Posten February-April 2022

Paper Dialogues / Midwinter Folk Music Festival / Anna Brones' papercut kakelugnar

Posten

The American Swedish Institute Magazine

Inside: Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories

February – April 2022

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Special Announcement: Temporary Closure & COVID-19 Policy Update Based on current conditions with the Omicron variant, beginning Monday, January 10, ASI will require proof of full vaccination status and mandatory masking for all guests at Fika Café, the ASI Museum Store, and all in-person programs.

The museum galleries and Turnblad Mansion will close January 10 with plans to reopen February 19. FIKA Café and the Museum Store will remain open during this time, with the hours of Thu-Sun, 10 am-4 pm. There will be no Thursday evening hours until February 25.

Learn more about ASI’s temporary closure and updated COVID-19 policy at asimn.org/visit/health-safety

Thank You! To all of the donors and members who make the work of the American Swedish Institute possible.

Contents 3 Message from Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO 4-7 Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories and Exhibitions 8-9 Midwinter Folk Music Festival 10 Hope, Celebration & Togetherness

Minnesota artist activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

The American Swedish Institute

18-19 Make Your Own Seed Crackers 20-21 Memorials & Tributes 22-24 Community 25-26 News from ASI and Abroad 27 ASI Museum Store

11 Dragons in the Glass 12-13 Our Dragon Story 14-15 An ASI Commission: Anna Brones and the Papercut kakelugnar

Posten

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16-17 Art & History in Wood

Cover photo: Karen Bit Vejle by H.C. Andersen

The membership publication of the American Swedish Institute.

To update a subscription or become a member, call (612) 871-4907 or e-mail info@asimn.org.

Photo by Sharolyn B. Hagen

Message from Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO Our major exhibition this spring, Paper Dialogues, brings together the intricate paper art of Danish artist Karen Bit Vejle and Professor Xiaoguang Qiao of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. This collaborative project took root in 2010 when Bit traveled to China to exhibit her work in a culture which gave birth to the art of papercutting (or psaligraphy) more than 1,500 years ago. While there she met Professor Qiao, and despite a language barrier these two kindred spirits began a cross-cultural collaboration which expresses a shared theme — the dragon — through their own unique approaches to this medium.

You will be impressed by the art — and we can be grateful for the common language which brought it about. This exhibit is a marvelous example of how art forms can migrate and ultimately lay a foundation for mutual respect and understanding between peoples of different countries and societies. We are pleased to welcome back the finely detailed paper cuttings of Bit and to introduce Professor Qiao’s stunning artwork to our community.

Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories reflects our commitment to be a place where cultural expressions rooted in the Nordic region intersect with others. These kinds of cultural dialogues are important to us.

Another form of dialogue is the relationship created by the two structures on our campus, the 1908 Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House and the Nelson Cultural Center (NCC). The construction of the NCC in 2012 was transformative, and enabled considerable growth in our exhibitions, programs, and services. These structures work in harmony with one another and exemplify our focus upon traditional and contemporary themes, while creating a cohesive campus that benefits

our efforts to serve a much broader and more diverse community than had been possible before.

The presence of additional spaces in the NCC was always intended to enable much-needed repair and restoration work in the Mansion and Carriage House.

A major effort, described more fully in our last issue of Posten and on our website, will begin in spring 2022, after final approval by the Board in late January.

What happens first? Skillful crews will repair stonework, address structural issues with the Mansion’s tower and porte cochère, rebuild the veranda, and restore a significant percentage of 165 windows. We will also thoroughly renovate the Carriage House to serve as the creative hub for our staff and volunteers and to enable ADA-compliant accessibility on all three levels with an elevator. Fundraising will also continue throughout the year ahead to tackle the second phase of our project, which focuses solely on the Mansion’s interiors, mechanical systems, and a reimagination of permanent exhibitions that focus on the role of migration in our evolving American identity.

What happens at ASI is made possible only through the dedicated support of our donors, members, and volunteers, through the creative energy of our talented staff, through great trustee leadership, and because of the remarkable spaces we have been given. We are blessed by all this and blessed to serve a remarkable community informed by its past which seeks to be enriched by its links with the world beyond. Thank you and may the year ahead bring you new insights and possibilities, and may the world become more hospitable for all.

Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO POSTEN

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Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories On view February 19-July 10 4 4 The The American Swedish Institute American Swedish Institute

Enter the world of dragons through this internationally acclaimed exhibition.

What began as a modest collaboration between two papercutting artists, Karen Bit Vejle (Denmark) and Professor Xiaoguang Qiao (China) has become an international traveling exhibition and conversation that has reached all corners of the globe. Joined by British Island of Jersey artists Layla May Arthur and Emma Reid, the Paper Dialogues artists explore the intersections between their cultures and traditions through intricate papercutting works, an art form that traces its roots back more than 1500 years.

