Wanderboomer

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

BY Nancy Mueller Leave a Comment ON February 19, 2017

Daytripping at Seattle’s Nordic Heritage Museum

Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood

Quick: Can you identify the five flag emblems on the Nordic Heritage Museum (in order from left to right)? No fair Googling. (answers at the end of this post)

Since 1980, the Nordic Heritage Museum has held a special place in the hearts of Seattle’s Scandinavian community. Through rotating art exhibits, permanent collections and special events, the museum is the only museum in the U.S. to celebrate the cultural heritage of all five Nordic countries: Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

Warm Welcome for Visitors

Currently, Nordic Heritage Museum is housed in the former Daniel Webster School in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. But with construction already underway, anticipation runs high for its move to a new, 57,875-sq. ft. state-of-art facility in Ballard in 2018.

Why not get a head start? While dreaming of your own visit to Norway, for instance, you can still visit the museum at its present location to get an overview of the ties between Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest. You can even register for language classes, watch a movie, attend a lecture or learn a new craft like Norwegian Rosemaling (decorative folk art), Nordic woodcarving or Scandinavian knitting.

To view the exhibits, start your tour on the first floor with a walk through “The Dream of America” exhibit.

Waiting to Embark on a New Life in the Dream of America

Attracted by the promise of tillable farmlands, logging and fishing opportunities in the Northwest, emigrants from the five Nordic countries packed their bags and trunks and headed to America.

Boarding the Ship for America

Recreated scenes help us imagine the emigrant journey, from boarding the ships to settling in the New World. Considering the current focus on U.S. immigrants, the exhibit offers a poignant reminder of our connection with people and cultures across the globe.

On Board Bound for America

Dream of America Display

Museum Library

Continue to the second floor to discover more about the fishing and logging industries that brought settlers to the Northwest.

Museum Gift Shop

In addition to offering a library and gift shop, the new Nordic Heritage Museum will include a café, auditorium and cultural resource center.

Display Outside the National Heritage Galleries

For more detailed information on each of the five Nordic countries, view the National Heritage Galleries on the third floor.

“Norway in the Northwest” Exhibit

* Answer (in order from left to right): Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden.

For more information, visit Nordic Heritage Museum.

Wander on!

Nancy

What about you wanderboomers? What’s your favorite cultural heritage museum?

Filed Under: Art, Museums Tagged With: Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle

BY Nancy Mueller Leave a Comment ON January 30, 2017

Jacob Lawrence Migration Series: Seattle Art Museum

Panel 1

The Migration Series by American artist Jacob Lawrence
Bold. Brilliant. Monumental.

From January 21 – April 23 2017, visitors to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) have the rare opportunity to view a treasured work of art in its entirety: The Migration Series by American artist Jacob Lawrence. Thanks to loans from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Phillips Collection, the exhibit is now on display for the first time in over two decades on the West Coast. The two museums share the complete, fragile collection of sixty panels: the Phillips houses the odd-numbered panels, MoMA the even-numbered panels.

The Migration Series at SAM commemorates the 100th anniversary of Jacob Lawrence’s birth in his adopted home city. Lawrence had accepted a teaching position at the University of Washington in 1971. Together with his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, the couple were strong supporters of the arts in Seattle.

Former student and leader of the Northwest African American Museum, artist Barbara Earl Thomas describes Lawrence as “humble and generous.” Thomas elaborates: “He helped you be the best at what you wanted to be, not who he thought you should be. He went through many risings and fallings in his life, but his philosophy was, if you believe in what you’re doing, keep doing it.”

Background

Panel 24

Lawrence completed the series when he was just 23 years old (1941). The panels tell the story of the exodus of African Americans from the rural South to the industrial North between World War I and World War II.

The artist had received a government sponsorship for the arts and was living in Harlem. Here he conceived the idea of a large mural representation of this significant chapter in American history. His own parents had been part of the early migration wave. He had absorbed the history of the Movement by listening to the personal stories of his mother and her friends. The Migration Series captures their stories in spare, unflinching, colorful detail on canvas. 

The Process

To bring the Movement to life, Lawrence created the epic journey in casein tempera on hardboard panels, each measuring 12 x 18 inches. Through unity of color, composition and display, the overall effect is rhythmic, an echo of the Movement itself. In a 1998 interview with MoMA curator Ann Temkin, the artist explained how he worked quickly from drawings to painted completion over a six to eight-month period. In painting all sixty panels in the same color at one time, he intended for the panels to be considered a unit.

The Panels

In his vivid, vibrant portrayal of the African American exodus, artist Jacob Lawrence invites us to walk with him through a significant event in American history.

The story begins with a simple inscription in Panel 1: “During World War I there was a great migration north by southern African Americans.” In this one image, we sense the scope of the Movement. We view the scene from behind a multitude of migrants bound by train for Chicago, New York and St. Louis.

Continuing through the exhibit, we move alongside the migrants as they head north. In Panel 3, we learn “From every southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north.” Panel 6 shows us how “The trains were crowded with migrants.”

Panel 6

In Panel 12, “The railroad stations were at times so over-packed with people leaving that special guards had to be called in to keep order.”

Viewing the flat, faceless, angular forms of a collective in transition has a somber effect. The narrative and images of the harsh social conditions that drove the exodus reinforce the mood: “They were very poor” (Panel 10). “Food had doubled in price because of the war” (Panel 11). “For African Americans there was no justice in the southern courts” Most stark of all, “There were lynchings” (Panel 15). In the shapes of the downcast, hunched figures viewers experience the weight of social oppression and upheaval on the journey to cultural change.

