13 minute read
Remembering Curt Pederson
Standout Steward
Remembering Curt Pederson, ASI’s longtime Curator
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Curt Pederson was beloved by countless people who encountered and worked with him. He had a unique genius about him, an almost magical quality that was so very endearing. Whether he was hanging an exhibition, or discussing a potential donation to ASI’s collections, or describing the craftmanship embedded within the Turnblad mansion (which he carefully stewarded for nearly three decades), Curt always approached others with professionalism, a warm heart and a gentle spirit…and, more often than not, with a donut in hand.
Curt passed away on February 3, 2022, following a heart attack in late January. He devoted much of his professional career to the American Swedish Institute, first as an independent artist in the early 1980s who helped restore many of the decorative ceilings in the Turnblad Mansion, and then as a full-time curator since 1998. At the time of his death, Curt had been working closely with architects, engineers, and colleagues in planning the comprehensive restoration and revival of the Mansion’s exterior façade and interior spaces. His extensive knowledge of the Mansion coupled with his passion for its stewardship is deeply missed.
Curt was one of the Turnblad Mansion’s most dedicated and talented stewards.
Storytelling in a Year of Flux: 2021 Exhibitions
How do you install an exhibition when the featured artists are a world away?
This past year, through seven exhibitions, ASI invited visitors of all ages to explore contemporary and historic issues while discovering something new about themselves and their communities.
Works from both widely recognized and up-andcoming Scandinavian and local artists were on-view throughout the Turnblad Mansion and Nelson Cultural Center, prompting dialogue around global issues, cultural shifts, practices, and traditions.
From digital exhibitions, to timed museum entry and advance registration, to masking and other protocols, ASI visitors benefitted from a broad variety of campus and exhibition innovations that improved access and uplifted safety during the ongoing pandemic. For the first time, ASI offered 3D virtual views of an exhibition, allowing visitors to explore Papier and the work of Bea Szenfeld and Stina Wirsén from anywhere in the world. The in-person exhibition was thoughtfully spaced throughout gallery spaces to encourage social distancing.
For the exhibition Papier, ASI turned to video chat, inviting the artists to guide the installation and placement of their works throughout ASI’s campus while they were unable to travel from Sweden.
With global travel restrictions in place, ASI exhibition staff developed new ways to collaborate with artists on the installation of exhibitions. For Papier, ASI turned to video chat, inviting Bea and Stina to guide the installation of Papier and the placement of their works throughout ASI’s campus.
The Scandinavian saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” certainly held true for ASI’s 2020 Holiday exhibition. Pivoted to a completely outdoor experience, with virtual options for remote participation, the exhibition brought the joyous holiday season out into the ASI Courtyard.
Throughout all of this, ASI remained committed to presenting unique perspectives and powerful stories.
Two exhibits presented in tandem, Kindertransport: Rescuing Children on the Brink of War and The Story is Here shared the history of the astonishing rescue effort that brought Jewish children from Nazi Germany to Great Britain and other countries, including Sweden, between 1938 and 1939. Kindertransport (German for “Children’s Transport”), saved more than 10,000 children, but also left a distinct impact on these children, their families and generations to come. Exploring the undertold history of the organized Kindertransport rescue was at the same time remarkable and devastating, and offered an opportunity to connect past stories of migration to contemporary ones.
In the exhibition, The Story is Here, visitors were introduced to a grandfather, a father, a neighbor – each once a child saved from Nazi Germany. Among these survivors was Minnesota resident Benno Black who, in 1939, at the age of 13, boarded a Kindertransport train with his suitcase in hand. In 2021, 95-year-old Benno Black pulled
Benno Black and his family attend Kindertransport and The Story is Here.
this same suitcase off a shelf in his St. Louis Park home to share as part of his story through this exhibition.
The exhibition and related events brought together not only the ASI community, but also local communities with ASI partners from Beth El Synagogue and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC). The families of the 3 survivors featured in this exhibition, Kurt Moses, Siegfried Lindenbaum, and Benno Black, were also present.
Benno Black, together with his wife and 3 generations of his family, attended the opening of the exhibition at ASI. During the opening, Benno’s family connected to and discovered parts of his story they had previously been unaware of. The exhibition brought his family together for a deeply meaningful moment. Benno passed away the following month, 1 week after his 96th birthday.