Bit and Qiao’s collaboration first began over a decade ago. Able to communicate only through the help of interpreters, the two artists shared a silent dialogue during a visit in Bejing, where their scissors were their means of communication.

Bit was enamored by the various paper cutting traditions Professor Qiao shared from across regions of China, and Professor Qiao was captivated by Bit’s artistic style, so different from his own. From this first visit, they decide that the mystical creature, the dragon, which has a strong representation in each of their cultures, was to be the symbol that links their works and their lands.

“The collaboration has been a learning process. We haven’t been able to talk directly to one another, but we have decoded each other and created a different kind of dialogue. I feel that I have seen his heart – that we look into each other's soul.” — Bit This is not Bit’s first time exhibiting at ASI – visitors may recognize Bit’s style from her 2014 ASI

Karen Bit Vejle

exhibition, Papercut! The Incredible Psaligraphy of Karen Bit Vejle.

In this newest exhibition, Bit’s seven intricate white dragon eggs bring visitors along a journey through time — beginning with the Norse tree of life, yggdrasil, through early Norwegian society, the Viking Age, modern day, and ending with the future, to be inspired by tales of what we protect and imagine for tomorrow.

Professor Qiao came to the art of papercutting after his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. His 30-foot long, multi-colored piece “Fish and Dragon Change” features a traditional character in Chinese folklore to examine the changes occurring in his home country today. The head of the dragon reflects that from the Middle Ages, but as you travel down the body of DNA chains you arrive at the fiery tail of a Phoenix being reborn.

(continued on next page)

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Professor Xiaoguang Qiao

“Traditional paper-cutting became an awakening and an inspiration, both for my cultural awareness and my artistic expression.” — Professor Qiao ASI is the second U.S. stop in the world-tour of Paper Dialogues. Since its first premiere in Beijing, the dragons have made their way through Shanghai, Norway, the British island of Jersey, and the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, Washington. It was during the stop in the British Island of Jersey that a collaboration with ArtHouse Jersey led to Emma Reid and Layla May Arthur adding their works to the dialogue, representing the story of their beloved island through their own unique paper works.

Paper Dialogues will be joined by ASI’s newest Family Gallery, Our Dragon Story (see pages 1213), and Thermal: Meditations on Climate Change, an exhibition of movement, form and sound set in the historic Turnblad Mansion.

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Thermal is an interdisciplinary installation featuring local artist Kim Heidkamp’s sculptural paper artwork sprawls from the ballroom stage across the floor, much like creature of Norse mythology asleep in the landscape. Scores by composer Joshua Clausen and choreography by Mathew Janczewski of ARENA Dances activate the work and pull in the viewer in.

Paper Dialogues is produced in partnership with the Museum for Papirkunst and ArtHouse Jersey. The exhibition is presented by Fredrikson & Byron. Major support provided by the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the late Karin Larson, and ASI’s members and donors. Additional support provided by Minnesota Center for Book Arts. The exhibition’s media partner is the Star Tribune.

Exhibition Events First Look: Paper Dialogues Fri, February 18, 6–9 pm Be among the first to experience this worldclass exhibition at ASI’s Friday night preview party. Features the world-premiere of Thermal.

Thermal Live Performances Fridays & Saturdays, February 25–March 19, 7–8 pm Live performance of Thermal featuring the sculptural paper artwork of Kim Heidkamp, choreography by Mathew Janczewski of ARENA Dances, and scores by composer Joshua Clausen.

Register now at asimn.org

The Morning Dip Photography by Peggy Anderson July 21–October 30 The coastal village of Torekov, Sweden, is known for both its local pier, as well as for a curious ritual. Each day, locals wake for a morning dip in the sea. Of the unwritten codes of conduct related to this activity, perhaps most important is the selection of one’s bathrobe.

Through large format photography, Paris-based American-Swedish artist Peggy Anderson explores this longstanding ritual, as well as her own relationship to a country where she lived as a child and now spends every summer.

The exhibition comes to ASI this July.

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Midwinter Folk Music Festival Saturday, March 4 & Sunday, March 5

Folk music does not stand still…and neither will you during these musical two days in March.

As an art form primarily passed down through oral tradition and learned by ear, the genre of folk music constantly shifts with the times. With each new generation, folk musicians build upon, innovate, and transform the work of countless past generations of musical masters. In this way, folk music is always both a reflection of the current day, and a timeless preservation of past culture and traditions.

