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Sidewalk SaleThe Kerstin Andersson Museum Store is part of Andersonville’s Sidewalk Sale during the weekend of Friday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 1. The Museum Store will sell store items outside the Museum sidewalk on Clark Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information on the Sidewalk Sale, please click here to visit the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce Web site.
Our current exhibit, 17 Swedish Designers, closes on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 4 p.m. If you have not already, stop by the Museum to view this well-known traveling exhibit! Please click here for more information on 17 Swedish Designers as well as a preview of our next exhibit, Nordic Light.
Swedish-American author Lilly Setterdahl, whose latest nonfiction work, Chicago Swedes: They Spoke From the Heart, has created a special online video using pictures found in her book. To view the video online, please click here. Chicago Swedes: They Spoke From the Heart is available for purchase at the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store.
The Museum is participating in Andersonville Green Week with an event for Children on Saturday, July 17 between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. We will be making nature books that the children can bring along on their next walk. For a full schedule click here.
Time Out Chicago is hosting an online voting contest for the best shopping spots in Chicago, and the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store is a contestant for the category of “Best Museum Gift Store.” Vote online for the Museum Store now! Please click here or the icon above to visit Time Out Chicago‘s 2010 Shopping Awards voting page.
Swedish American Museum at the Farmers Market.
Midsommarfest with Nätragillet from Sweden
Mayor Anneli Hulthen from Gothenburg, Sweden.
On Saturday, June 26, at 7 p.m., the Museum hosted a Midsommar performance and dance party with Nätragillet, Swedish Folk Dancers, and everyone had a great time! Thank you to all who attended, and if you’d like to be updated with our increasing schedule of events, be sure to visit our calendar here or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages. You may also click here to sign up for our monthly e-mail newsletter, weekly e-mail blasts, and special deals from the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store!
JPMorgan Chase is again hosting the grant-giving contest Chase Community Giving, a program where over 200 non-profit organizations are nominated to win grants. This summer, Chase Community Giving will award organizations with the most votes grants between $20,000 to $250,000, with $5 million in grants given away total. The Swedish American Museum is a candidate for the Chase Community Giving program, and you can now vote for the Museum to be a winner on Facebook.
Voting runs now until Monday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. To vote for the Museum and learn more about Chase Community Giving, please click here or on the banner above and then select “Vote For This Charity” on the right side of the screen.
Time Out Chicago is hosting an online voting contest for the best shopping spots in Chicago, and the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store is a contestant for the category of “Best Museum Gift Store.” Vote online for the Museum Store now! Please click here or the icon above to visit Time Out Chicago‘s 2010 Shopping Awards voting page.
The Museum will be closed on Sunday, July 4 and Monday, July 5, 2010 in observance of Independence Day. We hope you have a happy 4th of July!
Travel the world without leaving Chicago! Come and explore the food, dance, folk arts, and cultural identities of a different country each day in our “Pioneer the World” day camp, held in two sessions. Campers end the week with their very own “World’s Fair” to show off their work to the public. Pioneer Camp is always packed with fun and adventure for children ages 7 to 10.
Session I is Monday, July 12 to Friday, July 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Session II is Monday, Aug. 9 to Friday, August 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost: $175 members, $225 non-members; extended care available until 4 p.m. for an additional $70. Please call the Museum at 773.728.8111, ext 26, to reserve your spot. Registration deadline for Session I is complete, but registration for Session II is Friday, July 9, 2010.
Please note: Registration for Session I is now closed. There are plenty of spots available for Session II.
Please click here to pay online, complete the registration form and return to the Museum.
This month, we are continuing to host many events celebrating Swedish culture, including Family Night on Friday, June 25, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Nätragillet, Swedish Folk Dancers performing at our Midsommar dance party on Saturday, June 26 at 7 p.m.; and a guided tour of our permanent exhibit, A Dream of America: Swedish Immigration to Chicago on Sunday, June 27 at 11 a.m. For more information on these events, please click here to visit our calendar.
However, there are special opportunities going on now for you to get involved and help the Museum by voting for us in the Chase Community Giving program and Time Out Chicago‘s 2010 Shopping Awards! See the below information regarding these contests, and start clicking for the Museum!
JPMorgan Chase is again hosting the grant-giving contest Chase 
Community Giving, a program where over 200 non-profit organizations are nominated to win grants. This summer, Chase Community Giving will award organizations with the most votes grants between $20,000 to $250,000, with $5 million in grants given away total. The Swedish American Museum is a candidate for the Chase Community Giving program, and you can now vote for the Museum to be a winner on Facebook.
Voting runs now until Monday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. To vote for the Museum and learn more about Chase Community Giving, please click here or on the banner above and then select “Vote For This Charity” on the right side of the screen.
Time Out Chicago is hosting an online voting contest for the best shopping spots in Chicago, and the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store is a contestant for the category of “Best Museum Gift Store.” Vote online for the Museum Store now! Please click here or the icon above to visit Time Out Chicago‘s 2010 Shopping Awards voting page.
