Artist Tara Austin gives a presentation about her work in connection with the exhibit Boreal Ornament V, which features rosemaling with a contemporary painting focus, highlighting the beauty and techniques of this Norwegian decorative tradition infused in a modern narrative. The presentation will be in the new community space in the Vesterheim Commons and the exhibit is on view in the Commons second-floor gallery. Enjoy this chance to meet the artist!

Tara’s work is part of a revival of rosemaling in the Upper Midwest, which builds on traditions while giving each piece contemporary reworkings for future generations. In 2014 Tara took her first rosemaling class at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Since then, she completed a yearlong Rosemaling Apprenticeship with Vesterheim Gold Medalist Andrea Herkert, focusing on Telemark and Gudbrandsdal styles. In 2020 she received a Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions Grant from the American Scandinavian Foundation. Tara received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and loves plants, painting, and her home on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Austin’s company, Scandi Bijou, provides painted heirlooms for the modern lifestyle, including Dala horses and rosemaling décor.

The exhibit was made possible by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund by Tina Keune in memory of Russell Keune.