Exhibits Across Danish America
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NW Trolls: The Way of the Bird King
Now On View
Portland, OR and Seattle, WA area
Beginning in August 2023, a new six-site art exhibition entitled NW Trolls: Way of the Bird King, will be unveiled. The unique project features six giant hand-built nordic troll characters, designed by acclaimed Danish environmental artist and storyteller Thomas Dambo, to be installed at five locations in the Puget Sound region and one in Portland, Oregon. Scan Design Foundation is managing the collaborative effort with funding, media and site partners from across the region.
Elverhøj Museum of History and Art
1624 Elverhoy Way
Solvang, CA 93463
The Lion Has to be Happy
August 10 - October 13
On August 10, the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang, California opens the North American debut, The Lion Has to Be Happy: Contemporary Danish Ceramics, by renowned Danish artist and ceramist Marianne Steenholdt Bork. The exhibit will be on display from August 10th
through October 13th. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, August 10 from 5:00 -7:00 p.m. The public is invited to join. There is no charge for admission.
Co-Sponsored by: The Scan Design Foundation, The Estate of Mary and Ronald Bro, ASF - The American Scandinavian Foundation
Elverhøj Museum of History and Art
1624 Elverhoy Way
Solvang, CA 93463
Elverhøj Museum
Permanent Exhibit
Elverhøj is a quiet gem in the heart of Solvang with a triple focus: documenting the history of Solvang, celebrating Danish culture and the Danish-American immigrant experience, and promoting fine art and artists.
Chazen Museum of Art
University of Wisconsin
750 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706
Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century
August 10 - November 10
Love, adventure, educational opportunities, career advancement, sexual exploration and racism are among the myriad reasons African American artists traveled to Nordic countries during the first half of the 20th century. While some visited to learn and perform, others relocated in search of a vastly different life.
Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century, explores this often-overlooked time. Organized by the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, the exhibition is the first comprehensive pan-Nordic show to illuminate the artists’ motivations and experiences abroad.
Grand View University
Prairie Meadows Gallery Rasmussen Center
1200 Grandview Ave
Des Moines, IA 50316
Danish Artist Susanne Thea
August 23 - December 6
The Prairie Meadows Gallery in the Rasmussen Center at Grand View University presents two exhibits by Danish artist Suzanne Thea.
These exhibitions are presented in partnership with the National Foundation for Danish America (NFDA). The NFDA works to strengthen cooperation among organizations with ties to Danish heritage and culture, and Grand View University’s Art & Design Department is excited to welcome a pair of traveling exhibitions this academic year.
Co-Sponsored by: The Scan Design Foundation, The Estate of Mary and Ronald Bro, ASF - The American Scandinavian Foundation
Museum of
History and Industry
860 Terry Ave N
Seattle WA, 98109
Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO Bricks
Through September 22
Time for a summer “block” party at Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry! Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks partners some of the world’s most dazzling and innovative skyscrapers with the world’s most popular building brick. The exhibit features astonishing skyscrapers from North America, Asia and Australia constructed in breathtaking architectural detail by Ryan McNaught, one of only 21 LEGO® Certified Professionals in the world.
Solvang Viking & Amber Museum
1660 Copenhagen Drive
Solvang, CA 93463
The Great Hall of the Danes
Permanent Exhibit
Visit The Great Hall of the Danes at THE COPENHAGEN HOUSE. Our Danish Viking exhibit tells the story of the Danish Viking protector, Holger Danske (Holger the Dane), as well as the history of the Danish Viking from the early year 800s all the way up to the Danish Royal Family today.
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Tour the Museum
Ongoing Exhibit
Enjoy a virtual tour of the Museum of Danish America
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Nature As Sovereign: Paintings & Sculpture by Inger Nova Jorgensen
May 24 - October 21, 2024
Through the media of sculpture and painting, Inger Nova Jorgensen strives to unveil the harmony and vitality of the natural world, beckoning viewers to engage with their own essential selves. The concept of 'nature as sovereign' emerges from philosophical and ecological viewpoints that highlight the inherent autonomy of the natural world, independent of human intervention. Jorgensen's work encourages contemplation, underscoring our role as custodians of nature. By acknowledging nature's inherent sovereignty and respecting its rights, we foster an environment where it can thrive independently, in harmony with humanity.
