Learn about the history of different types and styles of Norwegian sweaters, including Setesdal, Fana, Marius, and Olympic from textile expert and Vesterheim Chief Curator Laurann Gilbertson. Laurann will also discuss the symbolism behind some of the patterns and colors on sweaters made today. This is an open meeting of the Norwegian American Genealogical Association...
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. The January bokprat features Ann-Helén Laestadius's Stolen. This spellbinding Swedish novel follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family’s reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and...
Vesterheim’s traveling exhibition, Innovators & Inventors, shares the stories of problem solvers and creative thinkers in the Norwegian-American community and highlights the many inventions. There are several “firsts” featured, like the outboard motor, gasoline pump, wearable pacemaker, airport jetway, and pizza delivery bag. There are also examples of how existing ideas and products were improved...
Get outside and enjoy the winter at the annual Barneløpet, a non-competitive ski or walk event for the community’s youngest skiers, ages 3-13. The collaborative Vesterheim Museum and Sons of Norway event will be held at the Decorah Community Prairie at 10:00 a.m., with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. Skiers must provide their own skis.
Join Vesterheim Chief Curator Laurann Gilbertson and the Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild for this fascinating presentation! Can you imagine a time and place without quilts? It may be hard to believe, but few Norwegians in the nineteenth century had ever seen quilts. Immigrants to the United States needed quilts for warmth and to help their...
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! Free Second Saturdays are supported in part by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Kari and Pete Espinosa.
Nordic people have a saying: "Tacos, not just for Fridays anymore!" Tacos are a long favored Friday evening meal across the region, and families who love this tradition are finding ways to vary their beloved tacos. In class, we'll dabble in traditional Nordic tacos and an Icelandic Skúffukaka (chocolate brownie cake topped with coconut). Join lively and...
Vesterheim welcomes preschoolers and their caregivers to Barnetimen Children’s Hour for heart-shaped fun! 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 a snack. Barnetimen programs are free and geared toward 3- to 5-year-olds, but all ages are welcome. New programs are...
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. The February bokprat features Morning and Evening, a novel by the Jon Fosse, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. A child who will be named Johannes is born. An old...
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 invite to experience Koselig at TG – a day of folk music, traditional Norwegian fare, and togetherness. There will be live...
Join carving instructor and Vesterheim Gold Medalist Charles Banks for a lecture on Scandinavian flat plane figure carving and his creative process. In this webinar, Charles Banks will talk about the different figures and characters he has made all with same starting blank, and what that means for the development of his creative process. He...