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Scandinavian Cultural Center

September-October 2008

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 Colors of the North—Pastel and Fiber

 Exhibition and Sales

Colors of the North—Pastel and Fiber features the inspirational artwork of professional artist Rebecca Baumgartner, and the stylish weavings and textile creations of Laila Eva (Caspersen) Hansen and Linda Jossefine (Caspersen) Andresen. The exhibit will be on display in early September through November 16.

 Rebecca (Floyd) Baumgartner graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1983 with a BA in Economics. She returned to school later in her life to study fine art at the Cornish College of the Arts. She has been a professional artist for the last ten years, and has won many regional art awards. Her work has been featured in prominent magazines, a best-selling textbook, and in several art galleries. She is currently a resident artist at Gallery Row in Gig Harbor. Rebecca's depictions of Nordic life and history arise from her love of the Scandinavian culture and its deep affinity with rich colors and beautiful hand crafts. When asked to comment on the opportunity to show her work at PLU, she stated, “I am delighted to share my heritage and my paintings with my beloved alma mater and the larger Scandinavian community.”

 Laila Eva (Caspersen) Hansen took a serious interest in  hand weaving after attending a workshop (1980) in the "ripsmatta" technique, which is commonly used in rugs and table runners throughout Scandinavia. Laila also attended "The Weaving School" in Coupeville, Washington, as well as "The Dansk Vævecenter" in Haderslev, Denmark, furthering her study of weaving theory and design. Drawing from her love of the outdoors and Scandinavian design, Laila often incorporates the earth tones of nature into her color palette of hand-woven textiles. Laila’s work is available through her business "Nordic By Design.” She resides in Gig Harbor and is currently employed by Horizon Air as a flight attendant.

 Linda Jossefine (Caspersen) Andresen developed an interest in textiles at the age of six, when her mother taught her to knit. She recalls (with a smile) that her first “experiment” with color was when she dyed her mother's WWII wedding dress purple.  

Linda’s fascination with textiles resulted in her obtaining Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Clothing and Textiles from Central Washington University (1970's). During that time, she spent a year of intense weaving at “The Bergen Husflidskule” in Western Norway. She also studied at the “International Weaving School” in Haderslev, Denmark. Linda currently serves as Textile Curator for the Scandinavian Cultural Center at Pacific Lutheran University. Her vast knowledge and experience enable her to provide the history and value of  the weavings, textiles, and costumes in the SCC Permanent Artifact Collection.

After fifteen years of university and high school teaching, Linda decided to open her own textile design business. She has made and/or designed over 100 Scandinavian folk costumes, and currently focuses on innovative interior design pieces. Her greatest source of inspiration comes from the vast amount of time she spends in Northern Norway where she owns a home. Linda says, “The nature and colors of the North are inspirational and calming, but speak to me in their own dramatic and unique way.” She is currently employing the use of fish skins and fur from Helgeland, Nordland, Norway, weaving, and knitting in her pieces. Linda's workshop is located in her place of residence in Gig Harbor and her work can be seen at Gallery Row in downtown Gig Harbor.

Meet the Artists Reception

Scandinavian Cultural Center

Sunday October 19, 2:00 PM

 

The Scandinavian Heritage Festival is a celebration of Scandinavian culture and tradition. The three-day festival will feature Nordic exhibits, arts and crafts, music, food, folk dancing, and Scandinavian gift items. Each day there will be ethnic entertainment, lively dancing, and participatory singing. Nordic demonstrations will include spinning, Rosemaling, and bobbin lace making. Cultural cuisine will be plentiful and spacious seating will be available. Raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the weekend. The Grand Prize is two roundtrip tickets (some restrictions apply) to Scandinavia aboard  Scandinavian Airlines! The festival is rich with Nordic tradition, however, one does not have to be Scandinavian to enjoy the festivities!

Fiber Arts—Every Fiber of Our Being

Exhibits and Demonstrations

Have you ever wondered about the creative process from sheep to shawl? How … felting is done? … a loom is warped? …a quilt quilted? If so, don’t miss the free exhibit Fiber Arts—Every Fiber of Our Being at the Key Peninsula Harvest Fest at the Longbranch Improvement Club, 4312 Key Peninsula Highway South, Longbranch, Washington, on Saturday, October 4, 10am to 4pm.

