Exhibitions
Current Exhibitions
Scissors for a Brush
March 22 - June 16, 2013
Using just scissors and paper as her tools, Danish-Norwegian artist Karen Bit Vejle creates a stunning, multi-faceted world where design, detail, and wonder meet.
Psaligraphy — the art of paper cutting — is an art form that takes painstaking patience and concentration. Bit Vejle’s works are formed from a large, continuous piece of paper that is folded one, two, and three times, and then cut using only a pair of scissors. Every single scissor cut is carefully planned, as the slightest mistake can have disastrous consequences for the finished result.
Exhibition curator Sissel Guttormsen says, “Her magical cuttings are rooted in a tradition that has known a long journey through history. But she has created a personal style and technique that are entirely her own. For more than 35 years she has been absorbed, fascinated, and deeply committed to this art form that developed from small, simple snowflakes to unusually large and highly complex image cuttings. She is one of very few in Europe who can cut at such an advanced technical and artistic level. There is a great degree of humor in Karen Bit Vejle’s world of imagery; humor and the ability to identify joy in small things. Just as often, though, she confronts deep seriousness and themes intended to invoke involvement and reflection.”
In addition, alongside Bit Vejle’s work, Scissors for a Brush features four original paper cuts by Hans Christian Andersen on loan from the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark. This is a rare opportunity to see these fragile works in the United States.
View a guide to the exhibition, with information about each piece featured in the show.
Watch an interview with Karen Bit Vejle on ArtZone with Nancy Guppy.
Exhibition–Related Programs at the Museum
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will offer several related programs; more information about the following events will be posted as the exhibition nears.
Thursday, March 21, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Member Preview with artist Karen Bit Vejle
Friday, March 22
Artist Tour: Scissors for a Brush with Karen Bit Vejle
Saturday, March 23
Artist Tour & Paper Cutting Activity: Scissors for a Brush with Karen Bit Vejle
Saturday, April 13
Lecture with Nikki McClure
Friday, May 3
Thumbelina: The Original Flower Child, all-ages performance by the Oregon Shadow Theatre
Saturday, June 15
Craft School: Papercuts Fresh from the Garden with Sharyn Sowell
To schedule a guided group tour of Scissors for a Brush for adults (minimum one-week notice), please contact Stina Cowan at 206-789-5707 x21 or by email at stinac@nordicmuseum.org.
Exhibition support is provided by
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Photo by Lasse Berre.
Miniature Ships, Grand Stories
May 14 – August 31, 2013
Sail the seas of years long past. From Viking burial ships to Pacific Northwest fishing boats, come explore tales of honor, lore, and amusement in this exhibition of model ships from the Nordic Heritage Museum’s permanent collection.
In conjunction with the exhibition are two upcoming lectures:
Thursday, May 23, 7:00 p.m.
The Devil is in the Details: Recent Research on the 1628 Swedish Warship Vasa
Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 p.m.
The Oseberg Viking Ship — The Making of a Replica
Sailing the Seas of Our Heritage
March 7 – April 30, 2013
Historian Jorgen Dahlie claimed the Nordic American immigrants who came to the United States received the message to “preserve your identity in order to be better Americans.” Today, we see evidence of Seattle’s strong connection to its Nordic roots all around us. What have we chosen to preserve from our Nordic roots? Where do we see evidence of this Nordic heritage at home, around Seattle, and in the mainstream U.S. culture?
These are some of the questions the members of the Nordic Heritage Teen Council were challenged with in January. This exhibit is a response to those difficult questions of what it means to hold on to your roots and be an American.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Coming Soon:Ørnulf Opdahl - Mood Paintings of the North
June 28 – September 1, 2013
Ørnulf Opdahl is Norway’s most distinguished contemporary landscape painter, and one of the most noteworthy artists working in the Nordic countries today. Now, Opdahl brings his newest works to the Nordic Heritage Museum: a repertoire of landscapes influenced by the sense of place that is western Norway’s coastline.
