American Swedish Institute

American Swedish Institute Explore Nordic arts and culture with ASI—a museum, cultural center, café, and destination store in MN

It’s back to school season for all ages, which means ASI’s language program is gearing up for the fall term. 12-week Swe...
09/04/2026

It’s back to school season for all ages, which means ASI’s language program is gearing up for the fall term. 12-week Swedish and Finnish language courses begin on September 14, so there’s still time to register and take your language skills to the next level.

Lilla Skolan (a program for Swedish-speaking 3-6 years olds) and Svenska Skolan (a Swedish language and culture program for 7-14 years olds) are fun and immersive language experiences for kids. The 10-week term starts on Sat, September 12.

Explore language programs and register now! https://ow.ly/mSNF50ZJv3p

Karin | Jeløy, Norway, 2019 Karin and her son had just parked their campervans and were enjoying a sunset stroll when Ri...
09/03/2026

Karin | Jeløy, Norway, 2019

Karin and her son had just parked their campervans and were enjoying a sunset stroll when Riitta and Karoline met them. Karin received her outlook on nature from family. Her mother had fled Austria because her N**i family attempted to murder her when they found out she was in love and pregnant with a man from Nigeria. Karin’s childhood was filled with time in Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, and Nigeria.

Karin’s grandfather would show her images of animals in America and Africa, igniting a mission to travel. Karin has found joy in solitude in nature, exploring shifting landscapes and light. “I never feel lonely as I’m always with myself. Hunting for sunrises and sunsets with my camera gives me so much joy, I really don’t need anything else.”

View Karin and others in the “Eyes as Big as Plates” exhibition by photographers Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen now on view through October 25.

Meet handcraft instructor Kerstin Neumüller! Teaching virtually with ASI since 2022, textile expert Kerstin has an excit...
08/28/2026

Meet handcraft instructor Kerstin Neumüller!

Teaching virtually with ASI since 2022, textile expert Kerstin has an exciting fall line-up for band weaving classes. Kerstin has a degree in men’s tailoring and has spent many years studying handcrafts and the history of textiles, and has written several books.

Kerstin’s textile work has been regularly featured in Hemslöjd Magazine, and she has taught classes across Scandinavia, including at Sweden’s premier traditional craft school, Sätergläntan; Stockholm’s Etnografiska Museum; Kultuhuset Ängeln; Handverket in Stockholm, and many more institutions. Her work was exhibited at Hemslöjden i Östergötland in 2022, and she has received the Kerstin Andersson Åhlin Stipend from the National Association of Swedish Handcraft in 2018.

Living in Sweden, these virtual workshops are among the only ways to learn from her, her process, and her expert tips and insights into weaving.

-Sept 12-13 | Design and start weaving a repp band on a small rigid heddle-style band weaving loom.
-Oct 17-18 | Learn how to picture weave a weft-facing repp band on a small rigid heddle-style band weaving loom.
-Nov 21–22 | Learn advanced techniques on a small rigid heddle-style band weaving loom.

Learn more and register: https://ow.ly/TWNo50ZGIpv

“Scotty” | Tasmania, Australia, 2019 Scotty has lived surrounded by the rainforest on Bruny Island off the Tasmanian coa...
08/27/2026

“Scotty” | Tasmania, Australia, 2019

Scotty has lived surrounded by the rainforest on Bruny Island off the Tasmanian coast for twenty-five years and he often goes surfing at Coal Point. It’s here that he is photographed floating in bull kelp.

His work history is broad and adventurous, including time in the air force, conducting mineral exploration, as a milkman, and now as a deckhand for abalone divers. Big waves and the weather make abalone diving dangerous for everyone involved, so Scotty is also a lifeguard: “Sometimes the boss races to the surface followed by a shark and you just hear ‘bubbles bubbles GET ME OUT! bubbles bubbles’ and it’s my job to pull him back in the boat.”

View Scotty and others in the “Eyes as Big as Plates” exhibition by photographers Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen now on view through October 25.

The Turnblad Mansion taps into the 1920s on September 25 for Cocktails at the Castle: Speakeasy! More than just jazz and...
08/27/2026

The Turnblad Mansion taps into the 1920s on September 25 for Cocktails at the Castle: Speakeasy! More than just jazz and cocktails, one of the many experiences will be three infamous silent films, accompanied by Michelle Kinney and Toivo Hannigan.

Michelle and Toivo will be improvising the score, inspired by these horror films, giving a unique perspective on these 100-year-old productions. Watch “The Saga of Gösta Berling” (1924), “The Phantom Carriage” (1921), and “Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages” (1922), with these talented musicians.

Learn more and get tickets: https://ow.ly/KStn50ZFTQH

08/22/2026

Learn more about resfeber, travel fever, from Martin Wærn with the Letters from America project. Martin is traveling coast-to-coast across the United States on a year-long road trip, all in his Airstream studio, in search of Swedish heritage in the United States. Listen to his podcast to learn more about his trip and future episode with ASI’s CEO, Molly Steenson!

Meet visiting artist Kirsi Manni! We’re excited to host Swedish textile artist Kirsi Manni at the end of September. Kir...
08/21/2026

Meet visiting artist Kirsi Manni!

We’re excited to host Swedish textile artist Kirsi Manni at the end of September. Kirsi is the owner of Art&Craft Sweden and continues a family legacy of textile work passed down through generations of highly skilled craftswomen.

Today she spends her time on wearable art weaving, traditional crafts, preserving old textiles, and sharing her passion with the community through workshops, talks, and online platforms.

On October 1, Kirsi is presenting a lecture on living folk costume traditions about finding her role in documenting, preserving, and now passing on traditional weaving and textile techniques at risk of extinction.

Learn more and register: https://ow.ly/h3UG50ZC5jy

“Boubou”, Senegal, 2019 Boubou is the legendary Grand Pêcheur of Dakar. He started fishing with his father at the age of...
08/20/2026

“Boubou”, Senegal, 2019

Boubou is the legendary Grand Pêcheur of Dakar. He started fishing with his father at the age of twelve and went out to sea almost every day until he was 78.

He used to sail off the coast of Senegal without a motor and knew the waters like only a true legend could. Even when the sea was rough, foggy or stormy, he could navigate his way back to his home harbor. Captains of big boats would even come to Boubou for help in getting back home when the conditions got difficult.

Boubou knew from generational knowledge precisely where he could find the fish. These days, of course, the scene is changing and fish that used to be there are no longer around.

View Boubou and others in the “Eyes as Big as Plates” exhibition by Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen now on view through October 25.

08/20/2026

Did you know the stinkiest fish in the world is Swedish?

Today is Surströmming Day in Sweden, and ASI staff were brave enough to try it last year!

Elections are coming up in Sweden, and unlike the United States, Sweden does not have a two-party system. In recent year...
08/17/2026

Elections are coming up in Sweden, and unlike the United States, Sweden does not have a two-party system. In recent years, eight parties have been represented in Riksdag (parliament), but despite this diversity, the parties have nonetheless strategically coalesced into two blocs.

These blocs are the outcomes of an increasingly polarized Sweden, and at the last election they were only separated by three seats. Join us on September 3rd for a lecture by Alexander Fooy to discuss Sweden’s political parties, their top priorities, and key topics for the national elections in September.

https://ow.ly/WIc750ZAFMu

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