Everyone visiting the new exhibition at Norway House, “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest,” is struck by the intensity of color and texture on the walls lined with weavings. Carstens Smith, Education Coordinator at Norway House, stood in the center of the gallery and said seriously, “You really have to come in person. You can’t capture it fully on film or video.” So you should come!

Another reason the exhibit is so striking is the amazing work of the team that installed the show. Three days were scheduled to fit the 49 submitted pieces into the gallery. Three veterans of many exhibition installations — Beth McLaughlin, Phyllis Waggoner, and Susan Larson-Fleming — took the lead, laid out the weavings, and hung them beautifully by the end of the first day! Beth Detlie and Peg Hansen provided crucial support; they prepped the tangled hanging devices and made runs to the hardware store for supplies. 

On Wednesday Melba Granlund came in to set up her warp-weighted loom, the centerpiece amid the visual feast of textiles.

The installation team did a magnificent job of arranging weavings that worked together, and enhanced each other in terms of color, size and texture. They used every inch of space to advantage. The result is exuberant.

In this narrow area between two windows, Nancy Ellison’s shaggy rya is a stark contrast to Patty Johnson’s complex piece woven on a drawloom.

Nancy’s seat cover was woven in rya, or pile technique, and she used unspun locks of wool in the natural colors of her Icelandic sheep for the knotted pile. The piece is thick and rough in texture. It is a stark contrast to Patty Johnson’s refined weaving below it, with smooth linen yarn and woven on a complex loom where pulleys pull up threads to create the floral pattern.

Description of Nancy Ellison’s “Sitting Cozy“
Description of Patty Johnson’s “Traditional Flowers“
All the pieces in the show

Variety is a hallmark of “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest.” Come to Norway House to see all the techniques and materials and colors used by members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group. Let us know your favorites!

Vibrant Traditions: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest

Norway House and the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota present an exhibit of 49 contemporary and traditional weavings in the Scandinavian tradition

Norway House
913 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
January 31 – April 6, 2025 

Free for members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and Norway House; all others $5.
See the Norway House website for the building hours of operation.