The Midwinter Folk Music Festival is one of Minnesota’s most fun and accessible opportunities to explore Scandinavian folk music. Throughout the weekend, visitors will experience pop-up performances, instrument demonstrations and have the chance to collaborate with other musicians in daily jam sessions. If you’ve ever yearned to learn more

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The American Swedish Institute

about a nyckelharpa or a spelmanslag, this action-packed weekend in March is your chance.

It’s also your chance to participate in workshops and performances by some of ASI’s most popular and prolific folk music groups, and to meet and hear music from one of Sweden’s most influential new folk artists.

This year’s special guest is Oskar Stenmark, a talented trumpet, cornet & flugelhorn player, recording artist, composer, arranger and educator. Born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden, Oskar explores the traditional melodies he inherited from his ancestors in Sweden by fusing them together with the sounds of New York City. He has performed with stars such as David Byrne, Chris Potter and multiple GRAMMY award winner Maria Schneider Orchestra.

For the first time ever, as a hybrid virtual and inperson festival, this year’s Midwinter Folk Music

Special Guest Oskar Stenmark will perform in-person during the Midwinter Folk Music Festival.

Nordic Elements Festival will bring musicians from across the U.S. and Sweden together for public concerts, popup performances, and workshops. It will also be the first time ASI members can participate in this event from anywhere in the world.

Music groups including Ross Sutter & Art Bjorngjeld, Beatrice Hole Psalmodikon Group, ASI Spelmanslag, and Nyckelharpalag, Swedish singer Emma Härdelin, and Jeanett and Peter Rousu, will all perform throughout the weekend.

Musicians Paul Dahlin and Ross Sutter will host workshops for fiddle and psalmodiken.

Advance registration is required for Midwinter Folk Music Festival. View the festival schedule and register today at asimn.org.

Ideas, Learning, and Cultural Connection The Norse Saga Room Sun, April 24, noon-5 pm CT Discover the Norse Saga Room during ASI's next Nordic Elements event, featuring talks of the history of the room, how it made its way to ASI, and Gerhard Munthe's spectacular folk-tale tapestries, both in-person and virtual. Coffee, small bites, and museum admission included with inperson registration.

Learn more at asimn.org.

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Hope, Celebration & Togetherness A thank you from the American Swedish Institute As we enter a new year, we want to say thank you to our members, donors, and volunteers who sustained us throughout a year of many uncertainties, but also moments of hope, celebration, and togetherness.

what has otherwise been a challenging and uncertain time. We gratefully received membership renewals, contributions, and gifts of time from members, donors, and volunteers both near and far.

This past year, the American Swedish Institute was able to return to a sense of normalcy and welcome back signature events, programs, and gatherings that were greatly missed throughout pandemic-related closures.

We eagerly re-opened our doors to the public and found creative ways to bring back cherished traditions. Our youngest visitors explored the Turnblad Mansion during Kids at the Castle, lifelong learners developed new handcraft skills in community with other makers, and visitors arrived at ASI to celebrate Midsommar and Jul — many for the first time.

Because of your support, these moments of community that are at the core of our mission to be a gathering place for all people, were possible.

Thank you for your generosity and investment in our community.

These moments of learning, discovery, and community provided glimmers of hope during

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“ASI has enriched and expanded this year for us.”

— Kristen Stuenkel, ASI Member Please consider a contribution to ASI to ensure we remain a resource for individuals around the world, for generations to come. Visit asimn.org to contribute today.

Dragons in the Glass Connecting past to present within ASI's Stories, Stonework & Stewardship campaign

Close to $11 million has been raised to date.

ASI is grateful for early gifts from clubs and affiliate groups, volunteers, and loyal supporters.

Donate online or call us at (612) 871-4907

For many visitors to the Turnblad Mansion, the Visby Window is one of the building’s most memorable features. Standing at 9×14 feet, this incredible window is an original feature of the 1908 building, and has been cherished by visitors for more than 110 years.

As part of, the American Swedish Institute’s ongoing Stories, Stonework & Stewardship campaign to restore the Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House in their entirety, ASI recently contracted with New Jersey-based stainedglass experts Femenella & Associates to conduct an in-depth analysis of the window. Among many other insights from the assessment, Arthur Femenella, President of Femenella & Associates, called attention to an area of the window that features tiny, detailed dragons decorating the clothing of one of the villagers. The dragons, which also appear in the 1882 painting by Carl Gustaf Hellqvist upon which the window is based, are by no means the focal point of the remarkable window, but their impressive quality is a testament to the window’s irreplaceable value.

This assessment was funded by the Minnesota Historical Society and exemplifies one of the many moments that work conducted as part of ASI's restoration project has offered an opportunity to explore the Turnblad Mansion with fresh eyes, and to highlight the connections between the past, the present, and the future of ASI and its community.

