Join Vesterheim to celebrate the opening of the new Commons building with numerous activities from September 23-October 1, both onsite and online! There will be free museum admission the entire week from September 23-October 1. • September 23 at 11:30 a.m. – Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt will visit Decorah in celebration of...
Meet silver experts from the Sylvsmidja company in Voss, Norway, on October 1 at Vesterheim! Co-owner of Sylvsmidja Anne-Kari Salbu, Chairman of the Sylvsmidja Board Heidi Hjellestad, and Sylvsmidja designer Svanhild Strom will be available in Vesterheim Commons from 2:30-3:30 p.m. to give a presentation about their new Sagastad collection and talk with visitors about...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. During the October program, we will explore the Northern Lights. Barnetimen programs are free and geared toward 3- to 5-year-olds, but all ages...
Meet historian, chef, and author Patrice Johnson for a book signing of Jul: Swedish American Holiday Traditions! 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 culture column for her hometown newspaper,...
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. In October, we'll discuss Hunger, Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun's first novel. Set in late 19th-century Kristiania (now Oslo), the novel recounts the adventures of a starving young man...