The eco-friendly family event Mulle’s Andersonville Adventure will not take place on Saturday, June 26, 2010, but is rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Be on the lookout for Mulle’s coming to Andersonville then to teach children about environmental care!
Enjoy the new exhibit in the gallery while the children do a craft project. Brunk Children’s Museum is open during our Family Night event.
Enjoy a dance performance before you put on your own dancing shoes. Swedish Midsommarfood for refreshments. Call the Museum at 773.728.8111 to make your reservation.
The Museum would like to thank those who attended and helped at Midsommarfest 2010 in Andersonville this weekend. We hope you had a great time! The Museum is continuing to celebrate Swedish tradition in June with special events for the family and community to enjoy. Take a look below at some of the many programs and events we are offering this month, or click here to visit our calendar.
Celebrate the Royal Wedding at the MuseumJoin the Museum in celebrating the Royal Wedding of Her Highness Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling on Saturday, June 19, 2010! The Museum will host a special live viewing of the wedding on June 19 from 6 a.m. to noon in the main floor gallery. Coffee and refreshments will be available for purchase at this free event. For more information, please e-mail the Museum at Museum@samac.org or call 772.728.8111.
The Kerstin Andersson Museum Store now carries special items inspired by the Royal Wedding from the Official Wedding Series line, Den Officiella Bröllopsserien. For more information on these products, please click here to visit the Museum Store page.
tThe Royal Swedish Academy of Music has selected the 2010 “Jenny Lind” to perform in Sweden and the United States, and this year’s winner is mezzo soprano Astrid Robillard. Ms. Robillard will perform at the Swedish American Museum with accompanist Henrik Berg, winner of the Otto Goldschmidt Music Accompaniment Award, on Sunday, June 20, at 3 p.m. Cost is $12 for members, $15 for non-members. Refreshments will be served, and reservations are recommended. Please e-mail Museum@samac.org or call the Museum at 773.728.8111 to make your reservation.
The Swedish American Museum likes going green, and we hope you do too! Join the Museum for their special eco-friendly event, Mulle’s Outdoor Andersonville Adventure on Saturday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in an effort to learn about Swedish culture and environmental care.
Swedish Character Skogsmulle (Forest Mulle) is known for teaching children to love and care for nature, and he has promoted interest and appreciation for the environment with Swedish children for over 40 years. Mulle will do the same with children of our neighborhood at Mulle’s Outdoor Andersonville Adventure!
All ages are welcome for this family event to help remind children to enjoy and appreciate nature and outdoor life, through the eyes of the Swedish character Mulle. Participants can make an eco-friendly craft and enjoy an urban nature walk. Reservations are required. The cost is $5 per child, children under 2 are free. Please call the Museum at 773.728.8111 to make your reservation.
Enjoy Swedish Midsommar at the Museum with a special Midsommar 
performance and dance party on Saturday, June 26, at 7 p.m. Nätragillet, folk dancers from Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, will begin the evening with an entertainment program of their favorite traditional Midsommar dances. After their performances, put on your own dancing shoes and have fun with friends old and new as the musicians play for your dancing and listening pleasure! This is a great way to learn and celebrate the rich tradition of Midsommar.
A light Midsommar buffet of foods typically found during this holiday will be served. Cost is $10 per person. Please reserve your spot by e-mailing Museum@samac.org or calling 773.728.8111.
Are you ready for the 45th annual Midsommarfest celebration in Andersonville? This long-time festival takes place on Clark Street in between Foster and Catalpa Avenues on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on both days. The Museum hours for Midsommarfest weekend are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come for great food, music, friends, and more! The schedule for the Swedish Stage on Clark and Foster is:
Saturday, June 12
11:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony
11:45 a.m. Traditional Maypole Dance
12:15 p.m. Absolut Flicka Choir
12:40 p.m. Chicago Spelmanslaget
1:05 p.m. Nordic Folkdancers
1:25 p.m. Sverige Barnen I.O.S
Sunday, June 13
12:00 p.m. Norland Band
For the complete schedule of Andersonville’s Midsommarfest 2010, please click here.
Enjoy Swedish Midsommar at the Museum with a special Midsommar performance and dance party on Saturday, June 26, at 7 p.m. Nätragillet, folk dancers from Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, will begin the evening with an entertainment program of their favorite traditional Midsommar dances. After their performances, put on your own dancing shoes and have fun with friends old and new as the musicians play for your dancing and listening pleasure! This is a great way to learn and celebrate the rich tradition of Midsommar.
A light Midsommar buffet of foods typically found during this holiday will be served. Cost is $10 per person. Please reserve your spot by e-mailing Museum@samac.org or calling 773.728.8111.
For everyone who attended the opening of the new exhibit, 17 Swedish Designers, on Friday, June 4, at the Museum, thank you for coming and celebrating Swedish innovative design and female designers with us! Below are a few pictures from the opening event.
