Reflections on Extraordinary Resilience

We have all experienced a year that will be forever etched in our memories and have consequences into the future. Our ambition was that our 90th-anniversary year, highlighted by a self-produced exhibition drawn from our permanent collection entitled extra/ordinary: The American Swedish Institute. At Play, would, in fact, be extraordinary — and memorable. It certainly was.

Just weeks after the exhibit opened, we joined other local and worldwide institutions in closing our doors to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic — not knowing how long the closure would be, and never thinking it would last eight months, as it did. Nor did we imagine what would happen next, with the murder of George Floyd just two miles away and the resulting civic unrest, protests and riots that claimed lives and property and brought new light to societal inequities.

During this past year (these words are written in May 2021), we experienced quarantine, Zoom fatigue, separation, loss and grief. The silence on a campus once bustling with activity and filled with aromas, chatter and music, was sobering.

As we were confronted with all these challenges, another word came to mind: resilience. For this past year truly was a test of resilience —of spirit, of health, of resources, of community and of relationships — as we faced great unknowns and unpredictability.

Protecting the Turnblad Mansion

I am grateful for the extraordinary endurance and resilient determination of our staff, volunteers, board and partners. Though separated from one another for many months, they sustained a remarkable spirit of togetherness and focus on thinking creatively. What emerged from those home offices and endless Zoom sessions were plans for such innovations as virtual classes, outdoor exhibitions, meals to go and live-streamed mansion tours that enabled us to serve not just local but national and global audiences. Another step was the creation of the ASI Community Fund to support other organizations as they work to heal a community fractured both physically and socially. We were able to do this only because

Nate Adelmann and Bruce Karstadt deflate ASI’s Dala Horse

of our members and donors who realized the urgency of our need and responded with generous financial assistance.

The images accompanying these words offer insight into life at ASI these past 15 months. We are emerging from a year of twin crises with warm hearts and resolute minds, and we are finding our footing for the journey ahead as we look toward a full reopening. We do so with confidence that our members and supporters will continue to be with us as we fulfill our mission to be a welcoming and inclusive place for all people. May our spirit and resilience carry ASI through the next nine decades.

— Bruce Karstadt

Virtual classes at ASI