Hand Me Down the Fiddle: Norwegian Fiddlers, Fiddles and Fiddle Tunes in the Upper Midwest Exhibit Closes on May 18, 2025.
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.
