NORDIC ECHOES — TRADITION IN CONTEMPORARY ART

APRIL 5, 2025 - AUGUST 2, 2025
Gallery Hours: Tue-Sat—12-6 PM; Wed—12-7 PM

Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016

Opening in April 2025 at Scandinavia House, Nordic Echoes — Tradition in Contemporary Art is the first major traveling exhibition of contemporary Nordic folk arts and cultural traditions from the Upper Midwest (North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). Featuring 55 works by 24 contemporary artists whose practices are informed by Nordic traditional skills, the exhibition will showcase the malleability and persistence of these traditions in the U.S. Looking at painting and textile traditions as well as works in wood and metal, Nordic Echoes highlights how variations on traditional themes and innovations have led to the emergence of living, evolving forms. No longer static objects rooted in an imagined past, these works explore themes of identity and belonging as well as how traditions have been shaped by their U.S.-based environments.

Featuring artists living and practicing within the pan-Nordic regions of North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the exhibition demonstrates how traditions have been passed down and changed or altered by new generations, often shaped by the Upper Midwestern environment and landscape by using local materials. A skinnfeld or hudteppe (usually a sheepskinlined coverlet in Norway) takes on new dimensions in Robin Carlson's fullsized buffalo hide, while Lisa Wiitala's ryijy (Finnish pile rugs) pay tribute to the local berries of the Upper Peninsula. The exhibition also looks at how artists explore questions of identity and belonging. Tia Keobounpheng's weaving and film speak to her Finnish family connections as well as her newly discovered Sámi heritage, and Talon Wilson's metalwork creates a meeting place between the skills and knowledge he gained in studying blacksmithing in Sweden and the Dakota traditions that are his heritage.

On view through August 2, 2025, the exhibition will be accompanied by a wide range of programming including artists talks and panels, workshops, films, music, guided gallery tours, and family activities. Programs will be added throughout the spring and summer. Click here to see related programming.