Happy Spring Everyone!
It’s the final countdown to our big adventure!
Please note that any saamisupplies.com orders placed after April 5 will be mailed after April 30 so stock up on your favorites in the next week.
Needless to say this particular April is going to be one for the books.
In less than two weeks we will be on our way to Norway to fulfill my American Scandinavian Foundation grant obligations to research Sámi silver work and I couldn’t be more psyched.
Be prepared to be inundated with Instagram photos and videos documenting our interviews with artists and visits to the many cultural repositories representing Sámi craft and history. If you haven’t followed me on my new Instagram page, my handle is: liz_bucheit_crowns_tiaras
In case you missed my last blog:
I’m particularly excited to visit the Sámi Parliament building in Karasjok which houses an incredible library. I’ll also be speaking with artists like Anita Schmid and Peter Rust and Ann-Sofie Kristina Kallok at Juhls Silver Gallery in Kautokeino. Museums like the Ridddo Duottar Museat in Karasjok are on the menu as well. Stay tuned!
I also had the great pleasure this past week to meet the incredible folks of Sylsmidja, Norway’s largest wholesale provider of beautiful bunad silver jewelry for over 80 years located in Voss, Norway. They have a stunning exhibition of their history and company at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and they were kind enough to visit our studio in Lanesboro, MN.
Anne Kari J. Salbu is the granddaughter and project manager of Sylsmidja along with Product Developer and Sales Consultant Anders Fagerthun and Shop Manager Trond Syversen. It was such an honor to meet them in person and we received a personal invitation to visit their factory on my next trip to Norway (Hmmmmmm…….next spring????????) Check out their beautiful work! Their videos are incredible, in particular the video in the exhibit showcasing the design and construction of a bridal crown – my favorite of course.
Many thanks to all the well-wishers regarding my trip and the American Scandinavian Foundation for this incredible opportunity to bring more awareness to the history and tradition of Sámi silver. Giitu!