 Through the ages the human drive to embellish even the most utilitarian items has resulted in the creation of fibers and fabrics, from fine arts to utilitarian, traditional to modern, self-expression to commercial. Exhibitors will be on hand to demonstrate and explain the creative processes. Others will have equipment, materials, and/or original items for sale.

 A main attraction of the Fiber Arts exhibit will be a display provided by the Scandinavian Cultural Center. The SCC exhibit will include textiles from the Permanent Artifact Collection, including costumes from each of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), woven tapestries, and samples of various handwork. A seventeenth-century spinning wheel will complete the display.

The Fiber Arts exhibit will also include a display of textiles from the Key Peninsula Historical Society and Key Center Library collections. Fiber-related businesses will be represented by Allyn Knit Shop and Spinning Supply, Krazy Kat Fiberhaus (needle work and lace-making supplies), Longbranch Fiber Farm (wet and needle felting), and Minter Creek Quilt Studio. Earl Sorrels’ collection of antique spinning wheels will include a hands-on “spin-in” for willing participants.

Individual fiber artists will demonstrate and share their knowledge of hand and machine embroidery and quilting, weaving, knitting, appliqué, and cross-stitch. Participating artists will include Jan Buday, Kumihimo braiding; Arlene Eagan, fiber and knitted silver jewelry; Lynn Hollowell, costumes from concept to completion; Sarah Hoenig, needle tatting; Dale Loy, basketry; Margo Macdonald, tapestry weaving; Reni Moriarity, crewel and filet crochet; and Peg Robertson, weaving and natural dyes. Children’s activities will include elementary school knitters, demonstration of latch hook technique by Emily Ehrhardt, age seven; knot tying; and fabric stamping.

 Address inquiries to Carolyn Wiley, LIC Events Chair, 253.884.9157 or 253.884.6022.

 

 

New President’s Message

Smuler fra den nye Presidenten . . .

 Greetings to all friends of the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to begin my term as president of the SCC!  Being part Norwegian and Swedish and a Lute, my role as Council President combines two of my greatest loves—Nordic education and my alma mater, PLU! 

 We are going to have a wonderful year, and have already begun by joining the team together for an entire afternoon in August to develop a strategic plan for the coming year. We brainstormed thoroughly and have developed new plans for membership expansion, council development, academic partnership programs with the Scandinavian Area Studies Program, and new ideas for exhibits and artifacts. Needless to say, we are looking for more folks to join us in executing this plan.

        Specifically, we are in need of people to help with:

§ PR/Advertising – sending out press releases, managing advertising

§ Event Planning – a one time effort or recurring or semester based events

§ Membership Involvement

Please call either Susan Young, 253.535.7349 or myself, at 253.906.4323 if you are interested in joining us or would just like to learn more. We’d be happy to hear from you.

 Remember to mark September 27, 3pm on your calendar for our annual membership meeting. We will have a more detailed review of the last fiscal year and our plans for what’s in store through May of 2009. I would love to see you there and meet you in person!  

 Make sure to review the “Calendar of Events” section of this and future newsletters for upcoming programs, lectures, cooking classes, sweater exchange, films, and presentations for which you must join us. Here’s to a great year at the SCC! ~~~ Hilsen, Lisa Marie

Welcome to our Newest Member

Kathleen Watness (Tacoma, WA)

 

Danish Author—Reading and Book Signing

 

Peter H. Fogtdal (right), author of  The Tsar’s Dwarf, will do a book reading and signing at the Garfield Book Company at PLU (on the corner of South Garfield Street and Pacific Avenue) on Wednesday, October 22, at 6pm. Mr. Fogtdal’s visit to PLU is in connection with Dr. Troy Storfjell’s Scandinavian Area Studies course entitled “Modernity and Its Discontents.”

 Due out November 2008, the book tells the story of Søerine, a female dwarf from Denmark, who is given as a gift to the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, during his visit to Copenhagen. Søerine travels to St. Petersburg where she becomes a jester at the Tsar’s functions. She enjoys her new life and falls in love with the Tsar’s favorite dwarf, but disaster strikes in the shape of a priest who wants to “save” her.

