National Nordic Museum

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National Nordic Museum
National Nordic Museum Logo.jpg
Nordic Museum Seattle.jpg
The main entrance to the current Nordic Museum on Market Street
National Nordic Museum
Established1980
Location2655 NW Market Street
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 47°40′06″N122°23′33″W / 47.66833°N 122.39250°W / 47.66833; -122.39250
Type Heritage center
DirectorEric Nelson
PresidentHans Aarhus
Website nordicmuseum.org
The entrance to the old Nordic Heritage Museum with a sculpture by Finnish artist Eino Romppanen, now closed and replaced by a relocated Nordic Museum Nordic Heritage Museum Entrance.jpg
The entrance to the old Nordic Heritage Museum with a sculpture by Finnish artist Eino Romppanen, now closed and replaced by a relocated Nordic Museum

The National Nordic Museum (previously Nordic Heritage Museum and then Nordic Museum) is a museum in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States, dedicated to the Nordic history, art, culture, and the heritage of the area's Nordic immigrants. It was founded in 1980 as the Nordic Heritage Museum, moved into a permanent, purpose-built facility in 2018 named the Nordic Museum, and was designated as the National Nordic Museum in 2019. The museum serves as a community gathering place and shares Nordic culture by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, and providing educational and cultural experiences from Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish Americans. The geographical region covered by the Museum includes the entire Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, the regions of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland, and the cultural region of Sápmi).

Contents

Description

The museum was originally known as the 'Nordic Heritage Museum' and was located in a red brick building in a predominantly residential part of Ballard. This building had housed the Daniel Webster Elementary School from 1907 to 1979, [1] at which time low student enrollment led to its closure. In 2018, the museum was renamed the 'Nordic Museum' and moved into a new 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m2) building on NW Market Street in Ballard. This building, commissioned by the Museum, opened May 5, 2018, and was dedicated by Icelandic president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and Danish crown princess Mary. [2] [3]

The non-profit museum's mission is to share "Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences, and serving as a community gathering place." The founder and long-time director Marianne Forssblad retired in 2007. [4] Eric Nelson followed her as executive director and Janet Rauscher became chief curator in 2008. [5] In 2012, Lizette Gradén became the chief curator. In September 2019, Leslie Anne Anderson became director of collections, exhibitions, and programs. She oversees the curatorial department. [6]

The museum published the NHM Historical Journal on a quarterly basis until 2011. In 2013 the museum published its first edition of the annual magazine Nordic Kultur.

The museum has also published books including Voices of Ballard and Beyond: Stories of Immigrants and Their Descendants in the Pacific Northwest published in 2012.

The Nordic Museum contains a Cultural Resource Center, that includes the Walter Johnson Memorial Library which was founded in 1980. As of 2011 it held 15500 books. It specializes in books published in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish. Its special collection includes the Gordon Tracie Music Collection and the Vanishing Generations Oral History Project. [7] The Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Collection (formerly the Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Library) was founded in 1995. As of 2011 it contained 3000 audio/visual materials, 4000 music scores, 2500 books, and 40 periodical subscriptions. It focuses on folk customs, traditional dance, traditional music, folk art, and folk attire for Nordic cultures. Its special collections include the Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Collection, the Nordiska Folkdancers Collection, and the Skandia Folkdance Society Collection. [7]

The museum was designated as the National Nordic Museum in March 2019 by the U.S. Congress as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. [8] The new name was dedicated by senators Maria Cantwell and Lisa Murkowski the following month. [9]

Exhibitions

Nordic Heritage Museum

Exhibits at the old Nordic Heritage Museum Seattle Ballard Nordic Heritage Museum 2.jpg
Exhibits at the old Nordic Heritage Museum
Exhibit from Sweden Room of the old Nordic Heritage Museum Seattle Ballard Nordic Heritage Museum 3.jpg
Exhibit from Sweden Room of the old Nordic Heritage Museum
Viking ship at Viking Days 2012 Viking ship at Nordic Heritage Museum Viking Days.JPG
Viking ship at Viking Days 2012
Ship and Viking encampment at Viking Days Ship and camp at Viking Days at Nordic Heritage Museum.JPG
Ship and Viking encampment at Viking Days
Craft and food vendors outside the previous museum building during Viking Days festival Vendors at Viking Days at Nordict Heritage Museum.JPG
Craft and food vendors outside the previous museum building during Viking Days festival

As part of the long term exhibits, the old Nordic Heritage Museum had five ethnic galleries, one for each country, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well a gallery, "Dream of America", describing Nordic emigration to the Pacific Northwest. There was also a temporary gallery space.