ASI has launched a $20 million campaign to rehabilitate the interiors and exteriors of the Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House. This project will reimagine the Mansion’s interior spaces for programs, gatherings, and world-class exhibitions. With your support, we can achieve this goal, and ensure that the Turnblad Mansion remains a cultural asset for future generations.

The mission is clear. The need is imperative.

The time is now.

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Our Dragon Story Create and play in ASI’s new Family Gallery experience, designed by kids, for kids. Opening February 19.

What do dragons eat? Where did they live?

How do they get around? Fifth grade students at Hope Academy explored these questions, and more, in the creation and design of ASI’s newest Family Gallery.

An ASI staple for 10 years, the Family Gallery on the Turnblad Mansion’s Lower Level is a space where ASI’s youngest visitor to play, touch, read, and explore through imaginative and immersive exhibitions that rotate frequently.

This year, ASI turned directly to experts in play to help design the newest Family Gallery experience.

Sixty fifth grade students from Hope Academy joined local artists Magdalena Mora, Seth Eberle

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and Bart Buch, and Trent Stadler to develop an experience inspired by ASI’s featured exhibition, Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories. The result is an inviting gallery filled with play elements, illustration, and sculpture, where visitors can explore dragon stories for themselves.

But it didn’t happen overnight. Over a three-month period, the students and local artists joined ASI staff for a series of monthly workshops. Each workshop explored a different theme and built toward the final design of the new gallery. In one of the final workshops, the students presented their ideas for interactive elements to be built in the space. The class then voted on their favorites, and it was ASI’s

challenge to make it a reality. The students became art directors, offering final approval of the plans for fabrication and construction of the Family Gallery experience.

The students also were creative directors for the illustrated scenography by Minneapolis based illustrator and writer Magdalena Mora. Magdalena Mora has been a local force in creating titles that transform current events into compelling stories.

Find Magdalena’s book I Wish You Knew (written by Jackie Azúa Kramer) that focuses on deportation and a divided family, pictured from the dual

perspectives of a young student and her teacher, is available in the ASI Museum Store.

Be sure to check out Our Dragon Story after it opens on February 19, and experience the stories created by the children at Hope Academy for yourself.

Dragon Story Contest Calling all young authors! Inspired by the upcoming exhibitions, Paper Dialogues and Our Dragon Story, write a Dragon Story of your own inspired by your culture and/or community. ASI will publish excerpts from the winning stories in the next issue of Posten, and the full stories at asimn.org.

Stories must be original works created by students (preschool through Seniors in high school) featuring dragons and may not be longer than 500 words. Adults may assist children in the preschool category. Stories are judged in age categories for creativity and ability to tell an excellent tale.

Age categories are organized by the following: • Preschool: age 3–5 • Elementary School: age 6–10 • Middle School: age 11–13 • High School: age 14–18 Deadline: Fri, February 11, 5 pm Submissions: Email your story to lindseyt@asimn.org with the subject line “ASI Dragon Story Contest” Please include • Student name and age • Parent/Guardian name and contact phone number For more information, please contact Lindsey Tscherne, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator at (715) 222-9109 or lindseyt@asimn.org.

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An ASI Commission Anna Brones and the Papercut kakelugnar

Anna Brones Photo by Julie Hotz

You may be familiar with Swedish-American freelance writer Anna Brones through her books, Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break or Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way, or may have seen them on the shelves of the ASI Museum Store. But it wasn’t Brones’ writing that was of interest when ASI reached out to her in Seattle last October. It was her second passion of papercutting.

ASI commissioned Brones to create a one-of-akind papercut to add to the museum’s permanent collections. Featuring nine of the Turnblad Mansion’s kakelugnar (tiled stoves), the papercut is utterly unique, like each of the stoves themselves.

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Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way Anna’s book Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way is available for purchase in the ASI Museum Store, both in-person and online. Watch for upcoming handcraft workshops with Anna Brones this summer at ASI.

“I was really excited when ASI reached out because I am often drawn to Scandinavian design and forms as inspiration. It was fun to figure out how to translate them into paper, and find certain details of each kakelugn that would make them ‘pop’ in the papercut graphics.”

Brones likes the simplicity of papercutting, from the materials to the nature of the artform, and yet also sees it a challenge. “Once something is cut, it's cut for good. There's no erasing or going back, so you really have to commit to what you're doing. And sometimes you just have to start over.”

Anna has been papercutting since 2013. Her first design was a birthday card for a friend using the supplies she had on hand - paper and an X-acto knife. Since then, Brones’ work has expanded to commissions and teaching others the artform. For readers interested in getting into papercutting, Anna shares this advice: “Just start! If you've ever made a paper snowflake you've done some papercutting! You can make really interesting pieces simply by repeating a geometric shape, like a triangle. And there is something special about working in paper: if you draw a stick figure, you might not be so impressed with yourself, but if you draw a stick figure and then cut it out, it looks far more interesting.”

