Barnetimen Children’s Hour – September

Vesterheim welcomes preschoolers and their caregivers back to the museum for Barnetimen Children’s Hour. The first program is Tuesday, September 19, at 10 a.m. Meet in the lobby of the museum’s Main Building to explore objects and stories in the museum’s collection and make fun art. September’s program will be about animals. Look for different...

Bokprat: The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec

Dr. Maren Johnson, Luther College’s Associate Professor of Nordic Studies and Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies Director, facilitates a regular bokprat, discussing Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. Join us in September as we discuss the brand-new novel The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec. This spellbinding historical fiction novel combines Viking Age history and myth,...

Vesterheim Commons Celebration

Join Vesterheim to celebrate the opening of the new Commons building with numerous activities from September 23-October 1, both onsite and online! There will be free museum admission the entire week from September 23-October 1. • September 23 at 11:30 a.m. – Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt will visit Decorah in celebration of...

Online Gallery Talk with photographer Randall Hyman

Enjoy Vesterheim’s exhibition, Sámi Dreams: Portraits of Resilience in the Norwegian Arctic, from home with an online presentation by exhibit curator Randall Hyman! During the talk, Randall will tell the stories behind the pictures and describe the portrait sitters, their interviews, their role in the overall theme of the exhibit, and how the photos were...

Travel to Norway with the Hoinesses in 1908

Be transported back in time through words and photos from a 10-week-long trip Andrew and Elise Hoiness took to Norway in 1908. Using visuals from postcards as well as the messages in those and in letters home to family members in Iowa, you will get a sense of the realities of travel at the time...

Kayaking the Lofoten Islands: Norway’s Craggy Crown Jewels

The Lofoten Islands are a surreal seascape of soaring, snow-speckled peaks rising steeply from deep fjords, white sand beaches, and aquamarine bays. Amidst this natural splendor are historic fishing villages, small cities, and picturesque farms – all bathed in 24-hour daylight during summer months and forever changing in the moody weather of the islands’ arctic...

Vesterheim Commons Public Dedication

Join Vesterheim to celebrate the opening of the new Commons building with numerous activities from Sept 23-October 1, both onsite and online! There will be free museum admission the entire week from September 23-October 1. • September 30 at 1:30 p.m. – The week's events culminate in the public dedication for the Commons on Water...

Norwegian Sylvsmidja Silversmiths Present Sagastad Collection

Meet silver experts from the Sylvsmidja company in Voss, Norway, on October 1 at Vesterheim! Co-owner of Sylvsmidja Anne-Kari Salbu, Chairman of the Sylvsmidja Board Heidi Hjellestad, and Sylvsmidja designer Svanhild Strom will be available in Vesterheim Commons from 2:30-3:30 p.m. to give a presentation about their new Sagastad collection and talk with visitors about...

Exploring the Art of Sámi Joik

Iŋgor Ántte Áilu Gaup (artist name: Ailloš) grew up in a reindeer-herding family on the Norwegian side of Sápmi, a region that stretches over Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula, traditionally the home of the indigenous Sámi population. Ailloš and joiking are inseparable. He has been joiking as long as he can remember, and it has become key to...

Gangspil Concert

Award-winning Danish duo Gangspil is performing beloved traditional music on accordion/harmonica, fiddle, and vocals. This free concert will take place in the new Vesterheim Commons building and will also be live streamed online. If coming to the concert, just show up! If viewing online, register for a link here. Popular Danish fiddler Kristian Bugge and...