146:, taught by Sigmund Aarseth from Norway. The folk-art education program grew in 1968 to five classes with 63 students from 12 states, and now offers over 100 classes each year in fiber arts, painting, woodworking, metal working, food traditions, language, and more, both onsite and online. "The National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition" and Gold Medalist program also were born in 1967. This annual exhibition is a collection of art work entered by contemporary artists from all over the country who compete for ribbons in five categories - rosemaling, weaving, woodcarving, knifemaking, and metalworking, and earn points toward a Vesterheim Gold Medal.
131:, was in charge of collecting and shipping the gifts that would fill five semi-tractor trailers when they reached the United States. When the artifacts were on the way, Anders wrote to Knut telling of their journey, "May these objects work so that the Norwegian-ness in you will not die too soon and the connection with the homeland will because of this be tighter. Receive this gift as proof that we follow you all in our hearts even though the big Atlantic Ocean parts us." In 1930, Gjerstet bought 6,000 Norwegian-American artifacts known as the P. D. Peterson Collection from
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103:. In 1965, the Norwegian-American Museum became an independent non-profit museum with its own staff and board of directors. Soon after, it was referred to as Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. In 1969, Luther loaned the artifacts owned by Luther to the museum. In 1991, the museum acquired legal title to that collection and the museumâs name was officially changed to âVesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.â Vesterheim means âwestern homeâ in Norwegian.
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Museum and Folk Art School, with over 33,000 artifacts, 12 historic buildings, and a library and archives. This treasure showcases one of the most extensive collection of
Norwegian-American artifacts in the world and highlights the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts. Some
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Rovang
Parochial Schoolhouse was built in 1879 by the Washington Prairie Lutheran Congregation. For two weeks per term, the children/grandchildren of Norwegian immigrants were allowed to attend the parochial school to be educated in their Norwegian heritage, including speech, language, writing, and
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Bethania
Lutheran Church was a country church built in 1903 near Northwood, North Dakota. Vesterheim Director Marion Nelson was in search of an altar made by Osten Pladsen to add to Vesterheimâs collection and found one in a church that was up for auction. Because church and religion were a very
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The museum's first curator (from 1895 to 1902) was Haldor Hanson, Lutherâs professor of music. He changed the focus of the museum to an institution dedicated to the everyday life of a
Norwegian-American by combining artifacts already acquired by Luther and adding more. Curator from 1911 to 1921,
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The museum's main building is the historic
Arlington Hotel/Publishing House. Luther College purchased the abandoned building in 1932 and moved the museum collection to that site in 1933. Luther sold the building to Vesterheim for $ 1.00 in 1969. In 1973, the museum purchased land on Mill Street
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Vesterheimâs exhibitions explore the diversity of
American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience, and its classes welcome students to participate in the continual evolution of traditional folk art as it meets new influences. Vesterheim also offers educational events,
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important part of everyday life for the
Norwegian immigrant, it was decided to buy the entire church, its pews, and the communion rail, pulpit, and baptismal font built by Pladsen. The altar had already been donated to Vesterheim. The church was relocated to its present site in 1992.
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Knut
Gjerset was curator from 1922 to 1935. Under his direction, the museumâs artifacts increased along with its recognition. In honor of the 1925 centennial of Norwegian immigration, museums in Norway made large donations of artifacts to the museum in Decorah. Maihaugenâs curator,
336:, and brought to Vesterheimâs Heritage Park in 1971. It was built around 1854 by Mikkel Mikkelson Sinnes and was used as a home and blacksmith shop. It is similar to blacksmith shops in Norway. The shop was donated by the Darrell Skree family.
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Norsvin Mill was built in the 1800s in Norway and given to the Luther
College Museum by Knut Norswing so that it might house the millstones brought to America by his grandfather, Knut Norsvin. The mill and stones came from the Kongsken farm in
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and his wife
Elisabeth lived with the Egges. Koren was a pioneer Lutheran minister who played a significant role in the development of the spiritual and intellectual development of Norwegians in America. He played an active part in the
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Erik Egge built this house in 1852 on his farm five miles (8.0 km) southeast of Decorah. In July 1853, he married Helen Pedersdatter, a widow with two small children. From December 1853 to March 1854, newlyweds Rev.
255:, Norway. The house was enlarged and a covered entry added in the 1860s. Vesterheim acquired the house through the efforts of the rosemaler Sigmund Aarseth and of Kolbein Dahle, director of the Valdres Folk Museum in
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Norwegian immigrants Hans and Anna Haugan built the house on a farm southeast of Decorah during the 1860s and lived in it at least until 1880. The house is a representative example of the husmann dwelling (Norwegian:
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Tasa Drying Shed was built in approximately 1865 by Knut Thompson Tasa and was used to dry barley to make beer. Other common uses were for drying grains for human and animal use or used as a bath house.
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is at 118 North Mill Street, in Heritage Park. Norris Miller, a carpenter from Ohio, built this house in west Decorah in 1856. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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in 1974. The Old Stone Mill was built by William Painter, one of Winneshiek County's earliest European settlers, in 1851 and is commonly believed to be the oldest building in Decorah.
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which provides detailed insight into what it was like for four adults and two children to spend the winter in a one-room 14-by-16-foot (4.3 by 4.9 m) log house.
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348:. The house and most of the furnishings were donated to the museum by his granddaughter, Ruth Wickney, and moved to the present site in 1982.
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brought the idea of an âOpen Air Divisionâ back to Luther College in 1913 after seeing a collection of buildings at a museum called
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This represents a typical Norwegian landownerâs home. The Valdres House was built about 1795 on the Moahaugen farm in Heggenes,
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Vesterheim Museum was founded in 1877 as the Norwegian-American Historic Museum. It began as a part of nearby
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Heritage Park is a collection of 12 historic buildings located behind the museum's main building.
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is at 200 North Mill Street, in Heritage Park. It was listed on the
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Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Vesterhem's Folk Art School began in 1967 with two classes -
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431:(Koren, Elizabeth. New York : Arno Press, 1979, Š1955)
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Erikson-Hansen Stabbur was built by Hans Erikson in
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