The Turnblad Mansion continues to inspire new art, including the above work by Anna Brones.

Visitors will be able to see Anna's kakelungar hanging on the balcony of the Mansion from February 19 with Paper Dialogues.

Read the full interview with Anna Brones on the ASI blog at asimn.org.

Register for Virtual Handcraft Programs Today Visit asimn.org to browse virtual demos, workshops, and classes.

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Art & History in Wood Two new ASI books showcase Swedish carvings, Viking-inspired interior design What is the thread that links the founder of a Swedish women’s clothing company, an important Norwegian artist, an international Vikings exhibition and dozens of wood carvings of 19th-century Swedish peasant life? The simple answer is, “Two books soon to be published by the American Swedish Institute” — but it is a little more complicated than that.

Over the years, the American Swedish Institute has become known not only for the intricately carved woodwork in the historic Turnblad Mansion but also for its large collection of figure carvings that exemplify the rich tradition of the Scandinavian flat-plane style of wood carving.

Among the most important of the major wood carvers included in our collection is Herman Rosell. Rosell was a self-taught artist whose delicately executed figures depict his memories of peasant life in Småland, a region from which many emigrated to the United States because of harsh conditions in Sweden.

As its collection of Rosell figures has grown, ASI became interested in republishing an out-of-print book authored in 1977 by Sven Axel Hallbäck.

Its original title was Så var det förr: Träsnidaren Herman Rosell berättar i skurna bilder om livet i Sverige på den gamla, goda tiden, or loosely, “As it was before: Wood carver Herman Rosell tells of life in Sweden in the good, old days.” It’s a remarkable book that describes rural life in the late 1800s and uses Rosell’s carvings as the illustrations. Soon to be released by ASI, this book

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presents a tableau suggesting how people lived and treated each other in days gone by.

ASI recently received a gift from Carlson Holdings of a room interior created in 1912 for Anders Andersson, the founder and owner of Twilfit (a women’s clothing company that still exists today).

The room was designed by the noted Norwegian artist Gerhard Munthe, crafted in Norway and then installed in Andersson’s apartment. Today, visitors can enjoy the Norse Saga Room in the Lower Level of the Turnblad Mansion, where it serves as a window into the influence of Vikings and Norse mythology on the decorative tastes of early 20th-century Scandinavia. In fact, the room was showcased in 1981 at Stockholm’s National History Museum as part of an international traveling exhibition on the Vikings. It was later was acquired by the late Curtis L. Carlson and installed in his company’s headquarters in Minnetonka, before coming by gift to ASI. The importance of the Norse Saga Room and its interesting history compelled ASI to engage Dr. Claire Selkurt to do further research into the artists who crafted this room and the era it represents. She has authored a rich and engaging narrative that gives important insights into Munthe, whose work in the field of design and decorative arts are of great significance.

Both books — the Norse Saga Room and As It Was Before — will be available later this spring in the ASI Museum Store.

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Make Your Own Seed Crackers A Special Recipe from FIKA Café Head Chef Blake Meier

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The American Swedish Institute

Look in almost any Swedish pantry and you will find at least one kind of hard cracker, commonly known as knäckebröd (literally crack or crisp bread). Dry breads were historically a product of the northern environment; Scandinavia’s long winters meant that grain could only be ground in the fall or spring, when streams had enough force to power water mills.

A big fall baking session would produce a little soft bread and lots of hard, dry bread that could be stored and used through the whole winter.

Today, we can grind grain whenever we want, but crisp bread and crackers are still a must-have for breakfast, fika, lunch, and dinner. Seedy crackers such as this one have become popular gluten free alternatives in recent years — serve any time of day with butter, cheese, soup or any preserved fish.

This seed cracker recipe was given to FIKA Café's head chef Blake Meier by Liselotte Bohlin of Hemma hos Bohlin, a home restaurant in Täby, just outside of Stockholm, Sweden.

Seed Cracker recipe Ingredients • 2 ½ cups sesame seeds • 2 ½ cups sunflower seeds • 2 ½ cups pumpkin seeds • 1 ¼ cups flax seeds • 2 ½ cornmeal or corn flour • 1 ½ tsp salt • 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil • 5 cups hot water Instructions Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until thoroughly combined. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275˚F and line a rimmed half sheet pan (baking sheet) with parchment paper.

After resting, spread the cracker mixture evenly on the baking sheet; it should almost completely fill the pan and be about as thick as the pumpkin seeds. Lightly oiling your hands or a spatula can help to press the mixture into place.

Bake for about 90 minutes, until evenly golden and crisp. Cool completely and store in a well sealed container for up to several weeks.