 Peter H. Fogtdal was born in Copenhagen, Denmark (1956), and has a degree in playwriting from Cal State Fullerton. He is the author of twelve novels. You can read more about Peter and his book at the publisher’s website: <http://www.hawthornebooks.com/catalogue>.

 

 

Harstad Descendents Donate Century-Old Folkdrakt to SCC Artifact Collection

In the last issue of the Scandinavian Scene, we announced that we were anxiously awaiting the addition of a Setesdal folkdrakt (folk costume) to our Permanent Artifact Collection. The Setesdal costume has the oldest history when talking about traditional Norwegian folk wear. Its history dates back to the 1700's and it has the most Spanish influence of all traditional costumes. The piece comes to us from Grace Harstad, granddaughter of Rev. Bjug Harstad, founder of Pacific Lutheran University. It was purchased in the early 1940s by his daughters Lydia and Louise in Valle, Setesdal, Norway (Rev. Harstad’s birthplace). The provenance provided by Grace Harstad indicates that the costume was not new at the time of purchase. Upon close examination, SCC Textile Curator Linda Caspersen Andresen (pictured right) concludes that the costume is a turn-of-the-century piece, making it at least 100 years old!

 “What signifies the age of this folkdrakt is the crimped panel in the back,” says Caspersen. “When you hold it up to the light, you can see the tiny pin holes, indicting that the crimped effect was done by hand. This back panel began with a piece of hand woven, white or natural sheep-color wool, which was hand sewn with tiny stitches to gather it together. This process resulted in the original piece of hand woven wool becoming quite small when completed. It was then naturally-dyed in an iron pot over a fire pit, commonly done in the woods due to the availability of dark brown/black tree bark. The crimped piece of cloth was probably repeatedly rinsed in a nearby stream until the water that ran through it was clear. The cloth was then wound around a drum cylinder to “dry and set.” It stayed in this position for at least a year. When it was removed from the drum, the stitches were removed and the piece was attached to the rest of the over stakk (skirt/jumper). The white under skirt is flat and does not undergo the crimping process. It can be worn alone as a working outfit. The black outer layer is never worn without the white one underneath and is worn for more formal occasions like church services.” A complete Setesdal costume would include a shirt, jacket, belt, and scarf.

 

Scandinavian Area Studies Program

 

The Importance of Studying Culture and Identity

In the final days of summer, as I geared up for another school year and prepared to assumed the position as Chair of the Scandinavian Area Studies Program after Claudia Berguson’s three-year term of very capable and dedicated leadership, two minor news items caught my attention and stressed the importance of what we are trying to do in our Norwegian and Scandinavian courses here at PLU.

The first was a brief item about a labor dispute in Van Wert, Ohio, where the Norwegian owners of Kongsberg Automotive (KA) have locked out members of United Steel Workers, trying to force a forty percent cut in wages and benefits. To keep the Ohio factory running during the dispute, KA brought in non-union, temporary workers (or what my father used to refer to as “scabs”).

What made this story particularly interesting was not that Norwegian factory owners were involved in a labor dispute with their workers—there’s hardly anything unusual about that. The thing that caught my attention was a little quote by labor leader Arve Bakke of the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet). His organization had invited USW local leaders to Norway for meetings with Kongsberg’s CEO Olav Volldal, hoping to alleviate things. Apparently Bakke expected the Norwegian corporate leaders to behave the same way in America as they would in Norway, where it is illegal to lock out workers or employ temporary, non-union labor during a dispute.

“From American owners we can’t expect anything better; they will follow American tradition and legislation,” Bakke fumed to the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen. “But I expect more from Norwegian owners.”

The second item that caught my attention was a commentary by National Public Radio’s Scott Simon in which he raised questions about a North Carolina woman who, due to new federal regulations, had to travel to Denmark in order to procure semen from a Danish sperm bank. Importing semen from Europe is now prohibited, but this woman wanted an all-Scandinavian sibling for the “beautiful Viking baby” she already has, thanks to an earlier contribution from the same Danish bank.

In his commentary, Simon questioned why a baby had to have only Scandinavian genes in order to share its mother’s interest in Scandinavian culture, and wondered if blood lines really have anything to do with what makes children special.

