Help us celebrate the arrival of summer and the 40th anniversary of our annual Midsommarfest, complete with food, drinks, homemade Swedish pastries, music and maypole dancing, as well as free crafts and games for the kids. This year, we are also thrilled  to announce a performance by the award-winning Swedish band JAERV! 

Join the American Swedish Historical Museum and the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association to learn about the unique sport of Orienteering. Originating in Sweden, Orienteering utilizes navigation skills to race from point to point throughout a set course. Event attendees will learn about the history of Orienteering, view our exhibition on the modern compass, and learn basic map reading skills before setting off to complete a course through FDR Park. Pre-registration for the event is suggested, $10 per person.

ASHM members are invited to a special preview of the new exhibit Outdoor Adventures: Navigating the Nordic Way! Join us as we explore the history of Nordic navigation, compasses, and the modern-day sport of orienteering. Curator, Trevor Brandt, and collection lender, Chris Cassone, will be on hand to give unique glimpses into the special history behind the objects.

Join fellow culinary enthusiasts for a totally hands on cooking workshop at ASHM. Whether you are new to Swedish cuisine or would like to brush up on old skills with friends, this engaging workshop helps aspiring chefs work through the recipes step by step. This class will focus on the beginning and end of a meal. We will create three unique Swedish canapes including a bite sized version of Smörgåstårta, followed by Toast Skagen, and a herring cocktail (not a drink but a layered dip).

Before there was such a thing as “Scandinavian Design” or the ubiquitous furnishings of companies like IKEA, there was Karin Larsson. Identified as “the first designer of what would become known as Swedish Modern” by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., Karin Bergöö Larsson (1859–1928) was a mother of eight and wife to Sweden’s beloved painter, Carl Larsson. Herself a well-regarded artist, she gave up painting when she married, at the request of her husband.