Learn more about Scandinavian cooking in a Nordic Table workshop or demo.

Virtual and in-person classes available now.

Visit asimn.org for more information.

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Memorials & Tributes Gifts and contributions to the American Swedish Institute in honor or memory of a loved one or special occasion.

Gifts received October 6–December 17, 2021.

IN MEMORY OF George and Doris Anderson of Gaylord, MN Megan Anderson Iver J Anderson Faye Olson Richard (Dick) and Judy Sandeen Roger and Audrey Anderson Jean Anderson and Tony Lawrence Bill Asp Dean Jensen To honor and remember our dear friends Stefan and Anne Marie Benedictsson Bill and Minda Fetzer Judith (Judy) Ann Marie Benson Rick and Gayle Garrity Barbara Onken Beloved Father Robert Erick Benson Denise Simonett Kenneth Berglund Bruce Karstadt Christiana Stolpestad

Dorothy Dalquist Mary Dahlberg and Thomas Johnson

Eric Charles Lindskog: Dec. 27, 1965 – Oct. 12, 2021 Carl and Annemarie Lindskog

Carol Damberg Sheldon Damberg

Nina Nelson Mahlke Sandra Tschida

Daniel Deef Romelle and Robert Deef

Margret and Bert Nelson Susan and Louis Ainsworth

Dorothy (Dot) Delegard Virginia (Ginny) Wilson

Sandy Olson James Olson

Pamela Espeland Kenneth and Irene Olson Luella Whiting

My Parents Anne Siren Levig

Grace Foster Bruce Foster John Freeburg Bruce Karstadt Christiana Stolpestad Lawrence Hammertrom Nancy Foster Vera Hattstrom Daisy Carlson William and Joyce Holt Candyce and Thomas Hals

Mary Jo Anderson Carlson Virginia (Ginny) and Roger Wilson

Roy Ragnar Johnson Victoria Brouillette Earl and Elvira Jacot Carl Johnson Herb Johnson Robert and June Johnson Woodchucks

Margareta Crabo Anders and Ethel Carlegren

Wayne D Johnson Faye Olson

Craig C.S. B. Blackman David G. Anderson

Delbert G. Leaf Lorraine Leaf

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Joan and Jerry Patalonis Jason Patalonis Dr. James Peterson Bruce Karstadt Gerald Peterson Susan Peterson and Victoria Risken Gottfrid Polson (Father) Janet Walkup Joseph W. Rieber Jr Janet and Lee Brundell Cully and Jen Ekstrom John and Barb Hughes Karen and Kelly O’Rourke Donald L. Rudquist and Suzanne Rudquist Barbara Rudquist and Barry Schreiber Joyce and Mary Kay Rudquist Scott Beekman LaVonne Sauter Bonnie and Gary Anderson Jacqueline McMahan Scandinavian Friends

Goran Stockenström, Prof U of M Trond Stockenström and Saba Mollalgne Richard and Martha Thomson Betty Battista

In Honor of the wedding of Geoff Anderson and Elka (Stephanie) Kirtiadi Virginia (Ginny) and Roger Wilson

Dorothy Westling Jean Canfield

Joan and Mark Cox Lynda and Fritz Morlock

Maria Winters Brenda Johnson Scandinavian Friends

Joan Holmedal and Linda Lane Diane Marsyla

IN HONOR OF Steven and Cynthia Ahlgren Berit Ahlgren and James Hagen

Emily Johnson Susan and Edwin McCarthy

In honor of Delores Anderson of Alvarado MN who was a member of Minnesota’s Agassiz Swedish Heritage Society Laurie Losness

Catherine and Todd Johnson Sylvia Poling

In Honor of the extraordinary vision and leadership of Bruce Karstadt and his staff Jack and Linda Hoeschler Family Fund

Hilma Lindberg Trish Tennyson Svea Rundman Julie Swenson If you would like to make an honor or memorial gift, please visit asimn.org/support, contact Eleanor Beaird, Donor Engagement Specialist at eleanorb@asimn.org, or (612) 870-3349, or mail your contribution to: Development Office, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

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Community Local and global organizations, people, and events, that promote Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American culture and traditions.

ASI Cloudberries A women’s choir that shares the music, culture, and language of Sweden. Currently on hold. Contact Gloria Rosen at (952) 240-7523.

Swedish and English. New members welcome.

Contact Chuck Upcraft at (612) 371-3731 or Ted Johnson at tdreamintl@mindspring.com. asimalechorus.org.

Twin Cities Dalaforening Explore culture, food, history, and links to Sweden at meets that include a lunch and take place the first Saturday of the month from September through May at 1 pm at the Danish American Center. Contact Arne Larson at (612) 998-9893.

