This event has been canceled. Vesterheim is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus. Find more info and updates here.

Laurann Gilbertson, Vesterheim’s Chief Curator, will present this free public lecture, “All Tradition is Change.” During the presentation, she will expand the idea of what is traditional, while looking at textile objects made today by artists working “within the Norwegian tradition.” Examples will include pieces from Norway and Norwegian America—weaving, quilts, embroidery, baptismal garments, and knitting.

This presentation is part of Vesterheim’s guide training series for volunteers. “Tour guides at Vesterheim engage with the museum’s many visitors, sharing the rich stories of the living heritage of Norwegian immigrants to America,” says Martha Griesheimer, Vesterheim’s Volunteer Coordinator. She emphasized that “the information is great background for our volunteers, and it will also be of interest to members of the community who want to become more familiar with Vesterheim. More information about the guide training series will be available at the lectures, or upon request. Contact Martha Griesheimer at Vesterheim, 563-382-9681, x 305 or mgriesheimer@vesterheim.org.

For the tapestry Resolution (Vesterheim collection 2005.028.001, show above), Judy Ness of Eugene, Oregon, combined two Norwegian weaving techniques. She started with boundweave, which historically featured small-scale geometric patterns and simple shading. By stretching the motifs and enhancing the shading, she brought the textile into the present then took it further by changing colors in the manner of pictorial tapestry.