Who were Ole Bull, Ole Hendricks, Johan Arndt Mostad, Thea Arndt Clark, Bill Sherburne, Arnold Munkel, Ellen Blagen, LeRoy Larson, and Elmo Wick? Find out about these Norwegian and Norwegian-American fiddlers, as well as fiddle makers and tune collectors from Norwegian-American communities in the Upper Midwest.
This exhibition will include music made on Hardanger fiddles and flat fiddles, as well as musical styles from Norway and America. We’ll share stories through artifacts, instruments, photographs, recordings, and video from Vesterheim’s collection, other organizations, and the community.
The project consultant and guest curator for the exhibition is fiddler and music historian Beth Hoven Rotto.
Visitors will have the opportunity to connect with the culture and experiences of exceptional, everyday musicians from the recent past to the present. In addition to the exhibit, Vesterheim will present in-person and online events that showcase this unique musical heritage.
Special Events Include:
August 17 – 1:00 p.m.
Gallery Talk with Beth Hoven Rotto
September 13 – 7:00 p.m.
Foot-Notes Dance in Vesterheim Commons
October 4 – 7:00 p.m.
Black Fiddle Lecture with Paul Sveinall and
Black Fiddle Performance with Nina Byttingsmyr, both from Norway
December 7 – During Vesterheim Norwegian Christmas Celebration
Hardanger Fiddle Concert with Eden Ehm and Demonstration with Karen Rebholz
December 2024 – March 2025
Online class with Beth Hoven Rotto: Lost and Found: Norwegian-American Fiddle Tunes
Check back for additional special events and details.
The exhibition is supported by a Scandinavian Folk Arts & Cultural Traditions in the Upper Midwest grant from the American Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) and a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Carol Birkland and Tom Woxland, and Peter Dahlen and Mary S. Carlsen.