ASI Male Chorus Circle of Friends This group supports the ASI Male Chorus through promotion and fundraising. To volunteer or contribute contact asimccf@gmail.com

Saturday, February 5: Jeff Huset presents on Norwegian folk healers. Lottery available.

Saturday, March 5: Natalie Norman presents "Beyond Folkdress Fantasy." Lottery items welcome.

Saturday, April 2: Betsey Norgard presents "Tall Ships of Aland."

ASI Male Chorus A men’s choral group that performs regularly in both

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ASI Spelmanslag An adult fiddlers club that performs regularly at ASI and community events. Planning for meetings and practices will begin in 2022. Contact Suzanne Walters at (651) 633-1607. asispelmanslag.org.

Kaffestuga Friends Open to all ASI members, this club meets in ASI’s Kaffestuga on the last Wednesday of the month (except November and December) from 1–3 pm.

Contact Margareta Beyer at (651) 644-5116.

The Karl Oskar House Nya Duvemåla in Lindstrom will be open for the 2022 season on Sundays from 1–4 pm mid-May through September. Tours available.

Contact friendsofthekarloskarhouse.org.

Lilla Spelmanslag Learn and perform traditional Swedish folk music in this youth string instrument music group for ages 8–18. In 2022, Lilla Lag will travel to Sweden and attend a folk festival and fiddle camp. New members welcome. Contact Ingela Haaland at ingela_eilert@yahoo.com. asispelmanslag.org.

Scandinavian Friends This women’s social group perpetuates an appreciation of Swedish culture, traditions, and contributions to global society. Meets for lunch at noon, February 14, March 14, and April 11 in Larson Hall at ASI. Contact Muriel Johnson at (952) 831-4180 or murjo3663@gmail.com.

Svea Club This club practices and preserves Swedish and Swedish-American traditions, volunteers at ASI, and is the origin of ASI’s annual Lucia Celebration. Svea Club will meet this spring when considered safe again. Contact Margareta Beyer at (651) 644-5116.

SWEA International in Minnesota Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) is an opportunity for Swedish-speaking women to embrace Swedish language, traditions, and heritage, and provides a network of support to Swedish families abroad. Members welcome at the annual board meeting in February, with ärtsoppa/pea soup and punch. Spring get-togethers will include Valborsmässoafton, and a variety of activities related to books, films, gourmets, outdoors, downtown, and mother and child.

Contact sweaminnesota@gmail.com. minnesota.swea.org. (continued on next page)

American Scandinavian Foundation Artist Fellowship Feature: Renee Vaughan ASF’s Artist Fellowship program provides support for cultural practitioners throughout the Upper Midwest who have made significant contributions to the practice and preservation of Scandinavian folk traditions. Over the years, numerous teaching artists, instructors, and performers connected to or currently teaching at ASI have received this prestigious acknowledgement.

As a recipient of a 2022 Artist Fellowship, Twin Cities musician Renee Vaughan will head to Uppland, Sweden, to study with master nyckelharpist Cajsa Ekstav. 2022 Fellowships were awarded based on the quality of the work involved and the centrality of the work to the local community. The impact of the project on sustaining Scandinavian folk traditions was also a major consideration, as was its potential for engaging others in learning traditional arts and skills and thus fostering the intergenerational transfer of artistic knowledge and skill.

Watch for profiles on additional Artist Fellowship recipients in future editions of Posten magazine.

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Swedish Cultural Society of Duluth This organization offers programs that promote and support Swedish culture and language. Events held at First Covenant Church, 2101 W. 2nd St., Duluth, and include singing, program, and fika. Contact Jenn Conboy at (218) 624-2264. swedishculturalsociety.org.

Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag Performing regularly at ASI and community events, this group uplifts the music of the nyckelharpa, a stringed instrument from the Uppland province of Sweden. TCNL meets for lagspel sessions on 1st & 3rd Saturday mornings at ASI. Contact Cheryl Pashke at (612) 670-6356 or inquiries@tcnyckelharpalag.com.

Sunday, February 20, 2:30 pm: Dale Sohlstrom shares his experience with bilsport, the hobby of classic cars.

Saturday, February 26, 7:30 pm: Performing with Buffalo Community Orchestra at Buffalo High School Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, MN.

Sunday, March 20: Program awaiting confirmation.

Saturday–Sunday, March 5–6: Performing at ASI Midwinter Folk Music Festival.

Sunday, April 17, 2:30 pm: Mary Johnson, Svenska Sångarna director, presents Swedish Folk Music, Part 1.

The Swedish Genealogical Society of Minnesota Deepen your knowledge of Swedish genealogy, translation, ancestry, and heritage. For research or translation help contact sgsm1983@gmail.com.

