15nhmnordickultursample by National Nordic Museum

2015

nordic

kultur The magazine of the Nordic Heritage Museum

Skål! Nordic Drinking at Its Finest 9 Keep Clam & Carry On: The Ivar Haglund Story 24 LEGO: Innovation and Learning Through Play 34 150 Years of Sibelius and Nielsen 41

fINLaND: DesIgNeD eNVIroNmeNts finland interweaves its formal and ideological design history with a desire to solve today’s problems

Photo by Frank Martin Ingilæ, mayor of Tana, Norway.

Northern Lights Auktion Saturday, April 18, 2015 Benefitting the Nordic Heritage Museum

Grand Hyatt Ballroom | Downtown Seattle | Doors Open at 5:00 p.m.

You are cordially invited to the 30th Annual Northern Lights Auktion on Saturday, April 18th! Join us at the Grand Hyatt Seattle for a glamorous evening of fine dining and thrilling auction lots. Enjoy an elegant Nordic-inspired night, complete with aquavit, champagne, and special guests, all while supporting the Nordic Heritage Museum! This year we are pleased to honor Allan and Inger Osberg for their contributions to the Nordic Heritage Museum community.

Photos: Jason Brooks

For tickets and more, visit nordicmuseum.org.

Contents

Jane Kemp

ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

darius Kinsey

Skål! Grab an aquavit shot and learn about the Nordic “Cheers!”

Immigrants worked as loggers as they built a life in the Pacific Northwest

Too cool. Icelandic musicians rock

Welcome from Ceo eric Nelson

reykjavik rocks!

Nordic heritage museum turns 35

the Ivar haglund story

finland: Designed environments skål! scandinavian spirits

Kuvio.com

2015 exhibitions overview

another side of the Immigrant experience

Leg goDt: Learning through play

a Closer Look at Danish film and television

sibelius and Nielsen: Celebrating 150 years

make your own aquavit

4 Finnish Sauna from finland: Designed environments

nordic KULTUR 2015 The magazine of the Nordic Heritage Museum

EDITORIAL BOARD eric Nelson chief Executive ofﬁ cer Jan Woldseth colbrese deputy director of External Affairs Sara Keats Managing Editor christy olsen field lead copy Editor Ani rucki Graphic designer Jonathan Sajda Programs Manager Kirstine Bendix Knudsen Executive Assistant Brita Johnson Marketing & communications Intern

STAFF eric Nelson chief Executive ofﬁ cer Jan Woldseth colbrese deputy director of External Affairs Sandra Nestorovic deputy director of operations Kirstine Bendix Knudsen Executive Assistant curatorial Jonathan Sajda Program Manager Kirsten olsen Exhibitions coordinator Kathi Ploeger Music library Archivist Ariane Westin-mccaw registrar Alison church children’s Education coordinator Stina cowan Public Programs coordinator Jeremy ehrlich Adult Education coordinator development Katy Ahrens development Associate, Stewardship Kiersten Bowers Membership & database coordinator matt mccallum Events & Sponsorship coordinator christy olsen field development Associate, Grants Writer Stephanie maurer campaign Associate Marketing & communications Sara Keats Marketing & communications coordinator Ani rucki Graphic designer operations Pamela Brooks Finance Manager rebecca Bolin Weekend receptionist carolyn carlstrom Bookkeeper michael ide Volunteer & Staff resource coordinator mary Ann Namvedt Gift Shop Manager Bryce terry Facilities coordinator donna Antonucci caretaker

NORDIC HERITAGE MUSEUM 3014 NW 67th Street, Seattle, WA 98117 206.789.5707 | nordicmuseum.org The Nordic Heritage Museum receives important funding from