National Nordic Museum

Warrior helmet, Valsgarde boat grave 5, 7th century. The Vikings Begin. The Vikings Begin 51 - warrior helmet, Valsgarde boat grave 5, 7th century.jpg
Warrior helmet, Valsgärde boat grave 5, 7th century. The Vikings Begin.

The permanent exhibit has been reconceived as a single exhibit, "Nordic Journeys", spread over five galleries. Besides artifacts from the museum's permanent collection, over 100 objects are on extended loan from other museums in the U.S. and national museums of the five Nordic countries. The exhibit ranges from 4,000-year-old stone axes and Viking-era artifacts to examples of modern Nordic design. [10]

Public programs

A large part of the museum's focus is offering programming to educate the public about Scandinavian culture, including a craft school, adult and kids programs and teacher resources.

Events

The museum holds frequent events that further its mission of creating a community gathering space and educating the public about Nordic culture and heritage, including:

Special events

Each year the National Nordic Museum hosts two major community events, Nordic Sól and Julefest.

Nordic Sól began in 1984 as Tivoli Days and was held each July. In 2008 the two-day event's name was changed to Viking Days and in 2011 the event moved to mid-August. In 2018, the event moved back to July to coincide with the annual Ballard SeafoodFest. [11] The event features food and craft vendors, Scandinavian music, and a Viking Encampment. In 2019, the museum renamed Viking Days to Nordic Sól and redesigned it to highlight more aspects of Nordic history and contemporary culture.

Julefest is held the Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving each year. This event is a Nordic Christmas celebration with craft vendors, Nordic food and music, and Christmas traditions on display. The 2019 Julefest was the 42nd occurrence of this festival. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scandinavia</span> Subregion of Northern Europe

Scandinavia is a subregion of Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. Scandinavia most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scandinavian Peninsula. In English usage, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for Nordic countries. Iceland and the Faroe Islands are sometimes included in Scandinavia for their ethnolinguistic relations with Sweden, Norway and Denmark. While Finland differs from other Nordic countries in this respect, some authors call it Scandinavian due to its economic and cultural similarities.

Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. Viking metal is quite diverse as a musical style, to the point where some consider it more a cross-genre term than a genre, but it is typically seen as black metal with influences from Nordic folk music. Common traits include a slow-paced and heavy riffing style, anthemic choruses, use of both sung and harsh vocals, a reliance on folk instrumentation, and often the use of keyboards for atmospheric effect.

Nordic folk music includes a number of traditions of Nordic countries, especially Scandinavian. The Nordic countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Nordic folklore is the folklore of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It has common roots with, and has been under mutual influence with, folklore in England, Germany, the Low Countries, the Baltic countries, Finland and Sápmi. Folklore is a concept encompassing expressive traditions of a particular culture or group. The peoples of Scandinavia are heterogenous, as are the oral genres and material culture that has been common in their lands. However, there are some commonalities across Scandinavian folkloric traditions, among them a common ground in elements from Norse mythology as well as Christian conceptions of the world.

The culture of Iceland is largely characterized by its literary heritage that began during the 12th century but also traditional arts such as weaving, silversmithing, and wood carving. The Reykjavík area hosts several professional theaters, art galleries, bookstores, cinemas and museums. There are four active folk dance ensembles in Iceland. Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world.

The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth 350,000 Danish kroner (2008). Eligible works are typically novels, plays, collections of poetry, short stories or essays, or other works that were published for the first time during the last four years, or in the case of works written in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish, within the last two years. The prize is one of the most prestigious awards that Nordic authors can win.

