Gerda Fuglerud is the CEO and owner of OLEANA, an award winning Norwegian knitwear brand, known for its highly artistic design, incorporating Norwegian flora, geography and a long time history of the art of knitting.

On Thursday, February 13 from 12 noon until 1 pm, Gerda, who has a an MBA specializing in Luxury and Design Management, will provide a lecture for the students and faculty in the Art and Design Department (see poster invitation).

We also want to take this opportunity to thank Norway House for their partnership in bringing contemporary Norway to campus. During Gerda’s visit to the Twin-Cities, she will hold an array of events at Norway House between February 13^th and 15^th, with pop-up shops and gallery talks.

The event below is open to the Augsburg community, and we invite you to join us in welcoming Gerda and OLEANA.

The Saami National Day falls on February 6^th, and is celebrated in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, where the indigenous people of Lapland live today. A tradition since 1993, the Saami people’s day commemorates the first Saami congressional gathering held in Trondheim in 1917, a year that marks the first time the Saami people started collaborating for a common causes across the national borders that split their indigenous homeland.

Today, this national event is celebrated by raising the Saami flag and holding formal celebrations. Some areas—with a higher population of Saami people—extend the celebrations to include Saami themed events in the week leading up to as well as on the national day. One of the most notable events are hosted in Tromsø, Norway, where they celebrate the world championship in reindeer racing (see photo below).

Jokkmokk (Sweden), Oulu (Finland), and Murmansk (Russia) have also traditionally hosted bigger events with Saami themes, emphasizing language conservation, and culture and discrimination issues, aiming to bring awareness to, preserve, and promote the indigenous culture and history.

On January 16, 1895, the original 18 members of Sons of Norway gathered for their first official meeting. Today Sons of Norway celebrates the 125 years that have passed since that meeting. This organization has grown to become the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway and is proud of its 50,000 members at 350 lodges across the United States, Canada and Norway.

Serving members with financial, fraternal, and philanthropic offerings is part of their ongoing mission, as well as other exciting developments the first meeting 125 years ago. Please see a list of their major milestones and goals by visiting the Sons of Norway homepage.

And help us celebrate this big milestone with Sons of Norway.

Bjørn Magnus Jacobsen Ihler is a Norwegian activist, writer, designer, and filmmaker working across mediums to promote peace and human rights in defiance of violent extremism. Ihler is a survivor of the Utøya mass shooting on 22 July 2011. Since that horrifying experience, he has used his voice to promote peace and justice all over the world.

He currently serves as a Young Leader on the Extremely Together Project at the Kofi Annan Foundation, and is a listed speaker for the Human Rights Foundation (who is our international partner for the Human Rights Forum) and spoke at their Oslo Freedom Forum in 2016.

Ihler will be speaking at Norway House on Sunday, June 23, 2019 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, and will give a lecture at Macalester College the following day.

Please visit Norway House’s event page to RSVP to the free session.

This event and opportunity is brought to us be Heartland Democracy.

This Sunday, May 19, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Mindekirken) will replicate on a smaller scale the experience and celebrations in Norway, with a program full of family friendly fun including church service, parades, games and bouncy houses for children, folk dances, many many bunads and loads of ice cream.

Join us for a fun and festive cultural evening as we celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day!

Time: 5:00 pm

Place: Minnesota Valley Country Club (map).

This event promises you a warm evening with entertainment from Soloist Ariel Wilberg, Pianist Loryce Sivertsen, and LeRoy Larson and the Minnesota Scandinavian Ensemble. In addition, we have a special guest speaker; His Excellency Kåre Aas, Norway’s Ambassador to the United States who has visited Augsburg University often.

Registration needs to take place before May 10. The cost is $70 for adults and $35 for students. Additional information about the event and registration, can be found here.

This event guarantees a truly Norwegian experience. Hope to see you there!

Do you have a bunad? Then check here to see if you are eligible to wear one.

Did you know that annually on February 6th the Sami National Day is celebrated in Norway?

The Sami, considered indigenous to this region, is the descendants of nomadic peoples who inhabited northern Scandinavia for thousands of years. Historically they travelled between borders of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Now most of the Sami population in Norway lives above Trondheim in the central part of the country, stretching all the way to the north into the Kola-peninsula in Russia.

The Sami population have their own parliament called Samediggi, their own flag, and they traditionally wear the Samioutfit (Gákti )for ceremonial and symbolic purposes.

Norway House is currently displaying a photographic portrait exhibit by Randall Hyman called Sami Dreams. The mother of one of our very own exchange students, Marja Ristinna Gustad, is depicted in this exhibit (which is open until the beginning of June).

Norway House – Sami Dreams

In addition, Augsburg Native American Film Series will screen a short film called Sami Boy, created by Elle Sofe Henriksen, as a part of a larger celebration titled Celebrating Native Voices: Short Films by Indigenous Filmmakers. This film is available through our partnership with the Norwegian Honorary Consulate General in Minneapolis and the Norwegian Film Institute. This event taking place on April 16 at the University of St. Thomas.

Augsburg Native American Film Series – Native Short Films

Wednesday, March 27 showed to be a success:  Amundsen Sports, Sons of Norway, the Honorary Consulate General in Minneapolis and Norway Hub hosted a Norwegian Film Screening at Augsburg University.

The newly released film AMUNDSEN was vied by 200 guests, and the event provided opportunities to mingle, network, and participate in an exciting raffle, the prize: a wool-sweater from Amundsen Sports identical to those used by Amundsen in the early 1900’s. Our reception included Pemmican samples (dried meat commonly eaten on expeditions) consumed voluntarily by our adventurous guests. 

In addition, Ann Bancroft, our guest of honor, shared her past experiences and expeditions as a polar explorer, her longtime friendship with Liv Arnesen, and her avid advocation for nature and female power.

This event is an example of how Augsburg University continues to create opportunities connecting our students, staff and faculty to old and contemporary Norway.

A big thank you to Amundsen Sports, Sons of Norway and the Honorary Consulate General in Minneapolis for partnering in a successfully executed night. .

Norway Hub connects the Augsburg community to present-day Norway by providing resources on contemporary Norwegian life and culture, inspiring Augsburg students, faculty, and staff to be dynamically engaged with the University’s Norwegian legacy.

Here you will find current events and opportunities. Events will include inviting academics, politicians, diplomats, and artists (e.g., writers, filmmakers, musicians, dancers) who have strong connections to Norway and/or Scandinavia.

The Hub will also provide internship possibilities to students and serve as a resource for faculty and staff, supporting research and grant proposals. We provide cultural activities and scholarship opportunities and bring Norwegian experts and changemakers to campus. Additional outreach involves working closely with partners like Norway House, the Norwegian Honorary Consulate and additional Norwegian-American organizations in our region.

If you are interested in any of these areas, or have questions related to inviting speakers, visa processes, specific events, or outreach, don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are located on campus, at the basement of Memorial Hall right under the skyway.

Here you will find current events and opportunities.