Family fun with folk art

Vesterheim offers new intergenerational programs in 2020

Photo courtesy of Vesterheim
““The intergenerational camp experience is designed for adult/child duos to come together for screen-free, hands-on activities,” says Lea Lovelace, director of folk art education.

Vesterheim
Decorah, IA

New in 2020, Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center, is offering several intergenerational hands-on learning opportunities for ages 8 to adult.

The program consists of two Saturday workshops and a summer camp. The first took place on Feb. 8. The second workshop, now open for enrolment, follows on May 9, and this summer, Vesterheim will pilot a folk art family camp for duos of child and adult family member.

Pre-registration for the May workshop and summer camp is required. Sign up at www.vesterheim.org, or by calling Vesterheim at (563) 382-9681.

“Intergenerational programming at Vesterheim offers families the unique opportunity to share creative and hands-on experiences together, while moving folk-art traditions forward from one generation to the next,” Aaron Burmeister, Vesterheim folk art school assistant, said.

In the first workshop on Feb. 8, instructor Rebecca Hanna led a hands-on experience with kroting, a traditional Norwegian technique of decorating painted-wood surfaces.

The Family Folk-Art Fun Workshop on May 9 will focus on rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting). More details will be available soon at www.vesterheim.org.

Vesterheim Folk-Art Family Camp, Aug. 7 – 9, will feature adventures with rosemaling, carving, fiber, and cooking, plus recreational activities.

“The intergenerational camp experience is designed for adult/child duos to come together for screen-free, hands-on activities as they sample different folk-art mini classes and engage in meals and evening activities together,” Lea Lovelace, Vesterheim director of folk art education, said.

The single enrollment cost for the camp covers most meals, evening activities, and all necessary supplies and materials for both adult and child. See www.vesterheim.org for more details and to register.

Support for the workshops and summer camp is generously provided by The American-Scandinavian Foundation.

Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center, in scenic Decorah, Iowa, showcases the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts, and explores the American immigrant experience.

This national treasure includes world-class exhibitions and 12 historic buildings. It is also a center for folk-art education, offering a wide variety of classes in authentic Norwegian folk art every year.

For more information on the museum’s exhibitions, classes, events, membership opportunities, and ways to donate, check Vesterheim’s website at www.vesterheim.org, call (563) 382-9681, or write to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 502 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, Iowa 52101-0379.