The American Midwest as a Center for the Emerging New Nordic Tradition
Title: Nordic Echoes: Reviving Tradition Through Contemporary Art in the Upper Midwest
The exhibition Nordic Echoes – Tradition in Contemporary Art at Scandinavia House in New York offers a dynamic reimagining of Nordic heritage through the eyes of 24 artists living in the Upper Midwest. Curated by Sally Yerkovich and Olivia Dodd, the exhibition brings legacy and innovation into a powerful conversation, highlighting how traditional practices and materials continue to inspire new forms of expression rooted in ancestry, environment, and identity.
Uncovering Hidden Ancestry
One of the most poignant works in the exhibition is WAYFIND (2023), a digital video self-portrait by Finnish-American artist Tia Keobounpheng. Sequestered in the final room of the gallery, the immersive video explores her recent discovery of Sámi heritage—the Indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. Layered landscapes in WAYFIND symbolically map her evolving relationship to heritage and homeland, demonstrating how personal revelations can ignite creative transformation.
Tradition Reimagined
All of the participating artists live in the Upper Midwest—covering North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—a region with strong historical links to Nordic immigration. While not all artists are of Nordic descent, their works are deeply inspired by Nordic craft and design sensibilities.
A striking aspect of the exhibition is its blend of reverence and reinvention. For instance, Minnesota-based Tara Austin revitalizes the familiar Swedish Dala Horse tradition through swirling, translucent acrylic paintings titled Dala Horse (large, medium, small). Meanwhile, traditional Norwegian rosemaling—decorative floral painting—appears in both expected and experimental forms.
Materials that Tell Stories
In Nordic Echoes, materials are far more than mediums; they become storytellers. Reindeer antlers, birch bark, and buffalo hides reference both continuity and place. In a compelling example, Beth Kraus fashioned a guinea pig carrier from birch bark, complete with chew marks and holes where an animal’s feet might have poked through. The piece channels utilitarian history while exuding handmade intimacy.
Similarly, Teresa Faris created jewelry using pieces of wood modified by a rescued cockatoo. Her series CWaB: Place uses silver, silk, leaves, and thulite (a pink Norwegian stone), blending natural decay and precious metals into meditative tokens. These objects suggest a spiritual practice rooted in land and life, evoking traditional Nordic folklore while reflecting the artist’s own bioregional context.
Bridging Functionality and Imagination
Many works blur the line between functional craft and fine art. John Frandy contributes intricately carved wood pieces such as “Mantle Clock with Crows (5) and Pendulum” and “Footstool,” invoking fairy tales through decorative silhouettes and folk symbolism. Others take abstraction to powerful ends, like Lisa Wiitala’s Finnish ryijy rugs—a textile tradition that dates to the 15th century—recrafted with modern fibers and bold interpretive designs.
Symbolic Nature and the Environment
Nature repeatedly surfaces as both subject and source. Elizabeth Belz’s massive sculptures, such as “Plume Moth” and “Dragon Butterfly,” use metal to exaggerate the fragility of insects. Nate White’s “Snibskål Altar” depresses soft basswood with burnished milk paint, conjuring both sacred architecture and hearty forest growth.
One playful nod to contemporary rural life is Mike Loeffler’s “Contemporary Goose” (2024), carved from quaking aspen. Loeffler reinvents common imagery with subtle irony and material honesty, proposing a humorous yet sincere link between Nordic woodcraft and American countryside.
Preservation Through Practice
Curator Sally Yerkovich raises an important question through the exhibition: “How do we keep these traditional skills alive, that might inspire the continuity of the tradition, rather than being left in someone’s grandmother’s cabinet?” Nordic Echoes offers one answer—it is through creative reinterpretation, community engagement, and exhibition spaces designed to both educate and inspire.
The dialogue between memory and innovation is what propels the viewer from object to object. Robin Baird Carlson’s “Skinnfell, or Skin Blanket,” made of buffalo hide and wool tapestry, connects old-world survivalism with modern artistic techniques. Other works, such as a Hardanger fiddle by Karen Rebholz inlaid with mother-of-pearl, show how both craft and music are integral to maintaining a living cultural heritage.
Looking Ahead
After its showing at Scandinavia House in Manhattan (until August 2), Nordic Echoes will embark on a tour across the Upper Midwest—including institutions like the South Dakota Art Museum, American Swedish Institute, and the De Vos Art Museum. In doing so, it seeks to reconnect Nordic-rooted communities with their artistic legacies and inspire future generations of makers.
Conclusion
Nordic Echoes – Tradition in Contemporary Art is more than a showcase of objects—it