Message from Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO

It’s early July as I write this, and I’m reflecting on the growth of recent activity on our campus: members of our ASI Male Chorus (celebrating their 85th anniversary this year) arrived for an evening rehearsal. Volunteers from Sisters’ Camelot and a few ASI staff assembled in our front courtyard for community food distribution. One family came for a memorial gathering to honor a loved one, and another later held a wedding ceremony in our gardens. Diners filled the tables in Fika café, and other visitors shopped at our carefully curated Museum Store (which now has an online component!). Our Midsommar celebration drew many visitors and stretched out over four days — which led me to think this might have been our version of the movie Groundhog Day. We’re also seeing the results of cautious planning for the return of students young and old: tents in the shadow of the Mansion serve as outdoor handcraft classrooms where children from the Whittier neighborhood enjoy a craft lesson, and where adult groups learn such skills as green woodcarving or SAORI weaving. The return of our much-appreciated Babies at the Castle and Kids at the Castle programs brings joy to many young parents. Virtual programming grew considerably this past year. We essentially started from zero to establishing six Zoom channels to support dozens of courses ranging from Swedish language to cooking to craft to music. We have also launched a new website. Two members commented that they were immensely pleased by ASI’s adept shift to online options. One wrote, "the walls and miles between us and ASI have disappeared." While we rejoice in seeing so many people here, we intend to continue distance learning to serve people at home and our non-resident participants. When ASI was founded in 1929, our charter expressly stated that it was intended to be "an institute for the sole purpose of education." Over 90-plus years, our commitment to education has remained constant. We’ve also thought more expansively about our audiences, recognizing our community’s growing diversity, which is considerably broader now than in 1929. We embrace the valuable role that ASI plays as a "third place" outside of home and work as an anchor of community life committed to a mission of being a gathering place for all people (virtually and in person) for learning, creative pursuit, relaxation and civic engagement. We’re also pleased to collaborate with a wide range of organizations, such as those mentioned elsewhere in this issue, who helped bring the Kindertransport exhibition here, examining the history of a heroic recue of children on the eve of a world war and related issues at the core of our mission. This issue of Posten and a separately mailed Catalog describe a robust calendar of events and activities. All of this is made possible by many supportive friends and members. When you make a gift, renew a membership, enroll in a class or patronize our Museum Store or Fika, your generosity enables our creative staff and dedicated volunteers to enrich the lives of many others through programs, classes and exhibitions. I encourage you to take part in the life of our institute as we look ahead to our 91st year of service to community. Thank you for all you do in support of a place cherished by so many. Tack så hemskt mycket!

Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO