Nordic Art on the Minnesota Prairie

by Johanna Weissing*

The prairies of western Minnesota have more to offer than first meets the eye. The area is often overlooked in favor of popular tourist destinations along the North Shore or the state’s many lakes and rivers. Tucked away in rural communities not far from Lake Wobegon, though, one can find folk artists working in various Scandinavian traditions, people quietly pursuing a passion for handcrafts that connect them to their heritage and to the people around them. They produce beautiful works of art for their friends and neighbors. In the process, they are preserving a bit of the past for future generations.

The area around Milan, home of the Milan Village Arts School, boasts a particularly high concentration of these folk artists. Over the years, the school has attracted many gifted teachers and now offers a wide variety of courses. The offerings include many traditional Scandinavian art forms, from making Norwegian skinnfeller (sheepskin blankets) and Sami bracelets to rosemaling and Norwegian knife-making.

Clarice Dieter in her work room surrounded by tools for rosemaling — Clarice Dieter in the work room at her home in Morris, MN. She has been rosemaling for over 40 years. She paints in a number of traditional Norwegian styles. As an instructor at the Milan Village Arts School she has taught students of a wide variety of skill levels.

A rosemaled plate by Clariece Dieter in the symmetrical Rogaland style. — A plate painted by Clarice in the characteristically symmetrical Rogaland style.

A jewelry box painted by Clarice in the Valdres style. — A jewelry box painted by Clarice in Valdres style with chinoiserie scene and scrolls on the underside of the lid. The styles are often combined, Clarice explained.

A collection of traditional Norwegian knives made by Jon Roisen. — A collection of traditional Norwegian knives made by Jon Roisen, board president of the Milan Village Arts School, where he teaches. What he enjoys most about the process is crafting a sheath for the knife. If made well, he explained, you should be able to hold the sheath upside down and shake it without the knife falling out. Jon emphasizes beauty as well as functionality in the tools he creates.

A trio of Sami style bracelets made by Sue Roisen. — A trio of Sami style bracelets made by Sue Roisen, who teaches classes in the Twin Cities for the Milan Village Arts School. Pewter and Silver threads are braided together and sewn to a band made of reindeer leather. The button clasps are made of reindeer horn.

Sue Roisen braiding the threads for a bracelet. — Sue braiding the threads for a bracelet. On the table in front of her are some finished pieces as well as the large white cord she uses to teach students how to braid.

Another local attraction is Billy Maple Tree’s, a Scandinavian-themed gift shop run by Billy Thompson and his daughter Ann. In the rooms next to the gift shop is housed the Arv Hus Museum (Norwegian for “heritage house”), where Billy showcases historic photographs and artifacts from the Milan area.

Billy Maple Tree’s gift shop and the Arv Hus Museum. — Velkommen til Milan! Billy Maple Tree’s gift shop and the Arv Hus Museum, where Billy displays his collection. He is passionate about preserving Milan’s largely Norwegian heritage for the benefit of future generations.

Billy next to an ox yoke that belonged to Patrick Kerrigan (1840-1932), one of the few non-Norwegians to settle in the area. Billy enjoys explaining the purpose of these old tools to visitors. Above the yoke are some of the photographs Billy has collected and framed. He designed the frames to add depth and a 3D feel to the photos, many of which Billy saved from a 55-gallon drum destined for burning.

Milan is also home to Karen Jenson, an internationally-famed rosemaler. Her house, just a few blocks from the Milan Village Arts School and Billy Maple Tree’s, is a work of art in itself. Karen collaborated with local woodworkers Aaron and Arvid Swenson to remodel the house, which she then painted with traditional Swedish and Norwegian colors and rosemaling styles.

Two kubbestols painted in Karen’s favorite style: transparent Telemark. — For many years, Karen rented out rooms for students taking classes at the Milan Village Arts School. There are two bedrooms upstairs, one painted in Norwegian style, the other in Swedish. Pictured here are two kubbestols in the Norwegian room, painted in Karen’s favorite style: transparent Telemark.

