The Norwegian-American artist, Herbjørn Gausta, has long been a favorite for fans of Vesterheim and Midwesterners of Norwegian ancestry. Last spring we offered two day trips to explore Gausta’s life and art in the actual places he lived, studied, and worked These tours were so popular that we needed to add a third day trip to Wisconsin. What better time to enjoy Gausta’s art than late September when we are surrounded by nature’s beautiful fall colors.
We gather in the new Vesterheim Commons building for a brief meet and greet before we embark on our journey. Our tour will include examining the altar paintings at seven Iowa and Wisconsin churches. We will also enjoy a meatball and lefse lunch at Borgens cafe in Westby, Wisconsin.
We are lucky to have tour leader Sharen Haugerud Storhoff guide us through this journey. Sharen has had a longtime interest in Harmony’s most famous son, Herbjørn Gausta, and has traveled throughout Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin documenting and photographing Gausta altar paintings. She has also co-authored a story on Gausta published in the Telesoga, a publication of Telelaget of America, and she has given presentations on the life of Gausta to several groups. Sharen is part of a seventh-generation Norwegian American family. Her ancestors immigrated in 1853 from Telemark and Setesdal, and they were founding members of Greenfield Lutheran Church in Harmony, Minnesota. sharen has always had a passion for history and the importance of keeping it alive. She is a member of the Harmony Area Historical Society. She combines her passion for history with a lifetime pursuit of photography.
Cost per person is $65/Vesterheim members or $70/Non-members.
Sign up by printing this PDF form and sending to Vesterheim, or by contacting Vesterheim Coordinator of Tours to Norway Rolf Svanoe at 563-382-9681 or NorwayTours@vesterheim.org.
