- Name: American Swedish Institute (ASI)
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Mission: To foster a better understanding and appreciation of the Swedish and Nordic cultures, history, and contemporary life.
- History: Founded in 1929 by Swan J. Turnblad, a Swedish immigrant and newspaper publisher.
- Museum and Cultural Center: ASI operates as a museum and cultural center, showcasing exhibitions, events, and educational programs related to Swedish and Nordic heritage.
- Turnblad Mansion: The institute is housed in the historic Turnblad Mansion, an architectural gem built in 1908, displaying a blend of Swedish and American design.
- Art and Exhibitions: Features rotating exhibitions that encompass art, design, and culture from Sweden and the Nordic region.
- Language and Cultural Classes: Offers language classes, workshops, and programs to promote cultural exchange and learning.
- Nelson Cultural Center: An addition to the historic mansion that enhances the institute’s capacity for events, lectures, performances, and community engagement.
- Nordic Marketplace: ASI has a museum store offering Nordic-inspired gifts, crafts, books, and more.
- Cultural Events: Hosts various events like Midsummer Celebration, Lucia Celebration, and other festivals, reflecting Nordic traditions.
- Community Engagement: Plays an active role in the local community, fostering cross-cultural connections and understanding.
- Research and Resources: Provides resources for scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in Swedish and Nordic culture and history.
American Swedish Institute is a splendorous and well-favored research organization built in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This non-profit informative museum and investigation center conserves the Swedish American culture in a significant manner. Besides, it makes people understand the role of this singular heritage in the history of the United States. It accumulates spectacular exhibits, collections, and research materials that recall the historical Swedish American tradition.
American Swedish Institute Exhibitions
The revering arts and culture museum of Minnesota has been quite edifying and illuminating with its remarkably arranged exhibitions and virtual presentations.
A Nordic Christmas
The museum’s glorious exhibit, A Nordic Christmas, makes a favorable attempt to demonstrate the unique customs and practices of Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. The first and second levels of the fantastical Turnblad Mansion of the museum are exquisitely ornamented for special occasions like Christmas. Moreover, the five galleries on each of these levels of the mansion are bejeweled during vacation times in some awe-inspiring ways. The exhibit also includes a presentation about the custom of ornamental napkin folding executed at the Swedish Room. The melodramatic and recherche patterns and varieties of this unequaled craft impress the viewers in an elegant style.
Swedish Handknits
Handknits are among the popular crafts and traditions of Sweden. The Swedish Handknits is a pleasing demonstration, which reveals the graceful features of the Voyageur Press’s new release, “Swedish Handknits”. This book is a result of the incomparable efforts of Sue Flanders and Janine Kosel, who are the famous designers, knitters, and authors of Minnesota. These heroic figures have done a great deal of investigation about the artwork, artifacts, and humanistic discipline of Turnblad Mansion and the museum as well. This extraordinary exhibition at the museum allows the viewers to take hold of the designing inspirations and great knitwork of Flanders and Kosel.
Treasured Threads: Nordic Lace
The cultures of Nordic nations of the world have great significance for laces, as they play a crucial part in involving the people in the Nordic customs and traditions. Laces are considered to be skillfully prepared handicrafts which were initially made by average farm girls. However, with the course of time, the paid craftsmen and other art professionals also started to practice their skills in the preparation of these beautiful handicrafts. The exhibitions put up an eye-catching show with the representation of elegant handicraft collections from the Skåne region of the Scandinavian country, Sweden. Besides, it also presents the handworks of adept women workers from the region.
In Our Nature: The Tapestries of Helena Hernmarck
Demonstrating the tapestries of Helena Hernmarck, one of the leading trompe-l’oeil weaver of the current era, the illustrious ‘In Our Nature: The Tapestries of Helena Hernmarck’ exhibit is frequently viewed by the museum visitors. The momentous tapestries and other artwork of this presentation soak up the visitors in the unsurpassable visuals of the nature. Sunny poppy pastures, privileged green forest exposures, profuse blooms, etc., are some of the high-graded visuals that are significantly displayed at this inspiring exhibit. Hernmarck has been absolutely appreciable in terms of her excellency in exhibiting the unique sequences of textures and her suspensive attention to resplendent color combinations.