Welcome to Nordic Kultur Welcome to the third edition of Nordic Kultur, the official magazine of the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington. In this edition we look back at the Museum’s 35-year history, ahead to some very exciting upcoming exhibitions, and abroad to some of the interesting cultural trends from the Nordic countries. In these pages you will find a sampling of what makes the Nordic Heritage Museum a special place, where we share Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds through collections, exhibitions, programs, and cultural experiences. This coming March, we are thrilled to host an exhibition from Minneapolis Institute of the Arts on contemporary Finnish design, Finland: Designed Environments. Curator of Decorative Arts, Jennifer Komar Olivarez, in her article discusses why Finnish design is worth examining today. Tova Brandt, the Albert Ravenholt Curator of Danish-American Culture at the Museum of Danish America, explores the history and traditions surrounding that Scandinavian drinking exclamation, “Skål!” Many of the photographed objects featured alongside Skål! are from the Nordic Heritage Museum collection, Brandt has contributed an excellent aquavit recipe, which appears at the end of the magazine. Lexi, the owner of Old Ballard Liquor Company, contributed an article on aquavit and food pairings. In November of 2014, the Nordic Heritage Museum had the pleasure of participating in Taste of Iceland with our exhibition Odin’s Eye. Programs Manager Jonathan Sajda attended another component of Taste of Iceland, a free concert of Icelandic and local bands called Reykjavik Calling. In this edition, he digs into Iceland’s indie music scene and writes about how Icelandic music is making its way to Seattle. We are also thrilled to include the story of Ivar Haglund, founder of the beloved Ivar’s Restaurants, in this issue. Haglund is nothing short of a Seattle legend, but not everyone knows that he had both Swedish and Norwegian roots. Paul Dorpat looks at his fascinating story and Registrar Ariane Westin-McCaw highlights the Ivar’s-related items in our collection. Ola Larsmo, an acclaimed writer and editor from Sweden, shares a different sort of immigrant story. On a recent trip to Seattle, Larsmo unearthed the story of a relative named Carl Emanuel Anell, who immigrated to Seattle from Sweden, but did not find the opportunity he hoped for in America. Larsmo presents the immigrant story that we do not often hear, but one that should be remembered. Thanks to Laura Wilberg for her translation work on this piece. In this issue, Executive Assistant Kirstine Bendix Knudsen interviews Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Director of Research and Learning at the LEGO Foundation on the role of play in learning and creative problem solving. An article from contributor Erin Burke details an impressive list of American film and television stars with Nordic roots, and begins to unearth why many Danish films and television shows are finding success as American-remakes. This year we celebrate the 150th anniversaries of the births of Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, two of the greatest Nordic composers. Lisa Bergman, known locally for her KING FM radio program “Bach’s Lunch,” offers some insights into the composers’ biographies. We will be celebrating both Sibelius and Nielsen this spring in our Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series, and are excited to be partnering with the Seattle Symphony in March, when they present the work of Finnish composer Sibelius in conjunction with our Finland: Designed Environments exhibition. I’d like to thank our wonderful Board, staff, volunteers, and members for helping to continue sharing the Nordic Spirit with our community and with you. We look forward to seeing you here at the Museum in 2015!

Eric Nelson CEO, Nordic Heritage Museum Nordic Kultur 3

Showroom Finland

Piiroinen

Tapio Anttila

Secto Design

Wikimedia Commons

Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Finland: Designed Env

1. Paimio chair designed by Alvar Aalto (1898–1976). First sold in 1932, the Paimio chair is made of laminated birch and bent plywood. 2. A view of Helsinki’s Kamppi Center. 3. Kilta dinnerware designed by Kaj Franck (1911-1989). First sold in 1952, this earthenware is still manufactured today. 4. LED1 lamp designed by Mikko Kärkkäinen (1976-). First sold in 2009, this lamp is made of birch and LED lights. 5. Octo 4240 lamp designed by Seppo Koho (1967- ) for Secto Design, Espoo. Its elegant design embodies Finnish simplicity and timelessness. 6. The Compos lobby chair, designed by Samuli Naamanka (1969- ) is made of steel and biodegradable composite fiber (linen and corn).

4 Nordic Kultur | Finland: Designed Environments

Tunto Design

Finnish design stands apart from every other design sensibility in the world, but not just because the objects are beautiful—through their work, Finnish designers preach the value of thoughtful consumerism in a wasteful world

Creadesign, Finland

Annika Söderblom / Kelan valokuvaamo

Rauno Träskelin via Design Museum, Helsinki.

