Saarinen. Using PechaKucha’s trademark 20 slides x 20 seconds format, the event brought together a wide array of presenters who examined the deep impact of mid-century modernism in the Pacific Northwest. Among the speakers were Mina Marafat, Ph.D.; Richard Franko, Mithun; and Peter Cohan, University of Washington. Also in May, and in conjunction with the Saarinen exhibit, the Museum hosted an evening with Docomomo Wewa, where guest curator Mina Marefat spoke to an audience of 140 people. During Eight Seasons in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi People, the Museum hosted lectures and events on Sámi culture and history. These included “Traditional Sami Religion” and “Duodji in the Sámi Culture” presented by Mari-Ann Nutti, director of Sámi Duodji, and Anna Westman Kuhmunen, curator at the Ájtte Museum (77 in attendance). In “The Night is Not So Long That the Day Never Comes: How to Read a Sámi Wooden Cup,” associate professor and Sámi scholar Troy Storfjell explored indigenous Sámi knowledge systems and their place in contemporary society by focusing on the handicraft.
In addition to the lectures and discussions, the Museum offered family-oriented programs aimed at linking generations. Kids and adults learned about the Sámi people and listened to traditional Sámi yoik with Nathan Muus, a lavvu (traditional Sámi tent homes) was set up by Diana Ng, and children could hear a Sámi story and make a craft project. The Museum also offered a range of events related to the permanent collection. In conjunction with the reinstallation of the Bergman loom, Theresa Trebon, co-founder of Historic Looms of America, spoke on Margaret Olofsson Bergman, who in the 1930s and 40s gained national fame as the “Dean of Northwest Weavers” and whose works are in the permanent collection of the Museum. Moreover, the Museum hosted six book signings on recent publications on Nordic culture. Highlights included Birgitte Aarestrup’s presentation of her book 8 Seasons in Sapmi and Eric Utne’s presentation of Brenda, My Darling, a story based Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen’s letters to writer Brenda Ueland.
Films The third lecture in the series was presented by Professor Thomas DuBois, expert in Sámi folklore and identity. He spoke on Account of the Sámi written by Johan Turi in 1910, the first book written about the Sámi people by a Sámi writer and recently translated by DuBois. The lecture series concluded with a screening of the film Suddenly Sámi followed by panel discussion on heritage and identity with Sunnie Empie, professor Troy Storfjell, and Sharyne ShiuThornton, moderated by Chief Curator Lizette Gradén.
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In January, the Museum presented the third annual Nordic Lights Film Festival, a partnership between the Museum, domestic and international film institutes, Scandinavian film festivals across the United States, and the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The three-day festival presented contemporary, award-winning films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Among them the U.S. premiere of the documentary When the Pepper Blossoms. Over the three-day festival, 550 people attended, which was consistent with the 2011 festival.