Saturday, March 18, 2 pm: Virtual hybrid meeting at the Minnesota Genealogy Center in Mendota Heights. Eleanor Brinsko presents ”What is Hiding in Your Storage Places That Can Help Your Genealogical Searches.” Visit sgsmn.org in February for details.

Västergötland Society A social group dedicated to promoting the awareness of ancestral roots in Västergötland region of Sweden, and to promoting fellowship locally with those interested in Scandinavian culture. Contact Gordon Anderson at (763) 788-8532.

Saturday, February 12, 1 pm: Musician Ross Sutter presents "Svensk Entertainment" No March meeting scheduled.

Saturday, April 9 at 1 pm: Marilyn McGriff presents "Swedes in Cuba."

Join the Community!

Become an ASI Volunteer Meet new people, elevate lifelong learning, and support an organization you find meaningful by becoming an ASI volunteer! Volunteers play a vital role by lending their time and talents and are central to the ASI experience. A variety of flexible opportunities are available year-round, offering ways to connect with others, spark your curiosity, and share common interests.

Learn more at asimn.org/support/volunteer or contact volunteer@asimn.org.

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The American Swedish Institute

News from ASI and Abroad Turnblad Mansion Restoration Commences Spring 2022 Beginning in early spring 2022, as part of the ongoing project to restore the Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House, present plans call for the Carriage House to close for renovations after Board approval in late January. ASI staff will at that time move to remote work and temporary workstations in nonconstruction areas. In addition, restoration work is planned to commence on the exterior stonework of the Turnblad Mansion, which will include the construction of some scaffolding. The interior of the Turnblad Mansion will remain open to the public during this work, though some spaces, such as Paulson Hall and Classrooms A and B will close temporarily.

For more information on ASI’s plan to restore the Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House in their entirety, visit asimn.org/support/mansionproject.

Skål: A Toast to Uppsala! Reception and Silent Auction Fundraiser March 24, 4:30–7 pm The Minneapolis-Uppsala Friendship Committee’s annual reception and silent auction returns to ASI for the first time in two years. Building on the 22-year relationship between the sister cities of Uppsala, Sweden, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, this important event helps to fund a series of impactful exchange programs that fuel the sharing of knowledge and expertise between educators and teachers in Sweden and the United States. A new exchange, now underway, was developed by the Three Rivers Park District and Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, and allows naturalists from Uppland, Sweden, to tour Minnesota parks and share their expertise with local staff. Participants on both sides of these exchange have found the experience informative, inspiring, and even ‘life-changing.’

RSVP for the 2022 silent auction and fundraiser today at asimn.org.

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Improving Access to ASI’s Archives Researchers, scholars, staff, and members of the ASI community now have improved access to a wealth of unpublished materials thanks to the completion of a two-year archives processing project.

The archives contain a wealth of unpublished materials such as personal papers, correspondence, diaries, photographs, club and organization records, and ASI’s institutional records. These materials are regularly brought to life through exhibitions and programs at ASI, and are frequently utilized by researchers and scholars around the world.

In September 2019, ASI received a grant from the Institute of Museum of Library Services (IMLS) to improve access to the archives through a project to completely process, arrange, and describe its archival holdings. Among many outcomes of this project, the archival collections were divided into three categories: Personal (families and individuals), Heritage (cultural groups and other institutions), and Institutional (the Turnblads, the Svenska Amerikanska Posten, and ASI). The project successfully concluded in September 2021 with the archives positioned as a more transparent, researchable, and organized resource for the community.

Browse ASI’s archives today at asimn.org. For more information on this project, or on ASI’s Collections and Archives, please contact Inga Theissen, Collections Manager, at ingat@asimn.org.

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The American Swedish Institute

Call for New ASI Board Members Over the next several months, the Governance & Nominating Committee of ASI’s Board of Trustees will evaluate needs regarding new Trustees to be elected at the June 2022 Annual Meeting. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please contact Executive Coordinator Adelie Bergström at adelieb@asimn.org with your name, qualifications and a brief statement of interest by March 1, 2022. If you wish to suggest someone else, please obtain that individual’s permission first.

Vocabulary en semla / semlor (pl.) :: sweet buns eaten

during lent första april :: April Fool’s Day påsklov :: Easter vacation vår :: spring en brasa :: a bonfire (light one on April 30th to

celebrate Valborg!)

For pronunciation, visit The People’s Dictionary: folkets-lexikon.csc.kth.se/folkets/folkets.en.html

ASI Museum Store Shop in-person or online at asimn.org.

ASI Members receive 10% off all purchases

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Aveva Wool Trivet $25

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Ekelund Table Runner $48

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Blåmes Hand-carved Blue Tit $34

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Hand-carved Yellow Hen $19

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Cooee Seedpod Vase $42

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Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and Our Stories February 19July 10

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