nvironments Finnish design has been a major presence in American interiors since as early as the 1940s. Finnish furniture company Artek brought the work of co-founder and architect Alvar Aalto into modern American homes via iconic stools and chairs. The furniture was admired as an inspired transformation of simple plywood. Design Research, a store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, introduced the vivacious fabrics of Marimekko to the US starting in 1959. Marimekko fabrics have been admired by design aficionados in the US for decades since. Though most Americans are not familiar with Finnish designers working today, contemporary Finnish designers exhibit the same originality, creativity, and honesty of their admired predecessors. The exhibition, Finland: Designed Environments, examines the explosion of creativity in Finnish design, craft, and architecture over the past fifteen years. Excellence in design embodies a variety of aspects of daily life in the Nordic countries: from urban planning to home goods to fashion to architecture. Finland: Designed Environments introduces Americans to the current product design of companies that may be familiar, like Marimekko and Artek, as well as the captivating work of smaller, less-known designers and firms. The exhibition employs a broader definition of “design” that goes beyond products and spaces, to include processes and new applications of the values of Finnish design. The practical and critical success of Finnish design stems in part from Finnish resourcefulness. A small, somewhat isolated country, Finland is also egalitarian: a prevailing concept is that high-quality design should be available to all citizens. Generally, Finnish product designers favor local materials and local manufacturing. In the face of economic and ecological challenges, an exploration of contemporary Finnish design can instruct American audiences on how to be thoughtful consumers. By demonstrating that well designed objects are timeless in the modernity of their aesthetic, in their seamless functionality, and in their quality, Finland: Designed Environments verifies the long-term value of thoughtful design.

What Informs Finnish Design Today? Finnish design is related to the broader idea of “Scandinavian design” but the two are not synonymous. “Scandinavian design” as a construct, unified the ideals and styles of the design sensibilities emerging from the Scandinavian countries

7. Designed by Heikki Ruoho (1969- ), the Kenno XS stool, S chair, and L chair for kids are made of cardboard so they can be recycled after they are outgrown 8. First sold in 2009, the Orange Box chair by Hannu Kähönen (1948- ) is made of wooden fruit crates and linen cord. 9. The Palikka stool, designed by Tapio Anttila (1962- ) and Merita Soini (1961- ), represents a distillation of form and function. 10. Designed by Johanna Öst Häggblom (1985- ), the Sukupuu (Family Tree) maternity box is given to the parents of every new baby with items needed for the first few months.

Finland: Designed Environments | Nordic Kultur 5

Courtesy of Marita Huurinainen

Ivana Helsinki

schools of architecture and design, the newly branded “Scandinavian design” appealed to North American consumers. The sudden popularity of the style provided needed stimulus to the post-war manufacturing economies. However, in a mission to thematically unite so much geographical ground, the exhibition necessarily tended towards generalizations, with the catalogue declaring shared characteristics such as closeness to nature, folk and craft traditions, and a democratic spirit.

Kimmo Heikkila

11. Velvet Lake collection dress in screenprinted cotton, designed by Paola Suhonen for Ivana Helsinki. Ivana Helsinki designs fuse the sophistication of the past with contemporary charm. 12. Marita Huurinainen’s 2011 Emo dress is made of wool and peat. 13. This brooch, made of cacholong (white opal), illustrates Tarja Tuupanen’s goal to make heavy stone as thin and light as possible. Brooch, 2011, cacholong (white opal), silver, private collection. 13

over sixty years ago. Many scholars trace the emergence of this construct to the Design in Scandinavia exhibition that was displayed throughout North America from 1954 to 1957. Co-organized by a group of American museum and media professionals along with the design promotion societ-

ies of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland; the exhibition presented the design identity of all four countries more or less homogeneously. Categorized as a “warmer” and “homier” alternative to the machinedriven, glass-and-steel aesthetic of the Bauhaus and International Style

Though Finland, like Iceland, shares many traits with the other Nordic countries, it is not technically part of Scandinavia. Geographically removed from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and with a very different linguistic history, Finland is distinct from the other Nordic countries, particularly in terms of design. As strategic designer Dan Hill points out in his recent essay “Designing Finnishness” for the Nokia-commissioned book Out of the Blue: The Essence and Ambition of Finnish Design, “Finland is one of the few countries whose national identity is a form of modernity.” Hill explains, that having only established independence in 1917, “Finland was born alongside the beginnings of design

Why Explore Finnish Design Today: The Curator’s Perspective Notes from the Curator, Jennifer Komar Olivarez

nowing that Finland today can be studied as a microcosm of international design, I selected objects that not only tell Finnish design’s expansive story, but that also connect with American visitors. The goal was to choose objects that were inherently Finnish and embrace Finnish individuality. I think that the specifics of Finnish design provide a regional context, as designers creatively solve problems in ways that specifically fit their situation and environment.

