Exhibits Across Danish America
Scroll Down to See Exhibits at All Venues
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.
Museum of Jewish Heritage
Edmond J. Safra Plaza
36 Battery Place
New York, NY 10280
Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark
October 15, 2023 - April 30, 2024
Opening October 15, 2023, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark is the Museum’s first exhibition for visitors aged 9 and up. The exhibition tells the remarkable story of the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust. Together, Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors of all ages mobilized to create one of the most effective—and exceptional—examples of mass resistance and escape in modern history. Despite the enormous risk, ordinary citizens united against Nazism to save nearly 95% of Denmark’s Jewish population.
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.
Danish Church and Cultural Center
16881 Bastanchury Road
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Poetry in Paper
Coming Soon
Bit Vejle is a world leading psaligrapher and slow art frontrunner. The artists form of expression, psaligraphy, literally means the art of drawing or painting with scissors. She opened her first show at The National Museum of Decorative Arts in Trondheim, Norway, in 2008, and in few years her art has spread throughout Scandinavia and all the way to the USA, Europe and Asia. Bit Vejle ́s artistic work spans from the travelling exhibition Scissors for a Brush that travels between countries and continents, to commissioned work for several renowned international companies such as Hermès and Georg Jensen. She even has her own museum in Denmark.
Presented by the NFDA Traveling Exhibit Program
Co-Sponsored by: The Scan Design Foundation, The Estate of Mary and Ronald Bro, ASF - The American Scandinavian Foundation
Northwest Danish Association
1833 N 105th St
Seattle, WA 98133
The Art of Marie Drewes
May 9 - July 31, 2024
Danish artist Marie Drewes (born 1945) is a 77-year young, vigorous and vivacious artist who has successfully worked full time as an artist for four decades. Her energy is contagious as is her ready smile that reflects the positive, uplifting motifs she chooses in her artworks. Marie works primarily with acrylics, oils and water colors but also dabbles with lithographs and has created several commercial logos and posters during her career. Marie graduated from Aarhus Academy of Art in the 1970s after she had completed her education as a teacher. Her dad had asked her to pursue a “real” education before she ventured into the arts!
Presented by the NFDA Traveling Exhibit Program. Co-Sponsored by: The Scan Design Foundation, The Estate of Mary and Ronald Bro, ASF-The American Scandinavian Foundation
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.
National Nordic Museum
2655 Northwest Market St.
Seattle, WA 98107
La Vaughn Belle: A History of Unruly Returns
January 13, 2024 - July 21, 2024
In fall 2020, the National Nordic Museum opened the first solo exhibition of La Vaughn Belle’s work in the Pacific Northwest. The exhibition, titled La Vaughn Belle: A History of Unruly Returns, will be reimagined and represented in expanded form in the Museum’s Barbro Osher and Fjord Hall Alcove Galleries.
La Vaughn Belle: A History of Unruly Returns features the paintings, ceramics, and collages of contemporary artist La Vaughn Belle. Based on the island of Saint Croix, Belle investigates the legacy of colonialism. The exhibition will feature large-scale paintings from her series “Chaney (We Live in the Fragments)” (2015-present).
National Nordic Museum
2655 Northwest Market St.
Seattle, WA 98107
Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century
March 22, 2024 - July 21, 2024
Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century illuminates the untold story of African American visual and performing artists, such as Doug Crutchfield, Herb Gentry, Dexter Gordon, William Henry Johnson, Howard Smith, and Walter Williams, who sought new possibilities, inspiration, and environments in the Nordic countries as an alternative to Paris. This exhibition is the first comprehensive examination of this topic.
The Claremont Colleges Library
800 N Dartmouth Ave
Claremont, CA 91711
Scandinavian Realms: The Library of Waldemar Westergaard
March 4, 2024 - May 31, 2024
Venture into the wilds of Scandinavia by exploring a curated selection of volumes from the
personal collection of Professor Waldemar Westergaard, which includes more than 4,000 texts on Scandinavia and the Baltic.
This exhibit, curated by Westergaard Postdoctoral Fellow Josh Hodil and students from his "History of Scandinavia to 1800" course, allows visitors to delve into the interconnected worlds of history, cartography, mythology, travel, and the Scandinavian “other.” Westergaard, Professor of History at Pomona College (1916-25) and then UCLA (1925-49), championed the study of northern Europe, with a particular emphasis on the history of Denmark.
Unchained Art Gallery
1601 E Cesar Chavez St
Austin, TX
Ditte Sørensen: Threads, The Elusive & Feminine
March 28-June 2, 2024
The first US solo exhibition by Danish artist Ditte Sørensen, invites you to dive deeply into the heart of collage and fabric innovation.
Known as Madstitch, she unveils the intricate world of fabric as the canvas itself, offering a profound exploration of both the tactile and intangible aspects of various mediums serving as a basis for her work.
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-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
The Fabric of our Nation: Art Quilts and Immigrant Stories
November 24, 2023 through May 12, 2024
Quilts are often much more than simple pieces of cloth stitched together. For those who make them, they represent hours of time, thought, and labor. For those who admire them, every element tells a story – from the fabric used to the techniques present to the final design. From Danish immigration to the United States, to the people who come to America by crossing the southern border, to the Hmong people who came as refugees from Southeast Asia, explore quilting traditions that represent three different immigration stories.
Museum of Danish America
2212 Washington St
Elk Horn, IA 51531
40 Years of Collecting: Highlights from the Permanent Collection
Through November 6, 2023
In 2023, the Museum of Danish America is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Over those 40 years, the museum has undergone a lot of changes — it’s become more professional, a curatorial center has been added, and the museum’s collection has grown to around 22,000 objects, not including our archival collection. The exhibition 40 Years of Collecting: Highlights from the Permanent Collection offers an opportunity to see what 40 years of collecting looks like and the artifacts and stories that live within the walls of our museum.
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
Fog Swept Cargo - Art from the Faroe Islands
April 13, 2024 - July 6, 2024
Fog Swept Cargo — Art from the Faroe Islands
brings the striking diversity of the Faroe Islands’ contemporary art scene to the United States for the first time. The exhibition features seven versatile visual artists whose works range widely in terms of expression, media, and technique: from abstract painting and sculpture to figurative graphic art, textile works, and installations. Curated by Kinna Poulsen, the exhibition will also highlight the pioneering work of lithography studio Steinprent, whose atelier in the capital of Tórshavn attracts artists from all over the world for collaboration.
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.
- Visit Our Online Community (coming soon)
© 2024 National Foundation for Danish America. All rights reserved.