<i>Uff da</i> Scandinavian exclamation expressing dismay

Uff da is an American Scandinavian exclamation or interjection used to express dismay, typically upon hearing bad news. Of Norwegian origin, the phrase was brought by Scandinavian Americans to the Upper Midwest, New England, and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States during the 19th century, where its meaning was broadened to express also surprise, astonishment, exhaustion, or relief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordic cross flag</span> Flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross

A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Scandinavia</span>

The history of Scandinavia is the history of the geographical region of Scandinavia and its peoples. The region is located in Northern Europe, and consists of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Finland and Iceland are at times, especially in English-speaking contexts, considered part of Scandinavia.

Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each fall in Minot, North Dakota, US. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Sweden</span>

The Culture of Sweden is similar to but distinct from the cultures of neighboring countries and is characterised by its art, music, dance, literature, traditions, religious practices and more. Sweden's modern history has a well-established tradition of science, technology and cultural creativity. Swedes have made significant contributions to biology and chemistry, as well as cinema, art, music and literature. The Nobel laureates for physics, chemistry, medicine and literature are chosen by Swedish academies.

Nordic and Scandinavian Americans are Americans of Scandinavian and/or Nordic ancestry, including Danish Americans, Faroese Americans, Finnish Americans, Greenlandic Americans, Icelandic Americans, Norwegian Americans, and Swedish Americans. Also included are persons who reported 'Scandinavian' ancestry on their census. According to 2021 census estimates, there are approximately 9,365,489 people of Scandinavian ancestry in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordic Council Music Prize</span> Music award

The Nordic Council Music Prize is awarded annually by NOMUS, the Nordic Music Committee. Every two years it is awarded for a work by a living composer. In the intervening years it is awarded to a performing musician or ensemble.

Scandinavian literature or Nordic literature is the literature in the languages of the Nordic countries of Northern Europe. The Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia's associated autonomous territories. The majority of these nations and regions use North Germanic languages. Although the majority of Finns speak a Uralic language, Finnish history and literature are clearly interrelated with those of both Sweden and Norway who have shared control of various areas and who have substantial Sami populations/influences.

Nordischer Klang is the largest festival of Nordic culture in Germany. It is a major platform for artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in Germany. The festival takes place in the town of Greifswald, which is situated about 200 km to the north of Germany's capital Berlin at the Baltic shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordic countries</span> Geographical and cultural region

The Nordic countries are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland.

Nordic art is the art made in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and associated territories. Scandinavian art refers to a subset of Nordic art and is art specific for the Scandinavian countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Jane Jin Kaisen is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Steinunn Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic fashion designer. She is the founder and creative director of the label STEiNUNN, founded in 2000.

Leslie Anne Anderson is an American museum curator and art historian notable for her scholarship and exhibitions of nineteenth-century European, American, and regional art.

References

  1. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Webster School".
  2. ↑ Kiley, Brendan (April 30, 2018). "'Mad dash to the finish' as Seattle's new Nordic Museum prepares for its grand debut". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ "National Nordic Museum". Mithun. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ Bartley, Nancy (April 30, 2007). "Director of Nordic Heritage Museum returning to Sweden". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  5. ↑ Sturdivant, Peggy (May 18, 2009). "At Large in Ballard: Capturing the voices". Ballard News-Tribune. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  6. ↑ Kangas, Matthew (2020). "Close-Up: Leslie Anderson, New Nordic Museum Curator". Preview Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  7. 1 2 American Library Directory. Vol. 2 (64th ed.). Information Today, Inc. 2011–2012. pp. 2568–2576. ISBN   978-1-57387-411-3.
  8. ↑ Connelly, Joel (March 12, 2019). "Sen. Cantwell, trenchant Trump critic, makes rare trip to White House". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ Connelly, Joel (April 25, 2019). "'Little museum' in Seattle designated National Nordic Museum". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Nordic Journeys". Nordic Museum. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Viking Days". National Nordic Museum. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018. We officially moved our beloved summer celebration to the same weekend as SeafoodFest to expand the weekend's fun, educational activities.
  12. ↑ Walker, Meghan (November 5, 2019). "42nd annual Julefest coming soon to National Nordic Museum". My Ballard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
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