The hand speaks and craft communicates from the heart. Fiber sculptor Ted Hallman examines the relationship between traditional and modern craft through three contemporary installations on ASHM’s first floor.
From the age of the Vikings to the settlers of the New Sweden Colony (1638-1655), to contemporary issues in Scandinavian society, the American Swedish Historical Museum will take you back in time and across the sea to learn the stories of Swedes in America.
Past Exhibitions
What makes the perfect gift? For many people, it is something that is handmade. In celebration of thoughtful, handmade gifts, the ASHM is featuring one of its most cherished gifts. This exhibition includes selections of the 75 handmade textiles presented to the American Swedish Historical Museum in 1938 from every province of mainland Sweden.
Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) – renowned Swedish director, scriptwriter, theater manager, dramatist, and author – would have been 100 years old in July 2018. To honor this accomplished filmmaker, Bergman’s anniversary is being celebrated worldwide.
Hundreds of Sami-the indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia-traveled 10,000 miles to Alaska in 1894 and 1898 to teach reindeer herding to Alaskan native peoples (the Yup'ik and Inupiaq). This is the story told by “The Sami Reindeer People of Alaska”, a traveling exhibit sponsored by the Sami Cultural Center of North America.
Erika Larsen introduces us to the day-to-day lives of modern Sami families through her acclaimed photography exhibition. From her intimate vantage point, Erika immersed herself in the culture, language, and land of the northern Sami. Her work gives us an intimate peek into the beautiful, bloody realities of reindeer herding.
On view in the Balcony Gallery of ASHM's Grand Hall, this exhibit is a series of 20 images that explore the stories of those who have found asylum in Sweden.
Designed by an enterprise partnering with the IKEA Foundation and the UNHCR, these refugee shelters offer displaced persons a secure, adaptable, and dignified place to live. The American Swedish Historical Museum’s ‘better shelter’ will be installed on the Museum’s lawn.
This exhibit captures the impact of the war in Syria. Twenty-two photographs, by acclaimed photojournalist Magnus Wennman, document the refugee crisis and what the simple act of bedtime brings for the youngest and most vulnerable refugees — children.