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.

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Researchers, scholars, staff, and members of the ASI community now have improved access to a wealth of unpublished materials thanks to the completion of a two-year archives processing project. The archives contain a wealth of unpublished materials such as personal papers, correspondence, diaries, photographs, club and organization records, and ASI’s institutional records.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.

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