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Nature-Culture/Natur-Kultur
On View through November 3, 2024
For many years, Denmark’s strides in sustainability have been a source of pride for Danes and Danish-Americans alike. Many of the cultural values that pushed Denmark towards environmental protection and energy efficiency were brought across the ocean by immigrants, who often maintained a similar set of values in their new homes, adapting them to the American system. The exhibit Nature-Culture/Natur-Kultur aims to explore the intersection of Danish cultural values and environmental action, both historically and in the present day.
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Sampling the Collection
Virtual Exhibit
Experience the collection and stories of Danish America online! You can explore highlights from the museum in Sampling the Collection
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Bedstemors House
Permanent Exhibit (Closed during winter season)
Go back in time at Bedstemors House and step into the world of the early 20th century
Bedstemors House was built in 1908 by Jens Otto Christiansen, a Danish immigrant and Elk Horn businessman. According to local stories, he built the house as an engagement gift for a young woman who sadly turned down his marriage proposal. It is unknown if Christiansen ever lived in the home himself, but he rented the home to several families until he sold it to the Salem Old People’s Home in 1933 for “one dollar and other valuable contributions.”
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park
Permanent Exhibit Open Daily Sunrise-Sunset
The museum's 30-acre campus is developed as the Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park. The park celebrates the Danish immigrant who designed elements of the Chicago Park system and who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. Jensen pioneered "the prairie school" of landscape architecture that focused attention on using native plantings to emulate natural environments. This outdoor venue provides picturesque landscaping, picnic areas, walkways, and outdoor interpretive stations for a more meaningful museum experience.
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
Jens Dixen House
Permanent Exhibit (Closed during winter season)
Just down the hill on the north end of the museum is the Jens Dixen House. This small North Dakota homesteader's cabin was originally located just north of the community of Kenmare, where Jens Dixen first moved when he arrived in the area around 1901.
Dixen was a Danish immigrant, school teacher, and preacher. He taught area boys in this house, and primarily focused on spiritual training. During especially harsh North Dakota winters, the students slept in the small space above the one room on the main floor. Dixen's students became known as "shanty boys" because of where they were taught.
Daneville Heritage Museum
200 1/2 W. Park Ave.
Viborg, SD 57070
Daneville Heritage Museum in Viborg, South Dakota
Permanent Exhibit
The Daneville Heritage Museum helps preserve and celebrate Viborg's proud Danish History. Displays include blacksmith tools, the Hooker, SD post office, pioneer dinnerware, doll collection, Christmas room, household items and collections.
Danish Heritage Museum of Danevang
153 County Road 426
Danevang, TX 77432
Danish Heritage Museum of Danevang, Texas
Permanent Exhibit
Construction was begun in 2000 on a building designed to resemble a typical Danish barn with a red roof. Alvin Jensen, a native of Danevang and a retired construction engineer, designed the building and supervised the construction. The building was completed the following spring and was dedicated on June 1, 2001. It contains approximately 6,000 square feet display area on the ground floor plus a kitchen and restroom facilities. The second floor has a meeting room , offices, and work space for processing the artifacts and setting up exhibits.
Danish Windmill
4038 Main Street
Elk Horn, Iowa 51531
Danish Windmill Complex in Elk Horn, Iowa
Permanent Exhibit
The Danish Windmill is a working museum, showing visitors the inside workings of a historic mill built in Nørre Snede, Denmark in 1848. It was brought to America in pieces where it was lovingly rebuilt in the Danish Village of Elk Horn by community volunteers in 1976 in honor of their Danish ancestors and restored to working order.
