Vesterheim Blog

Tusen takk! Thank you!

Thanks to amazing supporters like YOU, Vesterheim’s Year-End Matching Gift Challenge was a success! 

The generous gifts we received combined with the matching gifts from Vesterheim’s current and former Trustees and Decorah Bank and Trust resulted in over $181,000 raised for the Vesterheim Annual Fund.

We are incredibly grateful for your friendship and ongoing support to Vesterheim during 2022.

As we begin 2023, we reflect on the wonderful things that happened at Vesterheim last year because of your support of the mission. Here are a few highlights of some of the things your gifts made possible, including:

• February marked the kickoff of construction for our exciting Vesterheim Commons building project.

• Vesterheim Folk Art School offered more than 130 online classes and nearly 50 in-person classes during 2022. (Register here for Vesterheim Folk Art School classes taking place during the first quarter of 2023!)

• Special exhibits in Vesterheim’s Main Building taught visitors about topics ranging from papercutting to Sylvsmidja bunad silver to Norwegian-American innovators and inventors and more. Special exhibit-related programs included a live webinar with television host and best-selling guidebook author, Rick Steves!

• In July, we welcomed Norway’s Ambassador to the United States Anniken Krutnes for her first visit to Vesterheim.

• In September, Vesterheim and Decorah welcomed the first visitors from Viking Cruises’ new Mississippi River voyage during a day trip from the port at La Crosse, Wisconsin.

• Vesterheim participated in a unique animation project with students from Decorah and Norway.

• Thanks to incredible friends like YOU, we had our most successful GivingTuesday yet!

Thank you for being an important part of Vesterheim’s year. Together, we can look forward to even more in 2023!