Karen pictured in her kitchen with a Gustavian style clock she painted. The kitchen is decorated in Swedish style in honor of Karen’s own background. “I didn’t like the Swedish style of rosemaling at first,” she said, “but it grew on me after a while.”

An hour’s drive from Milan is Willmar, home of woodcarvers Lowell Anderson and Lowell Torkelson. Both took up their hobbies after retiring and have developed their talents rapidly. The two are long time members of the West Central Carvers Club as well as their local Sons of Norway lodge, through which they know hardanger embroiderer Betty Knutson.

Lowell Anderson with one of his many prize-winning plates. Lowell does chip carving with a gouge, using only one size to produce even, symmetrical designs. An avid hunter and fisherman, Lowell picked up carving a few years ago when outdoor activities began to be more difficult for him. “My wife said, you’ve got to do something to get out of the house,” he explained, so he took a carving class from Bob Bredeson and has been chipping away with his gouge ever since.

A shelf Lowell Torkelson carved in acanthus style and filled with some of his flat-plane figures. — Lowell Torkelson has worked in a number of traditional Scandinavian styles, from kolrosing and kubbestol carving to kroting and dragon carving. Above is a shelf Lowell carved in acanthus style and filled with some of his flat-plane figures.

Close-up of a hardanger piece made by Betty Knutson that showcases a number of traditional hardanger stitches. Although traditionally done in white or ecru thread on fabric of the same color, Betty is a vocal proponent of working with more easily available materials and with colors that appeal to the needle worker. Betty enjoys working in a wide variety of colors.

Worthington, several hours south of Milan and Willmar, has fewer Scandinavians, but even here one can find a few artists working in Norwegian traditions. Julie Buntjer, a hardanger embroiderer, and Lisa Severance, a rosemaler, call themselves “the German girls who do Scandinavian art.” Retired Worthington police officer Dan Bogie has picked up woodcarving and particularly enjoys flat-plane carving, a Scandinavian style he studied with Harley Refsal at the Milan Village Arts School.

All three agree that Scandinavian traditions are dying out in the area. Julie struggles with access to the materials she needs for her embroidery, Lisa feels isolated, as she has yet to meet any other rosemalers from the area, and Dan wishes he didn’t have to travel so far for classes. They hope to drum up more local interest through exposure, though. Julie is teaching a 4H class this winter that will include hardanger embroidery, and all three presented their work at Worthington’s international festival this past summer.

While traditional Scandinavian folk artists can still be found in western Minnesota, the future of their work is uncertain. Most of the practitioners are near or beyond retirement age. They are all eager to tell their stories and transmit their skills to future generations, but there do not seem to be many younger people interested in hobbies that require such a large investment of time and high level of skill.

Several of the folk artists hope to see their disciplines perpetuated through art programs in public schools and through community education courses. Unfortunately, funding for such projects is scarce these days, and even established folk art schools like the one in Milan are struggling to keep their doors open. Many fear that the day is not far off when the traditions they have worked to keep alive will be relegated primarily to museums. But still they paint and carve and stitch and advocate for these traditional art forms, master artists on the prairies of Minnesota.

Bright red hardanger embroidery by Julie Buntjer. — Hardanger embroidery involves a number of unique stitches. Cutting threads within cloister blocks to create a lacy effect is one of the distinctive features of the art. As with Betty Knutson, Julie Buntjer enjoys working with bright colors, as in this red piece.

Plate rosemaled by Lisa Severance. — A self-taught rosemaler, Lisa Severance describes her style as Americanized rather than strictly traditional. Lisa will paint just about anything, from chairs to clay pots, but her favorite pieces to paint are plates like the one above.

A chair rosemaled by Lisa Severance. — A chair Lisa painted recently for a benefit auction.

A nisse carved by Dan Bogie in flat-plane style.

*Johanna Weissing recently earned her MA in Scandinavian Studies from the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic. In the summer of 2018, Johanna worked as a summer documenter, conducting fieldwork with Nordic-American artists throughout Minnesota.