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...

Vesterheim Benefit Auction 2023

Get ready for Vesterheim's 2023 Benefit Auction! Items are available to view now here. This year, the auction includes 78 items of one-of-a-kind folk-art by artists working in the Norwegian tradition. Don't forget the chance to win the incredible getaways offered – an 8-day European River Cruise for two in 2024 from Viking, or a...

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...

Free Second Saturday – October

Vesterheim offers free admission the second Saturday of every month. From June through October, there will be an indoor tour of the museum’s Main Building at 11:00 a.m. and an outdoor tour of Heritage Park at 1:30 p.m. Come and enjoy the museum! Free Second Saturdays are supported in part by a generous gift to...

Barnetimen Children’s Hour – October

Vesterheim welcomes preschoolers and their caregivers to Barnetimen Children’s Hour. Meet in the lobby of the museum’s Main Building to explore the museum and see how people have captured images of the Northern Lights in paintings, weavings, and photographs. Participants will make a chalk drawing inspired by this natural phenomenon before enjoying a snack. Barnetimen...

Book Signing with Patrice Johnson

Meet historian, chef, and author Patrice Johnson for a book signing of Jul: Swedish American Holiday Traditions and Land of a 10,000 Plates! Johnson, AKA Nordic food geek and meatball historian, is a cultural communicator from the Twin Cities specializing in Nordic foodways. She is the author of numerous publications, writes a weekly food and...