The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank
Displaying the most high-toned art elegances of Svenskt Tenn, a renowned and classical interiors company of Stockholm, The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank presentation comes out as a well composed exhibition of the museum. Along with didactic panels, the exhibition also regards the aesthetic furnishings and textiles configured by Josef Frank, a prominent architect and designer of Austria. These dateless productions of Frank continue to remain in the market even till today. This celebrated and outstanding innovator of Swedish modern design produced his most creative and wholesome arrangement of textile designs when he temporarily relocated to New York.
American Swedish Institute Library and Archives
Making available a hearty and cordial location for executing intellectual investigation, the Library and Archives section behaves as another astounding extension of the museum, inviting visitors from around the planet. This placid and reposeful destination renders an optimal ambiance to silently go through the exclusive Swedish American and Sweden book samples stored at the museum. The scholars and investigators like to peruse the English and Swedish information materials that speak about various subjects such as literature, immigration, music, tradition, history, art, etc. The expert staff of the library is
well proficient in assisting the researchers to find useful aids during their investigation.
American Swedish Institute Material Collections
The museum greatly concentrates on the work of accumulating productive and relevant artifacts, documents, and other exhibition items that importantly reveal the one of its own kind customs and traditions of Swedish America and Sweden. On the other hand, the museum also aims to make available some remarkable and functional research materials for the scholars, educators, and investigators pertinent to the different areas of their educational interest. The museum is noted for its aggregation of three dimensional artworks and related objects that spotlight the ritzy and marvelous works completed by Swedish American art professionals.
American Swedish Institute Programs
As an institute, the museum convincingly fulfills its duty of educating the youth, families, and children about the variant features connected to the American Swedish literature. The På Gång Teen Group of the museum includes youth of ages, ranging from 13 to 18. In this group, the participants become a part of a social service club and Swedish class program where they study and exercise Swedish. The museum also makes arrangements for participants aging between 4 and 13 to get acquainted with Swedish in a motivational surrounding thorough its Svenska Skolan program. Moreover, the visitors can celebrate the famous Sankta Lucia Day with the museum’s exclusive extension, that is, the Lucia Choir.
American Swedish Institute Turnblad Mansion
The Turnblad Mansion is just an idealistic illustration of a perfect demonstration of the high-toned riches and abundance owned by Swan Turnblad. Designed in French Chateauesque construction fashion, the mansion formulated by the elating architects, Christopher Boehme and Victor Cordella, as per the authorization given by the Turnblads in 1903. Ben (Bengt) Aronson completed the masonry work of the mansion in a remarkable way. Aronson along with his brother Louis has done the masonry work of renowned constructions like Donaldson’s Glass Block, Temple Court, etc. Besides, the Aaron Carlson Company made a useful contribution in the completion of woodwork of the mansion.
American Swedish Institute Hotels
Relax into the comely and spacious hotel expansions of the city to continue receiving unparalleled excitement and entertainment as acquired through the visit to the state’s best museum.
W Minneapolis – The Foshay
The originally spectacular and high-class hotel, W Minneapolis – The Foshay adds great spice to the visiting experience of the guests with its fantabulous features. The hotel’s Prohibition Bar is a phenomenal place to sip in the ennobling cocktails of 1920s and enjoy the chef’s favorite small bites. In addition to that, this heart-pleasing hotel allows the guests to savor the center-cut and dry-aged beef dishes prepared by master hands at its one and only Manny’s Steakhouse. An eye-popping backdrop, showy dance floor, 3,080 sq. ft. wide space, intimate guestrooms, life-size windows providing striking scenes of the city, etc., are good reasons to organize weddings and other celebrations at this glorious hotel.
Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis Downtown
Settled close to many other attractions of the state other than the museum, the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis Downtown lures the guests from different parts of the nation with its contemporary ornamented decor and convenient rooms. The guests dwelling in this beautiful hotel location find great pleasure at its assuasive in-built swimming pool and fully geared fitness center. Get a heaven like dining experience at the hotel’s exclusive restaurant, The Great American Grill. Besides, the hotel furnishes excellent amenities and arrangements to add extraordinary flavors to the visitors’ events.
Come and celebrate the vivacious Swedish American culture with the colorful American Swedish Institute and submit yourself to its reposeful and galvanizing experience.
Suggested to Read: Minneapolis Institute of Arts: A Marvelous Expression of the Power of Art