The Swedish American Museum will be looking good this Summer with the arrival of 17 Swedish Designers, a traveling exhibit opening this Friday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.! 17 Swedish Designers features 17 award-winning female artists and designers specializing in textiles, furniture, glass works, and other mediums.
The exhibit’s artists and designers each display three to ten pieces, celebrating female artists and designers as well as Swedish innovative design. “I think we have a long tradition of strong women,” says Camilla Diedrich, one of the designers in the exhibit. For more information on the exhibit and its designers, please click here. The following events scheduled for 17 Swedish Designers at the Museum are:
Exhibit opening: Friday, June 4, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Gallery Walk: Saturday, June 5, 11 a.m.
Start with Art: Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Family Night: Friday, June 25, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
If you stick around after the Gallery Walk on Saturday, June 5, you will also have a chance to see Lilly Setterdahl talk about her new book, Chicago Swedes: They Spoke from the Heart, as well as have a copy signed by the Swedish-American author! Setterdahl says some of the most important things to know about Swedes in Chicago are that they founded some 60 churches, hundreds of secular organizations and thousands of businesses, including 36 Swedish American periodicals in Chicago alone.
“The Swedes in Chicago also founded colleges, seminaries, and hospitals, and they constructed a large number of significant buildings that are still standing,” Setterdahl adds. “Their crowning achievement is the establishment of the Swedish American Museum.” Learn all this and more from Lilly Setterdahl at the Chicago Swedes: They Spoke from the Heart book talk and signing taking place at noon at the Museum. For more information, please click here.
The Swedish American Museum is the perfect place for kids during the Summer–and all year round! Take a look at these special events and programs for your child to partake in here at the Museum and the Brunks Children’s Museum of Immigration. For more information on the Children’s Museum, please click here to visit the Web page.
The Swedish American Museum likes going green, and we hope you do too! Join the Museum for their special eco-friendly event, Mulle’s Outdoor Andersonville Adventure on Saturday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in an effort to learn about Swedish culture and environmental care.
Swedish Character Skogsmulle (Forest Mulle) is known for teaching children to love and care for nature, and he has promoted interest and appreciation for the environment with Swedish children for over 40 years. Mulle will do the same with children of our neighborood at Mulle’s Outdoor Andersonville Adventure!
All ages are welcome for this family event to help remind children to enjoy and appreciate nature and outdoor life, through the eyes of the Swedish character Mulle. Participants can make an eco-friendly craft and enjoy an urban nature walk. Reservations are required. The cost is $5 per child, children under 2 are free. Please call the Museum at 773.728.8111 to make your reservation.
Travel the world without leaving Chicago! Come and explore the food,
dance, folk arts, and cultural identities of a different country each day in our “Pioneer the World” day camp. Campers end the week with their very own “World’s Fair” to show off their work to the public. Pioneer Camp is always packed with fun and adventure for children ages 7 to 10.
The 2010 session dates are as follows: Session I is from July 12 – 16, at 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Session II is from August 9 – 13, at 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Please note: There are only 5 remaining spots available for Session I. There are plenty of spots available for Session II. Registration deadline for Session I is Friday, June 11, 2010 and Friday, July 9, 2010 for Session II.
Cost: $175 members, $225 non-members; extended care available until 4 p.m. for an additional $70. Please call the Museum at 773.728.8111, ext 26, to reserve your spot, or click here to pay online and download the registration form.
This Summer, the Swedish American Museum will have plenty to do for the whole family and community. Here are some highlights of what to look for in the coming weeks, but be sure to visit our Calendar for a full listing of Summer events. More events will be added soon, so check back soon for further Calendar additions. If you’d like to stay updated with the Museum more frequently, click here to sign up for our monthly e-mail newsletter and weekly e-mail event blasts!
The exhibit Sweden Through My Glasses by Anders Hultman closes on Sunday, May 30, 2010 at the Museum. View it before it’s gone!
The next exhibit, 17 Swedish Designers, opens Friday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This traveling exhibit features the work of 17 prominant Swedish female designers. Visit our Calendar for full details of the events scheduled for the exhibit opening.
The Museum will host a book talk and signing with Swedish-American 
author Lilly Setterdahl on Saturday, June 5, at noon. Lilly Setterdahl will present her newest non-fiction book, Chicago Swedes: They Spoke from the Heart, which includes 340 oral histories and 300 photos produced by her late husband, Lennart Setterdahl. Copies of Chicago Swedes: They Spoke from the Heart can be purchased at the Kerstin Andersson Museum Store.
Registration for Swedish Language Series Summer classes is still open! Classes begin the first week of June with instructors Eva May and Anna Albinsson-Kaplan. In these classes, students learn Swedish language, history, and culture. For more information or to sign up, please contact Museum Membership Director Benson DuPriest at 773.728.8111 ext. 28 or e-mail him at bdupriest@samac.org. You may also click here to see the Summer 2010 schedule.