Both of these stories highlight understandings of Scandinavian identity that could benefit from a course of study at PLU, where part of what we explore in our classrooms is the nature of culture itself, and how it is more of a framework within which people can communicate, rather than a list of shared traits or values. Norwegian factory owners aren’t automatically pro-labor simply because they’re Norwegian.

We also involve students in unraveling the alleged connection between biology and ethnic identity, doing our best to lay to rest the ghosts of the so-called ‘science’ of race that flourished prior to the Second World War. Our students discover that culture and tradition are socially constructed, not inherited; that there is no “pure” or “essential” way of being Scandinavian. Hearing these two news items reinforced for me the importance of what we’re doing here, which is probably a good frame of mind for heading into a new school year.

Best wishes to all of you.

Troy Storfjell, Chair, Scandinavian Area Studies Program

 

 

Calendar of Events

 

Exhibits

 

«Colors of the North—Pastel and Fiber  - Exhibition and Sales

September —November  (Exact dates to be determined)

Meet the Artists Reception—Sunday,  October 19, 2pm - Free Admission

  

 

Public Hours—Free Admission

Sundays, 1-4 pm; Tuesdays/Wednesdays, 11am-3pm

 

Major Events

 

Membership Meeting, September 27, 3pm

 

The Annual Membership Meeting is just around the corner. Long-time member and volunteer

Esther Hinschberger

will receive the

2008 Outstanding Service Award

in recognition of her selfless giving of time, talent, and effort. The evening will come to a close with the grand door prize drawing. One fortunate SCC member will receive two roundtrip tickets to Scandinavia, donated by Scandinavian Airlines.

 For information, contact Susan Young

                         <youngse@plu.edu>

 

 

«Scandinavian Heritage Fest, Friday/Saturday/Sunday,  October 3-5

    Contact: Desiree Omdal, 425.881.1544 or <desireeomdal@hotmail.com> (See P. 2 for more info.)

 

«Fiber Arts—Every Fiber of Our Being Exhibit, Saturday, October 4, 10am-4pm

    Contact: Carolyn Wiley, Events Chair, 253.884.9157 or 253.884.6022 (See P. 2 for more info.)

 

Classes

 

«Scandinavian Cooking Classes, 10am-1pm, $5 Per Class

   Norwegian—Tuesday, October 7; Saturday, October 18; and Thursday, October 23

   Swedish—Wednesday, October 15

   Danish—Saturday, October 25

   Contact: Kathrina Jaech, 253.584.2690 or <LydiaJay@hotmail.com>

 

«Intermediate Norwegian Language Classes, Mondays, 6-9pm

«Beginning Norwegian Language Classes, Tuesdays, 6-9pm

   Contact: Audun Toven 253.536.8392 or <tovenat@plu.edu>

 

Meetings

 

«Danish Sisterhood, September 3, October 1, 9:30am, 253.843.2249

«Danish Sangaften, September (No meeting in SCC), October 19, 6 pm, 253.984.6700

«Executive Board, September 10, October 8, 4:45pm, UC 212

«SCC Council, September 10, October 8, 5:30pm, SCC

 

Getting to Know Members of the

Scandinavian Cultural Center Council

 

Gunnulf Myrbo

Immediate Past President

Gunnulf Myrbo was born in Norway and emigrated to Canada with his family when he was fourteen years old. He received his degrees in Philosophy at the University of British Columbia and Cambridge University, England, before coming to Pacific Lutheran University in 1970. At PLU he taught Philosophy for more than thirty years before fully retiring in 2004. Throughout his years at PLU, he was very much involved with Scandinavian studies and matters pertaining to Scandinavian culture and heritage. He was the first Coordinator (Chair) of the Scandinavian Area Studies Program (1978-80 and 1983-85) as well as the first editor of the Scandinavian Scene newsletter. Gunnulf served as President of the Scandinavian Cultural Center Council for two years. Currently retired in Anacortes, Washington, he continues to cheerfully make the two hour plus drive to PLU to serve on the Executive Board and Cultural Council, and to participate in other activities sponsored by the SCCC.

 

 

 

 

 

Scandinavian Cultural Center

Pacific Lutheran University

122nd and South Park Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98447
Ph: 253-535-7532   Email: scancntr@plu.edu   Edit