What’s New? showcases the variety of objects that have been added to Vesterheim’s collection in the last five years. These objects enhance the geographic breadth and depth of the collection. In addition to many wonderful examples of contemporary and historical folk art, there will be fine art, including paintings of New York and New Jersey scenes by retired dockworker Odd Andersen and an iconic and idyllic mountain lake scene by Levine “Flexie” Flexhaug of Climax, Saskatchewan.
Many of the objects have interesting stories. A surprising and poignant object is the double cemetery marker made by Per Langemo in 1860 for two of his children who died from the whooping cough. There is a dress worn by Sigrid Clausen Marton in 1971 when she visited Norway for the first time after emigrating almost 50 years earlier. Some objects mark important events in history like protests surrounding a proposed 1979 dam on the Alta River in northern Norway that would destroy Sámi reindeer grazing land and the 1984 Space Shuttle Discovery mission commanded by Norwegian-American Frederick H. Hauck.
