A Coronavirus Weaving Casualty
The Seminar That Could Have Been–Nordic Threads: Celebrating the History of Scandinavian Weaving
In connection with the exhibit “The Baldishol: A Medieval Norwegian Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles” at Norway House, textile enthusiasts are invited to a day-long seminar on Scandinavian weaving on June 27, 2020. Normally, you would have to visit four countries to hear our distinguished speakers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland!
WHEN: June 27, 2020, 8:30-4:30
WHERE: American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407
COST: $110, which includes lunch (with gluten-free and vegan options), two breaks, and admission to the American Swedish Institute collections.
HOW TO REGISTER: Click on the registration form, here.
SPONSORS: Norway House, American Swedish Institute, the Norwegian Textile Letter, the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, and generous donors.
PROGRAM
8:30-9. Registration
9-9:30. Greetings
9:30-10:30. Keynote: Randi Nyberg Lium, Norway. “Remarks on the Baldishol Tapestry and the History of Norwegian Weaving”
10:30-11. Break
11-12. Tove Engelhardt Mathiassen, Denmark. “Pioneers in Danish Handweaving”
12-1:15. Lunch and museum viewing
1:15-2:15. Annelie Holmberg, Sweden. “On Weaving Education in Sweden at Sätergläntan (Institutet för slöjd och hantverk) and Handarbetets Vänner”
2:15-3:15. Aino Kajaniemi, Finland. “The History of Tapestry Weaving in Finland”
3:15-3:45 Break
3:45-4:30 Discussion panel with the guest speakers and THANK YOUS.
Sign up soon! We anticipate that the limit of 70 attendees will fill quickly.
SPEAKERS
Randi Nyberg Lium, Norway. “Remarks on the Baldishol Tapestry and the History of Norwegian Weaving”
Randi Nygaard Lium received her education in weaving at Det Jyske Kunstakademi in Denmark from 1977-83, with graduate studies in art history at Aarhus University. In 1986 she moved to her homeland, Norway. She has exhibited her work numerous times since her debut at the Påskeutstillingen (Easter Exhibit) in Aarhus in 1983, including a solo show at Denmark’s Design Museum in 2006. In addition to her artistic career, she has worked as a museum curator, and was the director of the Trondheim Kunstmuseum from 1998-2011. She has published two books: Ny Norsk Norwegian Tapestry (New Norwegian Tapestry, 1992) and Tekstilkunst i Norge (Textile Art in Norway, 2016).
Tove Engelhardt Mathiassen, Denmark. “Pioneers in Danish Handweaving”
Trained as a weaving teacher (1982), Tove Engelhardt Mathaissen started working with the textile collection at Den Gamle By, the National Open air Museum of Urban History, in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1984. From 1992-1998 she taught cultural history of dress and textiles at a teacher’s college while studying ethnography and social anthropology (graduated 1994). In 1997, she was appointed keeper and curator in Den Gamle By. She has published books and articles about the cultural history of dress and textiles, and is the leader of www.textilnet.dk, a collaborative Danish digital dictionary and database of historical textile and costume terminology.
Annelie Holmberg, Sweden. “On Weaving Education in Sweden at Sätergläntan (Institutet för slöjd och hantverk) and Handarbetets Vänner”
Annelie Holmberg is a senior lecturer in Textile Studies at Uppsala University in Sweden, teaching courses in textile history, in weaving, and supervising student theses. Her research focuses on textile practical knowledge, the learning and the craft process. Due to her background both as a craftsman in weaving and a craft teacher in elementary school, the research has a divided focus in craft for both professional adults and children.
Aino Kajaniemi, Finland. “The History of Tapestry Weaving in Finland”
Aino Kajaniemi studied at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and received her degree as a textile artist in 1983. She has had 40 solo exhibitions and participated in exhibitions in 30 countries. She was selected Textile Artist of the Year in Finland in 2010 and received five-year stipends from the Finnish government in 2011 and 2016.