Opdahl’s works are distinctly influenced by the dramatic west coast of Norway. He lives and works on the island of Godøy, which, like the Pacific Northwest, is marked by contrasts in elevation, transitory weather, and ephemeral light. The landscape of the Sunmøre Mountains and nearby fjords informs his work and reflects his knowledge and affinity for his surroundings: the glaciers, the trails around the fjords, and dramatic cliff faces.
His approach to landscape work is meditative, and his subdued palate conveys a sense of the atmospheric; paintings of colossal mountains and deep fjords are rendered expressively in shades of grays and charcoal black, bringing to the viewer a sense of proximity and radiance.
Opdahl has shown his work in dozens of solo exhibitions throughout Europe since 1966, and his work can be found in collections of Norway’s National Gallery, the British Museum in London, the National Library of Norway, among many other private and public collections.
Exhibition–Related Programs at the Museum
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will offer several related programs; more programs and information will be posted as the exhibition nears.
Thursday, June 27, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Member Preview: Members are invited to this special preview reception with artist Ørnulf Opdahl.
Saturday, June 29, 2:00 p.m.
Artist Talk: Listen as Opdahl, who has come from Norway for the opening of the exhibition, talk about his atmospheric landscapes.
Cost: Free for Museum Members; free with Museum admission for non-Members.
More exhibition-related events to come.
Exhibition support is provided by
Synnøve Fielding, Erik Breivik, 4Culture, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, Artsfund, Seattle Offi ce of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and the Sons of Norway Foundation.
Photo by Per Magnus Gjerde.
Permanent Exhibitions
The First Floor
The Dream of America is the story of immigration told in an exhibit of life-like dioramas. Travel with your family back to the nineteenth-century Scandinavian countryside to begin the journey to America, starting with the move to the city. The voyage continues as you board a ship to make the Atlantic crossing, and land at Ellis Island. The adventure goes on to experiences in New York, and the expansion to the Midwest, Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest, ending in Ballard. Here the growth and development of a typical small Northwest community is displayed, complete with a post office, church, drug store, blacksmith shop, and a family home.
The Second Floor
The Promise of the Northwest includes two galleries that focus on the logging and fishing industries, which employed many immigrants who brought skills learned in the old country. These galleries show the contributions of the Nordic pioneers to the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. The Folk Art Galleries display treasured and useful items the immigrants brought with them, including folk costumes, textiles, tools, and furniture. Temporary art, history, and heritage exhibits are housed in the three galleries at the west end of the hall.
The Third Floor
The third floor exhibitions illustrate the differences and the common bonds among the Scandinavian people. There is one gallery for each of the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Each gallery highlights that group’s special achievements in the Pacific Northwest.
Past Exhibitions
Bad Art? 1,000 Birch Board Pictures from SwedenNovember 30, 2012 – March 3, 2013
The Birchwood plaques featured in this visiting exhibition from the Backlund & Håkansson Collection in Sweden represent a ubiquitous form of folk art from unknown origins in northern Europe. Sold as tourist souvenirs for more than a century, these humble objects have spread around the world. The mixed-media paintings represent a cultural heritage about to be lost, an alternative aesthetic tradition of newly urbanized people, and they mirror the modest dreams of those who rarely traveled but took pride in documenting the few journeys they made.
This exhibition challenged notions of what makes fine art vs. popular art, bad taste vs. good taste. What expressions of human creativity can be called art? Who decides, and does it matter?
View the exhibition catalog online here.
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Arts Fund, The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and Västra Götaland Region.
The Impression of Amundsen: Roald Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition 1910–1912 January 18 – March 3, 2013
Roald Amundsen’s personal diary from the South Pole expedition of 1910–1912 was published for the first time in 2010, shedding new light on this historic expedition. His diary also provided the inspiration for a new exhibition of paintings and graphic works from three prominent Norwegian artists: Tore Hansen, Ulf Nilsen, and Håvard Vikhagen. The artists were invited by the Fram Museum in Oslo and Norwegian publishing company ART PRO AS to read Amundsen’s diary and create artworks inspired by the experience. The resulting exhibition is a fresh perspective on Amundsen and his amazing expedition.
