musician who received her training at the National Academy of Art in Oslo and at the Institute for Folk Culture, University of Telemark in Rauland. During her time in Norway, she focused her artwork on plein aire paintings in the area of Bøverdalen in the northern part of Gudbrandsdal. She also learned local stories of husmenn (cotters), folklore, and emigration. The harsh and extreme beauty of the area inspired music, poetry, and an imagination toward the supernatural or hidden folk. More than just stories from ancient folklore, the belief in the Hulder Folk is alive and well in the high grazing areas of Northern Gudbrandsdalen.
Arna has given two webinars for Vesterheim connected to her time in Norway. Enjoy these recordings of the presentations!
In the first video, How to Get Along with the Hulderfolk, Arna meets with Asta, Anna, and Ann Helen Brimi, cowherd girls on Brimi seter (mountain grazing farm) who shared their encounters with the Hulder Folk or “Hidden Folk.” She also learned local folk songs from Jarnfried Kjoek that the Hulder sing to wake up sleepy cowherd girls to milk their cows.
In the subsequent video, Immigration Stories with Arna Rennan: From Closed Doors to Open Doors, Arna gives a presentation about emigration from central Norway featuring songs, images, and anecdotes that she collected in Bøverdalen, highlighting the time between 1900 and 1920, when half of the population of Bøverdalen immigrated to the United States. Arna takes a closer look at the existing class system found in Norway at the time and how the rural communities dealt with poverty. She shares some of these stories to bring the immigrant experience to life.
In the exhibition Seven Summers, which ran from 2023 to 2024, Vesterheim featured Arna’s plein aire paintings. Her perspectives are formed through art and music as they present themselves historically. As a Norwegian and American citizen, she incorporates both perspectives in her work and presentations. Arna has given cultural presentations, concerts, and exhibitions at significant venues in the Midwest and beyond. Her artwork is recognized both in Norway and the Midwest and is part of public collections.