The Kon-Tiki Museum at 75: Curator Reidar Solsvik to present lecture at PLU

Set your coordinates for a journey through history and across the Pacific this October. Pacific Lutheran University’s Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) is hosting the annual Thor Heyerdahl Lecture on October 8, 2025, from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring Norwegian archaeologist and Kon-Tiki Museum curator, Reidar Solsvik.

Solsvik will present “The Kon-Tiki Museum at 75: the origins and development of one of Norway’s most popular attractions.” The presentation marks the 75th anniversary of the museum, which was founded to display the famous Kon-Tiki raft.

The Legendary Kon-Tiki Expedition

The museum’s origins trace back to the audacious 1947 expedition led by explorer Thor Heyerdahl. Heyerdahl and his crew sailed the balsa wood raft from South America to Polynesia to demonstrate that ancient peoples could have made the same voyage. The successful 101-day journey captivated the world and was later detailed in Heyerdahl’s book and an Oscar-winning documentary film.

Since then, the Kon-Tiki Museum has grown from a simple display of the legendary vessel into a vibrant cornerstone of Norwegian cultural life, attracting millions of visitors and serving as a key center for scholarly research on migration, archaeology, and exploration. Solsvik will share the fascinating evolution of the museum into the institution it is today.

Meet the Expert

In addition to his role as curator of the Kon-Tiki Museum, Reidar Solsvik has conducted extensive archaeological fieldwork in the Pacific and is the co-author of the book Drømmen om paradis: Thor Heyerdahl på Påskeøya (The Dream of Paradise: Thor Heyerdahl on Easter Island).

Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into the incredible history behind Heyerdahl’s expeditions and the vital work of the museum that preserves his legacy. The lecture is free and open to the public, and it will be held in the SCC inside the Anderson University Center on the PLU campus.