Black Fiddle Lecture and Performance

Due to illness, this presentation and performance about the "Black Fiddle" with Paul Sveinall and Nina Byttingsmyr has changed. Johannes Risnes of Kristiansand, Norway, will present the history of the Black Fiddle; Dottie Roiseland of Cedar Falls, Iowa, will share how the fiddle came to Iowa; and Eden Ehm of Decorah, Iowa, will play the...

Vesterheim Benefit Auction 2024

THANK YOU for making this a successful auction! We are very grateful to everyone who so generously bid; donated artistic creations and treasures; and shared this opportunity with family, friends, and community to support Vesterheim Folk Art School!  View the final bids here now!   Each year, the auction includes one-of-a-kind folk-art by artists working in the Norwegian tradition, plus an incredible...

Event Series Free Second Saturday

Free Second Saturday

Vesterheim offers free admission the second Saturday of every month. Watch the Live Stream This month, we'll live stream the program FamilieTid: Enchanted Echoes – Tales of Nyckelharpa and Näcken with Renee Vaughan on the big screen in Vesterheim Commons at 1:00 p.m. Bring your friends and family to watch this delightful journey into the world...

FamilieTid: Enchanted Echoes – Tales of Nyckelharpa and Näcken

[vc_custom_heading text="October 12, 2024 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m." use_theme_fonts="yes" el_class="medium-heading bold"]Join musician and storyteller Renee Vaughan for a journey into the world of the nyckelharpa and the rich folklore of Swedish folk music. Learn about Näcken, the mystical shapeshifter known for enchanting musicians and their instruments, sometimes causing the instruments to play on their own! Musicians...

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 objects and stories in the museum’s collection and make fun art. October’s program will focus on the different handcrafts of the Vikings. We’ll explore Sven Lindauer’s artworks showing Viking craftspeople creating different handcrafts in...

October Bokprat: A Coat Dyed Black by Don Pugnetti

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 October as we discuss A Coat Dyed Black by Don Pugnetti Bjørn Erliksen lives a peaceful life on Norway’s west coast and has never considered...

The Norwegian Character of Norwegian Mangle Boards Webinar

The host of this webinar is Jay Raymond, author of the book Mangle Boards of Northern Europe, which displays and describes the mangle boards of seven European countries. The mangle boards of Norway present a unique challenge to describe in that they borrow from the styles of the other six countries and, yet, maintain characteristics all their...

The Art and Crafts of Ancient Scandinavia Exhibit Closes

This exhibit showcases 21 original oil paintings by D. Sven Lindauer, which were printed in the first book of a series that he created about ancient Scandinavian history. Artist, author, and publisher, Sven Lindauer’s professional career spans over 40 years. He was the former Official Historical Artist for the U.S. Marshal Service National Museum and...

Closing Event for Art and Crafts of Ancient Scandinavia Exhibit

This exhibit showcases 21 original oil paintings by D. Sven Lindauer, which were printed in the first book of a series that he created about ancient Scandinavian history. Sven will give a gallery walk for this free closing event. Artist, author, and publisher, Sven Lindauer’s professional career spans over 40 years. He was the former...

A Dying Norway – in a Living America? Exhibit Presentation

Lars Idar Waage, photographer from Stavanger, Norway, will give a presentation on Thursday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Vesterheim Commons in connection with the exhibit A Dying Norway – in a Living America?. This exhibit of documentary photographs by 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 of Norwegian immigrants in...