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Arts Fund, Royal Norwegian Consulate General, and Norwegian.com.
To me there’s no other choice — Raoul Wallenberg 1912-2012
December 4, 2012 – January 13, 2013
This exhibition was produced by the Swedish Institute on behalf of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Forum for Living History, and shined a light on the story of Wallenberg, a Swedish businessman and diplomat who saved thousands of from the Nazi extermination camps during the final stages of WWII. According to Stina Mansfeld, exhibition content producer, "It is an attempt to portray the man behind a heroic myth. And to explore the moral and existential lessons where we all can learn from his life and choices.”
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Arts Fund, and the The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation.
Eight Seasons in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi People
August 31 through November 4, 2012
Eight Seasons in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi People, was a multi-layered exhibition which explored the rich culture of the Sámi, the indigenous population of northern Europe. The exhibit was a collaborative effort featuring more than 40 photographs by Danish-American photographer Birgitte Aarestrup; artifacts, text, and photographs illustrating Sámi history, traditional life, reindeer herding, and oral tradition from Ájtte, the Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum; and Sámi handicrafts, known as Duodji, from the collections of Sámi Duodji, the Sámi Handicraft Foundation.
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Arts Fund, the Swedish Council of America, The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and by Jokkmokk Municipality, Norrbotten County Council, and the Swedish Arts Council.
Diverse Landscapes of Iceland
Photography by Bill Stafford
October 2 – November 11, 2012
The Iceland experience includes waterfalls, fiords, fishing villages, volcanic activity, and urban Reykjavik. Bill Stafford took viewers on a photographic adventure, presenting the diversity and beauty of contemporary Iceland.
Fabulous Iceland: From Sagas to Novels
Portraits of Contemporary Icelandic Authors
October 12 – November 8, 2012
Iceland’s rich narrative tradition dates back to the Middle Ages and is often apparent in contemporary Icelandic literature. Through a series of interviews, journalist Pétur Blöndal asked 23 contemporary Icelandic authors to describe their relationships with Icelandic literary traditions and the influence these traditions have on their work. The result is an Icelandic literary history, distilled into individual short stories and coupled with portraits taken by photographer Kristinn Ingvarsson.
Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation
May 25 through August 19, 2012
One of the 20th century’s most prolific architects, Eero Saarinen built some of the most iconic buildings of his time, including the TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK Airport, Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C., and the St. Louis Arch.
Guest curated by Mina Marefat, architectural historian and professor at Georgetown University, the exhibition provided a visually rich overview of Saarinen’s key architectural projects and timeless furniture pieces. The exhibition was augmented by a rich array of photographs and documents that chronicle his childhood in Finland to his life in America. The exhibition highlighted the principles which guided Saarinen’s work, confirming his lasting values and a renewed relevance of his work for the present generation.
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Arts Fund, AIA Seattle, Docomomo WEMA, Finlandia Foundation, Finn Spark, Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, Inform Interiors, and Knoll.
Borders at the Nordic Heritage Museum
Sculptures by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir and Photos by Murray Head
June 6 - August 28, 2012
Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir was featured in two cross-town exhibitions. Stretching throughout Westlake Park for the entire summer, the installation Borders consisted of 26 life-size androgynous human figure sculptures, 13 made using aluminum and 13 made of cast iron.
Coinciding with the installation at Westlake Park was Borders at the Nordic Heritage Museum, an exhibition of smaller figures by Thórarinsdóttir and photographs by Murray Head of the exhibition when New York City hosted Borders in 2011.
Exhibition support was provided by:
Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and The Roosevelt Hotel.
With Special Thanks to: Iceland Naturally, Seattle-Reykjavik Sister City Assc., Scott White Contemporary, Icelandair, Eimskip Shipping, and the Consul General of Iceland in New York City and the Icelandic Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Image credit: Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, Vision II, 2005, cast iron and glass. Photo: Arnaldur Halldorsson.
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