FY21 Exhibitions
ASI Family Gallery: Water, sky, and me
February 28, 2020–January 9, 2022 The ASI Family Gallery called on the ocean and sky to spark imagination in a play space designed and developed with Stina Wirsén, the awardwinning Swedish author and illustrator. From the sea to space, Water, sky, and me was inspired by all the elements of the Earth existing together and was a space for visitors of all ages to play and tell their own story.
An extra/ordinary Holiday in Extraordinary Times
November 14, 2020–January 10, 2021 This holiday experience explored the voices behind the stories, with the holiday version of the FY20 exhibition extra/ordinary, and a new outdoor holiday experience. ASI partnered with five Nordic groups from the local community representing Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland to explore stories from popular literature and folktales through film. The exhibition ended after only a few weeks due to a state mandated closure related to COVID-19.
Papier: Bea Szenfeld and Stina Wirsén
February 6–July 11, 2021 In a juncture between art and fashion, two renowned Swedish artists met in a mutual affection for the handmade and paper. The exhibition Papier united Bea Szenfeld’s spectacular sculptural paper-fashions with Stina Wirsén’s evocative illustrations. Papier featured a dozen of Bea’s wearable pieces, while Stina’s expressive drawings and illustrations set the scene. Papier was selected as one of the best exhibitions of the year by the Star Tribune and listed as a 2021 Best Indoor Experience by Minnesota Monthly.
“As volunteers for the [Kindertransport] exhibit, we were deeply moved by the emotional reaction of visitors, their meaningful questions, and powerful conversations with us. We learned so much. -Sunny Floum and Rivel Greenberg
Lace Reimagined: Amy Sands
April 10–July 11, 2021 Twin Cities artist Amy Sands’ unique paper works integrate traditional and digital methods of printmaking. With support from a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, Amy’s latest body of work drew on ASI’s textile collection to inspire new patterns that were translated into paper cuts and then printed. Amy’s work was displayed in the Link, which connects the Nelson Culture Center and the Turnblad Mansion, and lifesize pieces were displayed on ASI’s historic fence along Park Avenue.
Kindertransport: Rescuing Children on the Brink of War
July 22–October 31, 2021 This powerful exhibition illuminated the story of the Kindertransport (German for “Children’s Transport”) and the astonishing rescue effort that brought approximately 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi Germany to Great Britain and other countries, including Sweden, between 1938 and 1939. The children’s difficult and often heartbreaking journeys were told through original artifacts and personal stories. It was co-presented in Minnesota by the Greenberg Family Fund for Holocaust Awareness at Beth El Synagogue, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), and the American Swedish Institute.
Photo: C&G Partners
Andrea Rugg Photography
The Story is Here
July 22–October 31, 2021 Presented alongside Kindertransport, this exhibition featured the stories of local families in the Midwest who were personally impacted by the organized Kindertransport rescue. While many children stayed in England and other countries, including Sweden, following the war, some continued their journey to join relatives all around in the world. The Story is Here shared the stories of Kurt Moses, Siegfried Lindenbaum, and Benno Black, each once a child saved from Nazi Germany.
FIKA on the Fence: Watercolors by Jan Padover
September 15–October 31, 2021 For this pop-up exhibition, ASI presented 15 illustrations of popular Swedish baked goods often enjoyed during fika on the outside historic fence of ASI for easy public viewing. The watercolors were by Jan Padover, and are part of a larger fika-inspired watercolor series.
Preserving Culture & Heritage
The ASI Library, Archives, and Object Collections
The American Swedish Institute’s collections represent one of the world’s best repositories of objects and materials related to Swedish and Swedish-American culture and history. Originally associated with the Svenska Amerikanska Posten lending library, ASI’s object, archives, and library collections now support the museum’s work and provide resources for scholars around the world.
With support from a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), ASI completed a two-year project to improve access to its archives.
The work included completely processing, arranging, and describing its archival holdings. Among many project outcomes, the archival collections were divided into three categories: Personal (families and individuals), Heritage (cultural groups and other institutions), and Institutional (the Turnblad family, 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. Researchers, scholars, staff, and members of the ASI community now have improved access to a wealth of unpublished materials. This critical project represents a crucial step as ASI works to improve the overall accessibility of its collections materials.
Acquisition highlight: Boël Nilsson Midwife Collection
Boël (Betty) Nilsson (b. 1851–d. 1927) was a midwife trained at Lund University who practiced in St. Paul, MN. Along with her medical bag (pictured left) and tools, the donation included Boël’s birth record journal (pictured right), detailing the over 800 babies she delivered to the Swedish community in the Twin Cities.
