Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

08/31/2026

We’re hiring!
Vesterheim is seeking a full-time Financial Controller. Be part of the Vesterheim team! For more information and to apply visit: https://vesterheim.org/job/controller/

08/28/2026

The Vesterheim community extends deepest sympathies to the Norwegian Royal family and all of the Norwegian people on the passing of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway. Known for his kindness and openness to new ideas, King Harald maintained a strong connection to the United States where he spent time in exile as a young boy during WWII.

Vesterheim is grateful for King Harald’s enduring and gracious support of the museum as Honorary Board Chair since he became King in 1991. The Vesterheim staff and trustees feel the loss of such a great individual and send peace and comfort to those close to him.

The Vesterheim community extends deepest sympathies on the passing of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway

08/26/2026

At Nordic Fest this year, rosemaler Tara Austin brought paint and music together for a live demonstration in Vesterheim Commons. Watch the piece take shape in this fun timelapse!

08/24/2026

Happy National Waffle day! We checked. Yes, there really are two different waffle days! We’ll celebrate again March 25 on International Waffle Day. For National Waffle Day, meet this cast-iron heart waffle maker (vaffeljern) from Vesterheim’s collection. This waffle iron from 1904-1913 was used by the Jevne family, who came to Springwater Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa, in the 1850s. This waffle maker has the inscription: “Alfred Andresen Co.” Alfred Andresen patented his waffle maker in 1904. Alfred Andresen was a Minneapolis entrepreneur who marketed household items and cooking utensils appealing to the regional Scandinavian immigrant population.

Get ready to celebrate International Waffle Day with our online cook-along FamilieTid: Waffle Day: https://vesterheim.info/4cDVkuO

08/23/2026

Photos from the second group of the Vesterheim Hike, Bike and Paddle: Friluftsliv Tour who just returned from their trip! On the second half of their trip, they took a bus to Flåm through the Lærdaltunnelen, the world’s longest road tunnel. In Flåm, they caught the train to Myrdal, where they picked up bikes and rode back to Flåm and had the opportunity to try the Flåm zipline! The next day, after a brief tour of the Norwegian Wild Salmon Center in Lærdal, they kayaked on the beautiful Lærdalfjord and visited Moldebo, a fishing lodge on the Lærdal River that has been a favorite of Norway’s Royal Family. The next day they traveled to Voss for an experience of whitewater rafting on the Raundal River. Then they finished the trip in Bergen with a walking tour that included the UNESCO site of Bryggen and the funicular up Mt. Fløyen!

08/20/2026

Registration is open! Vesterheim Folk Art School registration through March 2027 is open with new online and in-person classes in rosemaling, metalworking, woodworking, jewelry, cooking, fiber arts, youth and family, and more! Register here: https://vesterheim.info/4xSGUzb

08/19/2026

Tomorrow is the day! Vesterheim Folk Art School registration through March 2027 opens on Aug. 20, at noon (CT) with new online and in-person classes in rosemaling, metalworking, woodworking, jewelry, cooking, fiber arts, youth and family, and more! Start making your registration plan by viewing the catalog: https://vesterheim.info/4wwezxr

08/17/2026

Vesterheim Folk Art School registration through March 2027 opens Aug. 20, at noon (CT) with new classes in rosemaling, metalworking, woodworking, jewelry, cooking, fiber arts, youth and family, and more. However you like to create, there’s a class for you, in person or online!

Check out these unique upcoming classes:
• “Making Tools for Bowl Turning” with David Susag (in-person)
• “A Matter of Time: A Revival of the Primstav” with Rebecca Hanna (in-person)
• “Cozy Cabin Cocktails” with Emily Vikre (online)
• “Nordic Traditions: Ceramic Luminary” with Sue Flanders (in-person)

✨ Be ready to secure your spot on Aug. 20 at noon (CT)! ✨

08/15/2026

We unboxed our latest exhibit “Nordic Echoes: Tradition in Contemporary Art” and are ready for the exhibit opening tomorrow, August 15 (open until December 31, 2026)!

Vesterheim is excited to host Nordic Echoes, the first major traveling exhibition of contemporary Nordic folk arts and cultural traditions from the Upper Midwest (North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). Featuring 55 works by 24 contemporary artists whose practices are informed by Nordic traditional skills! The exhibition includes paper cutting, rosemaling, weaving, skinnfell, sculpture, and ceramics.

Nordic Echoes is a program of the American-Scandinavian Foundation with the support, in part, from The National Endowment for the Arts and the following ASF Funds: The Bonnier Family Fund for Contemporary Art, The F. Donald Kenney Fund for the Visual Arts, and The Centennial/Second Century Fund. Mid-America Arts Alliance/Exhibits USA is facilitating the Upper Midwest exhibition tour, which is supported by Margaret Cargill Philanthropies, a generous contributor to the exhibition’s development.

This exhibit at Vesterheim is supported by a generous gift to the annual fund from Dr. James and Christine Tuve Burris.

08/10/2026

Vesterheim Intern Grace is spending her summer here cataloging Norwegian folk dress in the collection. In this video, she gives us a closer look at one of the pieces she’s currently working with and some of its unique details!