Vesterheim lends objects to institutions around the country. These have included the Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California; Haydon Art Center, Lincoln, Nebraska; Ellis Island, New York; Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Apron Museum in Iuka, Mississippi.
Vesterheim's Objects on Loan
The locations of all the Vesterheim’s exhibits and objects that currently on loan are listed below.
Current Locations
Traveling Exhibit: Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, Norway
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden
Vesterheim has loaned six objects for this traveling exhibit, including a carved drinking horn by Lars Kinsarvik, a plate and chair painted with rosemaling by Per Lysne, a carved chair by Erik Kr. Johnsen, a platter painted with rosemaling by Violet Christophersen, and a tapestry called Animal Kingdom woven by Minnesota sisters Pauline Fjelde and Thomane Fjelde Hansen.
This major international loan exhibition is the first to present the extensive exchange of design ideas between the United States and the Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—between 1890 and 1980. The exhibit is co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The exhibit will be on view:
Milwaukee Art Museum: May 15 – Sept. 6, 2020 – Postponed. Check back for rescheduled dates.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Oct. 18, 2020 – Feb. 15 2021
Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, Norway: mid March – early June 2021
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden: mid Sept. 2021 – mid Jan. 2022
Norway House
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A replica of the Baldishol tapestry for a special exhibit through September 25, 2020. The Baldishol tapestry is Norway’s oldest known pictorial weaving. Vesterheim’s replica was woven by Alma Pettersen Guttersen in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1928. 1980.090.001 – Gift of Garnet Guttersen.
Nordic Heritage Museum
Seattle, Washington
This five-year loan to their core exhibition includes a Luther College pennant, a political button, and a bygdelag badge.
Livsreise Norwegian Heritage Center
Stoughton, Wisconsin
Postponed. Check back for dates of when this exhibit will arrive at Livsreise.
The exhibit Herbjørn Gausta (1854-1924) on view at Livsreise from March 18, 2020 through February 2021 includes 20 oil paintings, plus a sketchbook, palette, and photos.
Also, objects and historical images related to stories of Norwegians in Wisconsin are included in the center’s core exhibit.
Vasa National Archives and Museum
Bishop Hill, Illinois
A child’s cup and dish, two sculptures, and a tapestry are on loan to support the exhibit Nordic Fairy Tales.
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa
Two beaded breastplates from Norwegian folk costumes are on loan for museum studies students to research and compare with the beading traditions of other ethnic groups.
The Gundersen Clinic
Decorah, Iowa
Gundersen Clinic features a colorful display of clay and paper flowers made by Nordic Fest participants and inspired by Flora Metamorphicae, an installation of 4,000 ceramic flowers that were on view at Vesterheim Museum in 2014.