Visitors react to the high quality and organic aesthetic predominant in Finnish design today. For example, visitors especially appreciate sophisticated solutions to the lack of light in northern Europe, marveling over lamps that blend inspiration from Alvar Aalto with new technologies: Mikko Kärkkäinen’s curvaceous LED1 lamp with its hidden electronic light components, and Seppo Koho’s Octo 4240 lamp whose undulating ribs cast luxurious shadows.

6 Nordic Kultur | Finland: Designed Environments

In addition to the aesthetic that prevails in Finland today is an embedded layer of social, environmental, and ethical responsibility. These qualities are found throughout the exhibition. As explained by Alice Rawsthorn in her 2013 book Hello World: Where Design Meets Life, good design includes strong ethical considerations, including how things are made and their ultimate disposal. These ethical and environmental qualities are moving to the forefront for US consumers—the origins of food,

In 1982, the director of the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design charac-

for example—but we, as a country, are slower to recognize this importance with regard to household goods. With infinite choices at low prices, we tend to ignore the ethical costs of the goods that fill our homes. Within the exhibition, Finland: Designed Environments, four objects in particular capture the imagination of visitors by exploring the life cycle of home furnishings. Samuli Naamanka’s Compos lobby chair’s shell seat/back is compostable and provides lowwaste options for redecorating. Heikki Ruoho’s recyclable Kenno cardboard furniture for Showroom Finland is the perfect alternative to plastic children’s

Marko Huttunen

terized the purposeful, economicallyminded work of these and other designers as contributing to “a comprehensive and well-planned environment, one that is not merely aesthetically unified but also suitable

for everyone.” In 2012, Helsinki’s designation as a World Design Capital brought this aesthetic environment to the world stage, cementing it as a source of inspiration and influence for design worldwide.

furniture that gets outgrown before it wears out. But two other projects viscerally got to the heart of sustainability by emphasizing the life cycle of our furniture: Hannu Kähönen’s Orange Box Chair, which moves from orange crate to chair to firewood to ashes in its life span, and Tapio Anttila’s Palikka stool, which elevates even the smallest scraps of wood from the timber industry for a simple and delightful stool that could theoretically also be “deconstructed” for fuel.

Finns at all walks of life and ages. This is particularly true with the Maternity Package, redesigned in 2012 by Johanna Öst Häggblom. A benefit of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland to expectant parents, the so-called “Baby Box” is filled with items for a baby’s first few months of life, and beautifully designed. It is not available on the consumer market, and is unlikely to be adopted by the US government. However, visitors to the exhibition express interest in creating their own version for church members and other social or charity uses, keeping with the spirit of the idea: community support of a baby in a well-crafted way.

With the exhibition we show that Finnish design is not something to be copied, but to be inspirational in our daily lives, as design envelops the

Finns live in an environment of purposeful design, especially in the capital of Helsinki. The work of Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto greet residents and visitors on even the most casual stroll around the city center. The Artek and Marimekko stores are prominent, showcasing some of the best Finnish design. The tableware of one of the most influential designers, Kaj Franck, is still produced by Arabia and Iittala and used in the majority of Finnish homes. These examples of excellence are a source of inspiration for contemporary Finnish designers.

14. The Kamppi Chapel of Silence in Helsinki is the work of K2S Architects, Helsinki (Kimmo Lintula, Niko Sirola, and Mikko Summanen), 15. Eija Mustone’s Lake in Metal brooch, 2011, is made of patinated silver and cotton/nylon thread. 16. Verstas Architects, Ltd. of Helsinki (Väinö Nikkilä, Jussi Palva, Riina Palva, and Ilkka Salminen) created Vacation house, 2011, in Lauttasaari Recreational Park, Helsinki.

Eija Mustonen

itself, in the contemporary sense. Its timing was impeccable, in terms of a national culture being expressed in industrially-designed objects…rather than crafted objects.” By the 1930s, Finnish designers were emphasizing function, with what Hill describes as, “a purity of form and colour.” Hill goes on to say that by “backgrounding” formal expression, a Finnishdesigned object “foregrounds its use, its context, [and] its part in social ritual.”

