Come raise a glass to Norwegian immigrants and navigating life’s hardships during a special reception at Pulpit Rock Brewing Company for Vesterheim Museum’s exhibition “Rocks and Hard Places: Emigration Through the Lens of Knud Knudsen.”
The reception will be held from 7:00 until 8:30 on Friday evening, February 23. Come and go as you like. There will be a cash bar, and a brief talk by Vesterheim President and CEO Chris Johnson around 7:45.
The exhibit of 30 dramatic photographs opened last September at Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center, and also has utilized community satellite sites. Currently Pulpit Rock Brewing Company and Family Care Clinic each have five additional photos. The satellite photos are scheduled to rotate soon, with those at Pulpit Rock going to Family Care Clinic, and those at Family Care Clinic moving to Impact Coffee. The 30 photos at Vesterheim Museum are on view through September 28, so don’t miss your chance to see them all.
Why do people leave their homes in search of a better life? The question has never been more timely. “Rocks and Hard Places” looks for answers in first person accounts, family histories, and the stunning black and white photography of Knud Knudsen.
Considered one of Norway’s most important photographers, Knudsen (1832-1915) was born in Odda, Hardanger, and he established one of the first photography businesses in the city of Bergen in 1864. Despite the idyllic landscape, Knudsen’s work vividly shows why the ever-present threat of rockslides and avalanches, lack of arable land, lack of economic opportunity, and savage beauty of life on the fjord led to some of the highest rates of emigration per capita from Norway.
The exhibit is sponsored by Gerald and Mary Jo Boman, The Broadway Group in memory of Eva Alsaker, David and Kirsten Heine, The Family Care Clinic, and The Perfect Edge. Additional sponsorship support provided by Curt and Dorothy Askelson, Janet Coe, Jon and Mary Hart, John and Kristie Leyman, Corey and Suzanne Mineck, Jeff and Marilyn Roverud, Kathleen Siedhoff, and Bill and Kathi Wild.
