Artist Arna Rennan will give a presentation about emigration from central Norway featuring songs, images, and anecdotes that she collected in Bøverdalen, Norway. Between 1900 and 1920, half of the population of Bøverdalen immigrated to the United States. Another portion of the population left around 1950 to join relatives who had settled in the United...
Be inspired by budding folk artists and Scandinavian traditions at Vesterheim! Students from the Scandinavian Fine Handcraft January Term course at Luther College will demonstrate carving and exhibit their class projects in an open house in Vesterheim Commons. Everyone is invited to this free community event, and refreshments will be served. Luther January Term students...
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...
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...