Finland: Designed Environments | Nordic Kultur 7

“there is a genuine wildness and weirdness at the core of finnishness, which sets it apart from other Nordic cultures” Several visitors remark how, in a society committed to social welfare, designers can still feel creative freedom and individual expression while having a shared sense of purpose. indeed, Jukka Savolainen’s essay in the exhibition catalogue focuses on these “exceptions to the rule” of simple problem-solving, including designers embracing folk art and pagan mythology. dan hill, in his recent essay, recognizes that “there is a genuine wildness and weirdness at the core of finnishness, which sets it apart from other Nordic cultures.” the clothing of company ivana helsinki is a good example, drawing on woodland animals in its screen-printed imagery, and dreamy landscapes in its accompanying videos. marita huurinainen’s moss-inspired felted wool dress, and the unique and personal art jewelry of tarja tuupanen, eija mustonen, and others convey landscape, memory, and nonconformity. the many ways to escape to nature make a deep impression on American visitors, whose vacations are often pitifully short in comparison to europeans. the 150-square-foot “micro-cabin” by Verstas Architects for a helsinki municipal park drives home the idea that vacation houses can, and should, be accessible to all, bringing nature to everyone without a long drive. in a more intimate spiritual sense, K2S’s Kamppi chapel of Silence, a wood-wrapped meditation chapel on a busy helsinki square, reinforces the value of stopping and reflecting during the workday. Both spaces allow people to gain energy from nature and

solitude without a large commitment of time or funds. As with Artek in the 1930s and the majority of Kaj franck’s designs, finnish design is philosophically tied to the idea of good design for all. Applying this to finnish design on a larger scale is challenging, however. As mentioned before, companies with broad distribution such as marimekko and Artek allow for finnish design to reach a large audience, including the uS, through expansive distribution networks. other companies such as Vallila interior, whose printed textiles inspired by the finnish environment rival marimekko’s in design quality, are expanding their markets globally. many other smaller finnish companies cannot do this at present, either due to small marketing staffs and/or the inability to produce for mass distribution. So, by and large, Americans who want these excellent finnish products don’t have ready access to them. So far, finnish companies have chosen to keep much of their manu-

facturing in finland (or at least in the eu) which makes cost and pricing less competitive compared to companies mass-producing in developing countries where labor is cheaper. this trade-off, though, means better quality control and continued pride in finnish manufacturing, both of which are internationally recognized and appreciated. this may be changing, especially as finland looks increasingly to greater exports to further stimulate its economy, still recovering from the recession of 2008–2009. however, there is a larger value to examining today’s finnish design. the themes, innovations, and sustainable considerations finnish designers and companies explore should stay with us as we choose what we buy. We can be inspired to find or to make examples locally—perhaps developing our own “local” excellence in design. finnish design has much to teach us, and it is up to us to decide what we do with that information—perhaps becoming more thoughtful consumers.

EXHIBIT finland: Designed environments

will be on view at Nordic Heritage Museum beginning March 12, 2015.

Finland: designed Environments is organized by the minneapolis institute of Arts. Support provided by the consulate General of finland in New york and the American-Scandinavian foundation.

Nordic Kultur | Finland: designed Environments

Skål!

Scandinavian Spirits

Raise your glass Say “Skål!” with gusto (pronounced “skoal”) Look your companions in the eye Take a drink ©iStock.com/Knape

Look your companions in the eye again Set down your glass. For many Nordic-Americans, this ritual is a social expression of their shared heritage. What’s in the glass? If the contents reinforce the custom, then it’s probably either beer or aquavit. The word skål itself has several linguistic origin stories. Origins made misty over time. Some claim that the term has a root in the skulls of the vanquished, from which Viking warriors would drink to celebrate their victory. But this is a grisly story, and most likely just a story. In more recent times, wooden bowls—sometimes

elaborately decorated—would be filled with beer and passed from person to person at community gatherings like weddings or festival days. Skål is the word for bowl in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. From that tradition of passing the bowl, the term skål is now also a toast. “Cheers!” Just as certain cookies are part of Nordic Christmas traditions, so are traditional beverages often found where celebration and ethnic heritage intersect. An open-faced sandwich of pickled herring, a shot of dill-flavored

aquavit, and a bottle of Carlsberg beer—for some Danish Americans, they could hardly have one without the other. Though each Nordic country has its own drinking traditions, much of the culture surrounding alcohol is similar throughout Scandinavia.

A Spirited History For over 1,000 years—reaching back to the Viking period—Scandinavians have brewed beer. The Norse sagas mention drinking beer, especially in celebration of battle victories, and

Skäl! Scandinavian Spirits | Nordic Kultur 9