FEBRUARY 19, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICAN-SCANDINAVIAN FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF ITS 2020 SCANDINAVIAN FOLK ARTS AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS GRANTS

New York, NY—The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is pleased to announce its third year of awards to support Scandinavian folk arts and cultural traditions in the Upper Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). These fellowships and grants, initiated in 2017, nurture traditional arts and skills that are rooted in Scandinavia but practiced in the United States. Through these awards, ASF extends its reach beyond New York to foster the perpetuation of Scandinavian traditional arts and skills in the Upper Midwest of the U.S, while also promoting cultural exchange between the U.S. and Scandinavia.

—IMAGE—Hardanger Fiddle by Karen Rebholz; Rug Detail by Phyllis Fredendall

FELLOWSHIPS FOR ARTISTS Fellowships for artists deepen the skills of master artists; foster relationships among masters of artistic and technical skills and their apprentices, thereby encouraging the development of traditional skills as well as the perpetuation of skills from generation to generation; and encourage the awareness of folk traditions by creating innovative projects with wide visibility and public appeal.

The nine fellows awarded Artist Fellowships in 2020 are:

Austin, Tara, from Duluth, MN Austin will develop her skills in the Scandinavian folk arts tradition of rosemaling by conducting a 3-month research and study tour in Norway. During this trip, Austin will study the historical and cultural origins of rosemaling, its many regional styles and variations. Upon her return, she will share the tradition with the Duluth community through teaching workshops and exhibitions.

Busniewski, Jason, from Milwaukee, WI Busniewski seeks to revive the musical legacy and increase public awareness of Upper Midwestern old- time music by disseminating the music of Otto Rindlisbacher. Busniewski will put Rindlisbacher’s music for fiddle, hardanger fiddle, and button accordion into tune books and recordings to make it accessible to contemporary musicians and encourage its performance.

(Continued on Page 2) Fredendall, Phyllis, from Hancock, MI Fredendall will finetune her traditional folk arts skills in Finnish weaving methods by undertaking a trip to Finland to research and practice täkänä (“Finn-pick double weave”), ryijy (rya), and rag carpet weaving at existing Finnish weaving centers that still practice traditional folk arts weaving. Fredendall’s goal is to revitalize Finnish weaving in her own community by teaching weaving methods while continuing the weaving tradition herself.

MacKenzie, Laura, from St. Paul, MN MacKenzie will collaborate with Scandinavian Folk Arts fellow Amy Shaw on reviving the Swedish folk music tradition of duet-flute performance in the Upper Midwest. In June 2020, they will go to Sweden to train with Andreas Ralsgård and Markus Tullberg, and upon their return, MacKenzie will document their study of this folk music tradition with recordings and videos, which she will also share with Scandinavian-American music communities in Minnesota.

Margerum, Alice, from Hancock, MI Margerum will foster knowledge of early traditional forms of Finnish stringed instrument construction by studying in Finland with the master luthier and scholar Dr. Rauno Nieminen. Upon her return, Margerum anticipates building additional historically-informed Finnish instruments, offering instrument-building workshops and lectures in the Midwest, and continuing to collaborate with musicians in the U.P. of Michigan.

Paulson, Jim, from Devils Lake, ND An apprentice to Phil Odden, a master Norwegian-American woodcarver who has been creating ale bowls in the Upper Midwest for over 40 years, Paulson will perpetuate traditional carving skills by teaching introductory ale bowl carving.

Rebholz, Karen, from Madison, WI Rebholz will deepen her skills as a master Hardanger fiddle maker by traveling to Norway, where she will be able to meet and interact with all of the leading makers, musicians, and dancers in the Hardanger fiddle tradition. This will allow Rebholz to foster relationships between musicians and dancers both in the U.S. and in Norway.

Rennan, Arna, from Duluth, MN Rennan will collect and learn songs, personal stories and folklore from Northern Gudbrandsdalen and will gather relevant folk material on four main topics: immigration, the “Cotter’s farms,” a “Shepherd’s Life,” and other living folklore. She will integrate the songs and stories into programs that will then be performed at libraries, schools, Sons of Norway lodges, and Scandinavian Festivals in the Midwest.

Rotto, Beth, from Decorah, IA Rotto intends to sustain the wave of “new” old music in the Upper Midwest by performing pieces from ASF’s recently transcribed tune books from Norwegian-born fiddler Johan Arndt Mostad (1833- 1909). These pieces will be performed with the Scandinavian dance band Foot-Notes at Decorah’s Nordic Fest on July 26, 2020.

GRANTS FOR PUBLIC PROGRAMS & COMMUNITY PROJECTS Grants for public programs and community projects encourage the preservation of Scandinavian cultural traditions through the support of community festivals, celebrations, and heritage events as well as workshops, performances, classes, and demonstrations. Applicants for public programs grants must be nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations.

The five organizations awarded Public Programs Grants in 2020 are:

ASI Lilla Spelmanslag, Minneapolis, MN ASI Lilla Spelmanslag will promote traditional Swedish folk music though a variety of folk music exchanges that will take place both in Minnesota and in the Swedish provinces of Skåne, Småland, and Dalarna. The intent of these exchanges is to strengthen the youth “Lilla lag” fiddle-playing program and to perform Swedish folk music for local communities in Minnesota.

(Continued on page 3) Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN As part of the 12th Annual Global Roots Festival scheduled for September 21-23, 2020, the Cedar Cultural Center will feature Tuuletar, a vocal performance group consisting of four women from Finland who incorporate beatbox rhythms into traditional folk songs. The Cedar will pair Tuuletar with local Hmong- American hip-hop artist and community activist, Tou Saiko Lee. Lee will host the Finnish group at community events and encourage Hmong communities in Minneapolis and Saint Paul to participate in these intercultural musical exchanges.

Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI In August 2020, the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) will host a public celebration of the Upper Midwest’s rich Scandinavian heritage in conjunction with its forthcoming exhibition “Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980.” MAM’s three-day Scandinavian Festival will represent traditions of each Nordic country as they are practiced in the Upper Midwest and immerse audiences of all ages in authentic Scandinavian art, food, and culture.

New York Mills Arts Retreat, New York Mills, MN New York Mills Regional Cultural Center will sponsor a week-long residency for Kardemimmit, a four- woman Finnish ensemble who sing and play the kantele, the Finnish national instrument. The residency will encourage broad public awareness and understanding of traditional Finnish culture, heritage, and skills through music and dance and will involve the New York Mills, Menahga public schools, and Finn Creek Museum.

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, IA Vesterheim will pilot a new and robust intergenerational program using three different platforms: free hands-on programming geared toward families one Saturday per month; a series of four 2 to 3-hour family folk art workshops; and an intergenerational family folk art camp in August.

*For more details about the recipients’ projects and to learn more about the Scandinavian Folk Arts & Cultural Programs in the Upper Midwest, please click here!

THE AMERICAN-SCANDINAVIAN FOUNDATION The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) promotes firsthand exchange of intellectual and creative influence between the United States and the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. A publicly supported American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, ASF has an extensive program of fellowships, grants, intern/trainee sponsorship, publishing, and cultural activities. Headquartered in New York City, ASF has members throughout the United States, and alumni and donors worldwide. For more information, please visit amscan.org.

For further information, please contact Sally Yerkovich, Director of Educational Exchange & Special Projects, at 212-847-9714 or [email protected].