Exhibitions

Based on the latest research conducted on both historic and recent discoveries of Viking-era artifacts by Uppsala University in Sweden, The Vikings Begin tells the story of the Vikings of early Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, and Norway).

A visual conversation, EyeSound is a correspondence in images and words between Danish visual artists Iben West and Else Ploug Isaksen and four Icelandic authors. 

Nordic Journeys expands the museum’s classic immigration story to include a broader understanding of Nordic life and culture as it has evolved over the last twelve thousand years.

A survey of contemporary arts from Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and the autonomous regions of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland. May 5 – Sept. 16, 2018.

A biographical narrative of the Norwegian explorer and humanitarian, Fridtjof Nansen studies a purposeful life of scientific learning and exploration, political travails, and humanitarian devotion. May 5 – Aug. 5, 2018.

The joint project of three women, Fintiaanit chronicles an intense three-year journey in North America, documenting the descendants of Finnish immigrants and Native Americans in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Seattle-area artist Susan Ringstad Emery, of Iñupiat and Scandinavian descent, explores the duality of her family heritage through contemporary native artworks, which range from cave-art-inspired mixed-media works on panel to painting to graphite on paper.

This retrospective highlights the artist’s substantial body of work and includes graphic art, ceramics, theater sets and costumes, ceramics, tapestries, jigsaw puzzles, tiles, and textiles gathered from the Museum of Danish America, The Blue House in Denmark, and private collectors. 

Photos and scholarly text explain in detail how Roald Amundsen spent his youth preparing for a life in the polar regions, his first meeting with the Antarctic, the three years he spent with the Inuit in the Arctic region, and the historic Race for the South Pole from 1910 to 1912.  

Founded in 1951 by visionary designer Armi Ratia and her husband Viljo, Marimekko not only sparked an international revolution in post-WWII pattern and textile production, but also inspired a new philosophy based on the power of design in everyday life. 

Nordic Heritage Museum presents Swedish Crime Scenes, a banner exhibition curated and designed by the Swedish Institute in Paris, which “presents 21 Swedish crime fiction authors from a perspective that both gives the audience a good idea of Swedish crime fiction but also effectively presents Swedish geography and landscape.” 

A Norwegian engineer and photographer, Wilse photographed the unprecedented growth and change in Seattle’s history from 1892 – 1900. 

On assignment from Nordic House in Reykjavik, the artist duo Cooper & Gorfer explore the driving forces of creativity behind the fashion of the Western Nordic region: Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.

The Stockholm-based photographer’s first major museum exhibition on the West Coast features sixteen of her richly colored, large-format photographs.

This exhibition examines the long-standing partnerships established between Norwegian and US explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

This is the American premiere of renowned chef Magnus Nilsson’s traveling exhibition, featuring photographs, stories, and recipes. The exhibition highlights unique Nordic ingredients and examines the rich culinary history and cooking techniques of the Nordic countries. 

A story of rescue and resistance

Flora Metamorphicae is an evolving artistic collaboration in which masses of ceramic flowers interact with the surrounding environment, exploring the complex relationship between nature and culture.

Denmark, Norway, and Sweden share a “spirited” tradition of enjoying beer and aquavit. This exhibition explores the cultural history of these beverages.

The Dream of America is the story of immigration told in an exhibit of lifelike dioramas.

The Promise of the Northwest includes two galleries that focus on the logging and fishing industries, which employed many immigrants who brought skills learned in the old country. 

The third-floor exhibitions illustrate the differences and common bonds among the Nordic peoples. There is one gallery for each of the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. 

Bohemian, entertainer, radio and television personality, restaurateur, entrepreneur — Ivar Haglund was a beloved Seattle personality and regional cultural icon.

Scandinavian immigrants to North American brought with them the core values of their home countries, including a deep appreciation for education.

The Nordic Heritage Teen Council presents “Boxing up the Past, Packing for the Future.” 

Finland: Designed Environments looks at the explosion of creativity in Finnish design over the last fifteen years.

Dual Exposures by Diana Velasco explores two bodies of work: the "Portraits" series and the "Family Album" feature. 

A son of Finnish and Swedish immigrants, the Chicago-born commercial artist and painter Warner Sallman (1892 – 1968) has been cited by the New York Times as one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century.