The complex also features a replica of a 900AD Viking smithy’s home and workshop, the tiny Morning Star Chapel and a replica of the village of Ebeltoft, Denmark. The museum store features Danish cultural heritage gifts, books, foods, collectibles from Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl and is an Iowa Welcome Center. Plan your tour to the Danish Villages with just one call to the Danish Windmill!
HCA Museum
1680 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463
Hans Christian Andersen Museum
Permanent Exhibit
The Hans Christian Andersen Museum is operated by the Ugly Duckling Foundation, a non profit organization established to foster public understanding and enjoyment of Hans Christian Andersen and his work. The Museum is located upstairs in The Book Loft Building.
House of Denmark
Balboa Park
San Diego, CA
House of Denmark in San Diego, California
Permanent Exhibit - Open Saturday/Sunday 11am-5pm
The House of Denmark is one of the cottages in the International Village in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. Located off President’s Way between the Organ Pavilion and the Air & Space museum, the village was originally built for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. See this historic flyer for more details about the Exposition.
Central Park
Plaza West of Conservatory Lake
New York, NY
Hans Christian Andersen sculpture
Permanent Exhibit
This bronze larger-than-life-sized figure depicts Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), Danish poet, novelist, and author of fairy tales including The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. Sculptor Georg John Lober (1892–1961), who also created the statue of George M. Cohan (1958) in Duffy Square, shows the writer seated on a bench appearing to be reading his semi-autobiographical Ugly Duckling story to a rather attentive 2-foot-high bronze “duckling.”
Mystic Seaport Museum
75 Greenmanville Ave
Mystic, CT 06355
Historic Danish Ships
Permanent Exhibit
Two historic Danish Ships are docked in the harbor of the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. The Gerda III is a Danish workboat used to rescue Danish Jews during WWII, and the Joseph Conrad is a former Danish Training Ship with a tragic past.
Nordic Northwest
8800 SW Oleson Drive
Portland, Oregon 97223
Past Exhibits
A listing of past exhibitions at Nordic Northwest
Northwest Danish Association
1833 N 105th St
Suite 101
Seattle, WA 98133
Snapshots: Traveling with H.C. Andersen
Virtual Exhibit
An art exhibition by Danish artist Susanne Thea
Petersen House Museum
1414 W Southern Ave
Tempe, AZ
The Petersen House Museum
Permanent Exhibit
One of Tempe's most beautiful historic homes, the Niels Petersen House Museum stands as a reminder of Tempe’s past and the residents who helped pave the way for future generations.
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Painting Tranquility: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi, The National Gallery of Denmark
Virtual Exhibit
On view at Scandinavia House in 2015-16, Painting Tranquility: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi from SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark presented a wide selection of masterpieces by celebrated Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916), the first exhibition in New York exclusively dedicated to the artist's work in over 15 years
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Danish Paintings from the Golden Age to the Modern Breakthrough: Selections of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.
Virtual Exhibit
Drawn from the distinguished private collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr., "Danish Paintings from the Golden Age to the Modern Breakthrough: Selections from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.," on view at Scandinavia House in 2013/14, traced the developments in Danish art from the early 19th through the early 20th centuries—a period that saw the emergence of a distinctive national approach to painting in Denmark.
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Online Nordic Art & Culture
Virtual Exhibits
Gallery tours of past exhibitions are added on a regular basis; check back for more visual art online.
Danish American Archive & Library
1738 Washington
Blair, NE 68008
Spreading "The Word": The Dana College Theater Troupe Tour of 1942
Virtual Exhibit
The Danish American Archive and Library in Blair, Nebraska, presents its first stand-alone online exhibit: Spreading “The Word”: The Dana College Theater Troupe Tour of 1942. The exhibit tells the story of a group of students at the now-defunct Dana College who went on tour to 12 Midwestern Danish American communities in six states. The students performed a play in the original Danish language by the acclaimed Danish playwright Kaj Munk, who two years later was assassinated by German Nazis. Dana College had strong Danish roots, and the exhibit also highlights how WWII and the German occupation of Denmark impacted the students.
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