Summer greetings everyone!
It has been a wonderful and wild past few months since my last blog. For starters I was awarded an artist residency at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.
I was privileged to have access to the entire museum collection for the better part of January.
The silver collection is amazing and I was able to examine everything from bridal crowns to vintage brooches, rings, belts and pendants. All of this will serve as inspiration for developing new jewelry class curriculum in 2024 and I already have some awesome ideas!
Speaking of the Vesterheim, they have two incredible exhibits that include several of my pieces. My Sámi Inspired Collar and Cuffs is one of a handful of talented jewelry artist’s work included in Sámi Dreams: Portraits of Resilience in the Norwegian Arctic. The exhibit features the wonderful photography of Randall Hyman with recorded interviews of Sámi men and women touching on the culture and its challenges today. The show runs July 1 to October 31, 2023.
The second special exhibit created by the Vesterheim is called “Embellishment”, a special folk arts show focusing on the importance of detail in folk art. I was over the moon to learn my Fiddlehead Bridal Headpiece won Best of Show! The exhibition includes woodworking, rosemaling, knife making, jewelry, weaving and fiber arts. This show runs July 6, 2023 – January 5, 2024.
It’s currently a rainy day here and I am staring at the stack of unfinished bracelets I need to complete before the weekend. Are you ready for a little rainy day crafting? Check out our kits and or stock up on supplies for those days when it’s too hot to be outside and you want to keep your skills up.
Stay tuned! I made a short sweet trip to Norway this past June and got to witness a traditional wedding in Voss. I’m almost done sorting my photos so I can’t wait to share them with you. Nordic Fest is right around the corner so I’m also cleaning and refurbishing a lot of bunad silver too. I’ll be demonstrating during the festival so stop by the new Vesterheim Commons on Saturday July 29 and say hello!
Check out the class calendar as I’m already scheduling into 2024. I’d love to see you in person and online in the coming months!