- Nordic Heritage Museum
-
Nordic Heritage Museum 
Established 1980 Location 3014 NW 67th Street
Seattle, WashingtonType Heritage center Director Eric Nelson President Allan Osberg Curator Janet Rauscher Public transit access Metro bus #17 Website www.nordicmuseum.org 
Exhibits at the museum
Nordic Heritage Museum is located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, considered to be the heart of the Scandinavian community. Founded in 1980, the museum is dedicated to the heritage of Seattle's Nordic immigrants, i.e. Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish Americans. The Nordic Heritage Museum serves as a community gathering place and shares Nordic culture by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences.
Contents
Building
Before it became the Nordic Heritage Museum, the structure was originally home to Daniel Webster Elementary School. The red brick building was built in 1907 and served the community until 1979, when low student enrollment led to its closure. Fundraising and architecture plans are underway for a new building in downtown Ballard.[1]
Mission & Vision
According to its website the museum’s mission is to share “Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences, and serving as a community gathering place.”
The museum’s website also identifies its vision: “The Nordic Heritage Museum is an internationally recognized museum and cultural center where people of all backgrounds are welcomed to be inspired by the values, traditions, art, and spirit of the Nordic peoples.”
Organizational structure
The founder and long-time director Marianne Forssblad retired in 2007.[2] Erik Nelson followed her as executive director and Janet Rauscher became chief curator in 2008.[3]
The museum offers several opportunities to be involved in the institution, including:
- Volunteering
- Internships
- Arctic Circle
Exhibitions
Exhibit from Sweden RoomAs part of the long term exhibits, there are five ethnic galleries, one for each country, as well a gallery describing Nordic emigration to the Pacific Northwest in "Dream of America". There is also a temporary gallery space.
- Long Term
- Dream of America
- Iceland Room
- Norway Room
- Denmark Room
- Finland Room
- Sweden Room
- Temporary
- Current
- My Paradise: 100 Years of Finnish Architects' Summer Homes
- Upcoming
- Nordics and Seattle’s First World’s Fair: Celebrating the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
- Past (Since 2005)
- Knitting Along the Viking Trail
- Faces of Copenhagen: Photographs by Itzick Lev
- Skude 360 Degrees: Paintings by Severin Haines
- Vastinparit – Counterparts: Photographs by Jari Arffman
- Latvian Art: Past and Present
- Northwest Designer Craftsmen: Nordic Roots
- The Latvians: Fifty Years in the State of Washington
- Norwegian Resettlement of Jewish Refugees after World War II
- Maria Coryell-Martin: An Expeditionary Artist in Greenland
- Eliot O’Hara: Watercolors of Norway
- Caryl Utigard: Birds of Iceland
- Facing Climate Change
- Roland Pantze: Painter of Sami Life
- Kolmenkertainen Suomalainen: Three Times Finish
- Nordic Spirit: Early Icelandic Settlements in B.C. & Point Roberts
- Reminiscences: Icelandic Wood Sculpture Past and Present
- Elegant Explorations: The Designs of Phillip Jacobson
- Absolutely Swedish: The photography of Bengt Nilsson & Johan Wedenstrom
- Three Norwegian Artists: Jonny Andvik, Dagfinn Bakke, Elling Reitan
- You, I and Fairy Tale – Sa, Ma, ja Satu
- Immigrants: Graphic Images from Funen Graphic Workshop
- Tapestry on the Edge
- Henrik Ibsen – 100th Anniversary Art Exhibit
- Uncommon Threads
- The Promise of happiness – paintings by Mark Thompson
- Kiln Cast Glass
- Surface Stances
- Dream Time Fairy Photo Collages
- Clarence E. “Pete” Pedersen (191402006) A Ballardite for 91 years: His Life and Work
- The Landscapes of Clyde Aspevig: A Closer Look
- Swift and Slow: New Drawings by Sol Kjok
- Memories and Moods – Norway Revisited
- Northern Glow – Sculptural Pewter
- Nexus: Paintings by Karl Momen (donated by Museum President Allan Osberg in 2006)[4]
- Boundary Crossings: Temporal Dialogues in Finnish Landscape Photography
- Parallel Paths: Two Generations in Art
- Crabbing in the Bering Sea: Photographs from the F/V Rollo 2003-2005
- Sacral Space: Modern Finnish Churches
- Laila Carlsen
- The Sami Reindeer People of Alaska
- Current
Public Programs
A large part of the museum’s focus is offering public programming that relates to educating the public about Scandinavian culture, including a craft school, adult and kids programs and teacher resources.
- Craft School – download Winter/Spring 2009 brochure: [1]
- Nordic Knitting Café
- Nordic Woodcarving
- Rosemaling
- Nordic Cooking
- Viking Cooking
- Danish Cooking
- Knitting for Kids
- Adult Programs
- Tours
- Nordic Ambassadors
- Language Classes
- Nordic American Voices
- Kids & Parents
- Read All About It!
- Craft Projects
- Kids’ Corner
- Music for Kids
- Teachers
- Bibliography
- Outreach Trunks
- Nordic Adventures
- Tour Materials
Publications
The Nordic Heritage Museum publishes NHM Historical Journal on a quarterly basis.
It also maintains a blog about restoring the Nordic Spirit, a boat in the museum's collection.[5]
Events
The museum holds frequent events that further its mission of creating a community gathering space and educating the public about Nordic culture and heritage, including:
- Concerts
- Films
- Kids’ Program
- Lectures
- Young Nordics
Libraries
The Nordic Heritage Museum contains two libraries.
Walter Johnson Memorial Library
The Walter Johnson Memorial Library was founded in 1980. As of 2011 it held 15500 books. It specializes in books published in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish. Its special collection includes the Gordon Tracie Music Library and the Vanishing Generations Oral History Project.[6]
Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Library
The Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Library was founded in 1995. As of 2011 it contained 3000 audio/visual materials, 4000 music scores, 2500 books, and 40 periodical subscriptions. It focuses on folk customs, traditional dance, traditional music, folk art, and folk attire for Nordic cultures. Its special collections include the Gordon Ekvall Tracie History Collection, the Nordiska Folkdancers Collection, and teh Skandia Folkdance Society Collection.[6]
References
- ^ Mithun, Inc. The Nordic Heritage Museum in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle
- ^ Bartley, Nancy (April 30, 2007). "Director of Nordic Heritage Museum returning to Sweden". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003686665_museum30m.html. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ Sturdivant, Peggy (May 18, 2009). "At Large in Ballard: Capturing the voices". Ballard News-Tribune. http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2009/05/17/features/large-ballard-capturing-voices. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ Sheila, Farr (March 2, 2006). "Wagner-inspired paintings donated to Nordic museum". Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060302&slug=nordic02. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
- ^ Nordic Heritage Museum
- ^ a b American Library Directory. 2 (64th ed.). Information Today, Inc. 2011-2012. pp. 2568-2576. ISBN 978-1-57387-411-3.
External links
Coordinates: 47°40′39.6″N 122°23′48″W / 47.677667°N 122.39667°W
Categories:- Museums in Seattle, Washington
- History museums in Washington (state)
- Ethnic museums in Washington (state)
- Museums established in 1980
- Scandinavian history
- Human migration
- Norwegian migration to North America
- Norwegian American culture
- Finnish American history
- Danish American history
- Icelandic American history
- Swedish American history
- Libraries in Seattle
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
