The murals in Vesterheim’s Gathering Room were created in 1999 by Norwegian rosemaler Sigmund Aarseth and Iowa rosemaler Sallie DeReus. The murals are an example of interior painting, relatively common in Scandinavia, in which every surface is decorated. The murals are inspired by the primstav, a calendar stick widely used in Norway during the Middle...
Vesterheim offers free admission the second Saturday of every month. Come and enjoy the museum! Special exhibits open are listed here. There's always something new! This program is supported in part by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Bill and Kathi Wild.
Toppling Goliath Brewery in Decorah is including Vesterheim in a celebration of koselig - a concept deeply rooted in Norwegian culture that describes a feeling of coziness, warmth, contentment, and relaxed interaction. Everyone is invited to experience the third annual Koselig at TG – a day of folk music, traditional Norwegian fare, and togetherness. Stop...
[vc_custom_heading text="February 8, 2025 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m." use_theme_fonts="yes" el_class="medium-heading bold"]Join celebrated Norwegian Arctic cultural presenter and preserver Stina Fagurton to hear folktales from north of the Arctic Circle. Join us for an hour of stories that will delight the children and whoever else in the family loves a good story. Gather the family together to...
Dr. Maren Johnson, Luther College's Associate Professor of Nordic Studies and Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies Director, facilitates a monthly bokprat, discussing Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. Join us in Febuary as we discuss the novel Cabin in the Mountains by Robert Ferguson. The hytte – or wooden cabin home – is a crucial part...
Join Decorah Travel Club as they host Vesterheim Chief Curator Laurann Gilbertson for this engaging presentation about Norwegian deaconesses in America. Deaconesses, women called to serve the church and humankind, come from a tradition dating from Biblical times to the Middles Ages. Their work was revived in Germany in 1836 and the “modern” diaconate spread...
A Dying Norway – in a Living America? Exhibit Closes on February 16, 2025. This exhibit of documentary photographs by Lars Idar Waage is a portrait of Stavanger, Illinois, by someone from 6,000 miles away in Stavanger, Norway. The tiny town of Stavanger, Illinois, in LaSalle County, is the location of the first permanent settlement...
Vesterheim welcomes preschoolers and their caregivers to Barnetimen Children’s Hour. Meet in the lobby of the museum’s Main Building to explore objects and stories in the museum’s collection and make fun art. Meet in the lobby of the Museum Building to hunt for heart shapes in the museum’s collection and create heart-inspired art before enjoying...
Vesterheim is seeking volunteers, and we’d love to meet you! Do you want to deepen connections in the Decorah community and make new friends? Do you want to further something you’re passionate about while learning something new? Do you love history and art? There are so many ways to be involved. This training focuses on...
[vc_custom_heading text="Decorah School's Carrie Lee Auditorium, 210 Vernon St." font_container="tag:h3|text_align:left" use_theme_fonts="yes" el_class="small-heading teal"]Join Vesterheim for a free concert by local favorites The OK Factor! Playful and unexpected, new-classical crossover duo The OK Factor writes and performs folk-inspired music influenced by multiple genres and styles, with an artistry that reveals their classical training. Cellist Olivia Diercks...