Current Collections Statistics
• 12,647 items in the library collection • 7,465 pieces in the material collection • 5338 users on the collection website • 221 archival collections • 63 reference inquiries • 9 research visits • 18 acquisitions in FY 2020 (3 library, 8 archives, 7 material)
Growing Community
Baby supply drive for PICA Head Start families
ASI’s campus is located in the Phillips West neighborhood of Minneapolis, one of the most culturally diverse yet economically challenged areas in Minnesota. For decades, ASI has remained deeply invested in contributing to a vibrant, healthy, and interconnected Phillips West. The organization continues to provide access to arts and cultural-identity curricula through neighborhood partnerships and collaborations, including four long-term partnerships with the Minneapolis Public School District. Each year more than 500 children and their families engage with ASI through outreach programs. ASI’s role as a community resource expanded during this year based on the needs of the neighborhood. By listening to the community, ASI was able to be supportive of the people, organizations, and general community fabric of the neighborhood during COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. During this significant social and economic upheaval, ASI maintained longstanding commitments to partnerships and organizations that uplift the health and wellbeing of the Phillips West neighborhood.
Due to health concerns, Minneapolis Public Schools were not allowing community partners into the classroom. This meant that longtime community engagement programs that brought ASI staff or community members into classroom contact with students had to be revisited. Among these was the Pippi Project – a very hands-on, interactive, intensive in-classroom experience for elementary school youth. ASI staff worked with classroom leaders to transform the program into a virtual experience for teaching artists, children, and teachers. New systems were developed to stay engaged and continue to provide impactful, curriculum-supporting programs.
ASI was able to utilize space on its campus—a valuable resource and one that is limited in the community—as a place for neighborhood activities and gatherings.
PICA Head Start and Center for Excellence (People Serving People) relaunched their inperson programming after a pause due to the pandemic. ASI was able to offer its campus as a gathering place for PICA Head Start and Center for Excellence participants while their traditional gathering spaces were unavailable. Children ages 3 to 6 were supported on campus with outdoor play and gardening experiences. In addition, YWCA Daycare at Abbot Northwestern Hospital was able to use ASI spaces while theirs were unavailable.
Through new connections that were being made with the ASI Community Fund, ASI developed a partnership with Sisters Camelot. As part of this collaboration, ASI became a monthly food distribution site during spring, summer, and early fall, to support the neighborhood residents through a time of significant social and economic upheaval when many of the grocery stores in the area were destroyed and access to food was difficult, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables.
ASI also continued more broadly to be a supportive neighborhood organization, hosting the Phillips West Neighborhood Organization’s first in-person meeting since February 2020.
ASI utilized its network of global partners to provide new and unique arts and culture experiences for neighborhood youth. This year, ASI worked with Hope Academy, a year-round school program, to develop a series of art pieces to be displayed on Viking River Cruises vessels. ASI collaborated with the art classroom leader to lead elementary and early middle school youth to develop original pieces of art using a variety of fine art and handcraft methods. These works are now installed in ships that travel up and down the Mississippi River.
ASI collaborated with Sisters Camelot to uplift access to organic foods by acting as a food distribution site for Phillips West residents.
Wellstone Story Swap
From 2019-2021, ASI partnered with Wilder Research on several audience- and community-focused organizational learning projects.
These projects were intended to generate insights about how ASI can maintain connections to current audiences as well as how to make new, meaningful connections with individuals in the immediate community and beyond. Project findings were quickly integrated into program planning for future years.
From September-October 2021, Wilder conducted 10 interviews with representatives from organizations located in or near the Phillips West neighborhood of Minneapolis. Interview respondents included representatives of arts and culture organizations, schools and educational organizations, and organizations that assist people in meeting their basic needs, such as helping to provide healthy food and safe housing. These interviews sought to identify how ASI can support or partner with neighborhood organizations with whom their values and goals are aligned, and more generally to identify how ASI can support the interests and issues of their neighbors.
All respondents shared positive feedback on their work with ASI, as well as constructive ways for ASI to deepen its impact and engagement with the community. Respondents offered suggestions for further supporting or partnering with organizations, in particular highlighting the value ASI brings by sharing campus spaces with the community. Additional suggestions included offering more opportunities to facilitate connections between ASI audiences and community institutions, as well as exploring collaborations around programs and experiences for neighborhood residents.