Panel 49

Yet despite facing new challenges in the North, like discrimination (Panel 49), house bombings (Panel 51), race riots (Panel 52) and tuberculosis (Panel 55), Lawrence’s panels evoke resilience. The migrants kept coming.

Panel 58

Ultimately, the artist leads us to a hopeful vision. In the final panels of his series, migrants receive more educational opportunities (Panel 58) and the right to vote (Panel 59).

Panel 59

If You Go:

Seattle Art Museum
1300 First Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 654-3100 & TTY (206) 654-3137

For more information, visit:
Seattle Art Museum (SAM)

Wander on!

Nancy

What about you, Wanderboomers? What’s your experience with the art of Jacob Lawrence?

 

Filed Under: Art, Museums Tagged With: Jacob Lawrence, Seattle

BY Nancy Mueller Leave a Comment ON July 29, 2013

Seafair: Seattle’s Favorite Summer Festival

Seafair Penticton Peach Float
Since the 1950’s, Seafair has ruled as Seattle’s favorite summer festival spanning several weeks. For most Seattleites, Seafair traditions include the Blue Angels, hydroplane races on Lake Washington and the Torchlight Parade. Even smaller neighborhood events like the Milk Carton Derby at Green Lake and the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival are all part of the fun.

Seafair Rock This Town Float

The celebrations kick off with the crowning of King Neptune and the Queen of the Seas (now named Miss Seafair). But where would we be without the Seafair pirates to add a bit of mischief? After their customary landing at Alki Beach in West Seattle, the pirates pop up all summer (and now even throughout the year), playing pranks around the city. Like the time a few pirates entered a local pub, pulled up a couple of chairs and invited themselves to join a few patrons at their table. Turns out the patrons were tourists and had no idea what the heck was going on. Even better!

Unfortunately, the Blue Angels won’t be the headliners at this year’s festival, due to federal budget cuts. But the air-show must go on. The Patriots Jet Team, a six-plane aerobatic group, has stepped in fill the void for Seafair Weekend, Friday August 2nd – Sunday August 4th.

To learn more about the history of Seattle’s most popular summer festival, head to MOHAI (The Museum of History and Industry) on Free First Thursday, August 1st. If you arrive between 11AM and 1PM, you might even get the chance to practice the royal wave with Miss Seafair herself.

MOHAI

For more information, be sure to check out the Seafair calendar of events.

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your favorite summer festival, wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Entertainment, Festivals, Seattle, Washington State Tagged With: Blue Angels, Miss Seafair, MOHAI, Patriots Jet Team, Seafair, Seafair Pirates, Seattle, summer festivals

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON April 22, 2013

S is for Six Sunny Hours in Seattle

OlympicMountains  (450 x 292)

When the sun shines in Seattle, you want to be where the action is: anywhere near the water with a view of the mountains.

One way to take in a panoramic view of the region is to head west on the 520 floating bridge towards downtown Seattle. From the bridge deck you’ll have a 180 degree view of the Olympic Mountains, with “The Brothers” peaks straight ahead, Mt. Rainier to your left, and Mt. Baker on your right. At the west end of the bridge, look for the University of Washington Husky Stadium. Go Dawgs!

TheMarketPigPikePlaceMarket (450 x 319)

Photo courtesy of Loco Steve – flickr

Next, take a couple of hours to stroll through Pike Place Market on Elliott Bay for a sampling of outstanding produce, flowers, and crafts from the Pacific Northwest. Be sure to check out the restaurants and shops on both sides of the street and on each of the market levels. Leave with a souvenir watercolor painting of the city or a photo of yourself atop the Market Pig. Shop for jewelry, teas and spices or a stack of magazines from around the world and stop at the original Starbucks store for a cup of your favorite joe to go. Don’t leave without trying your hand at catching a flying fish from the fun-loving guys at The Fish Market.

Ray'sBoathousemoohahaflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of moohaha – flickr

When you’re ready to take a break from shopping, you can select from any number of restaurants at the Market for lunch – or you can hop back in your car for the drive to Ray’s Boathouse, Seattle’s premier waterfront restaurant, for a delectable meal of fresh seafood, like salmon, calamari, jumbo shrimp, scallops or crab cakes. Mmm . . .

What are your favorite places on a sunny Seattle day, wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Farmers' Markets, Food & Dining, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Shopping, Travel Experiences, WA, Washington State Tagged With: 520 floating bridge, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Olympic Mountains, original Starbucks store, Pike Place market, Rachel the Pig, Ray's Boathouse, Seattle, Starbucks, the University of Washington Stadium

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON April 16, 2013

N is for Never Never Land

GirlsJustWanttoHaveFun (450 x 299)

Girls Just Want to have Fun in Gulf Shores, Alabama

In the wonderfully imaginary world of J.M. Barrie, Never Never Land (or Neverland) symbolizes a place of eternal enchantment without boundaries.

SeattleChineseNewYear (381 x 450)

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Seattle’s International District

Here time slows, days become occupied with magical adventures, and residents refuse to grow up any time soon.

HawaiiSurfer (450 x 299)

Surfer Girl in Hawaii

So where exactly is Neverland? J.M. Barrie doesn’t say, though we sense a place far offshore from the mainland – literally and metaphorically – where visitors can return to their child-selves, engaged in a spirit of play.

Where’s your Neverland, wanderboomers?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Gulf Shores, Hawaii, Seattle, WA, Washington State Tagged With: Alabama, Chinese New Year, Gulf Shores, Hawaii, International District, J.M. Barrie, Never Never Land, Neverland, Seattle

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »
Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
For travel tips, news & inspiration in our Wanderboomer newsletter, subscribe here.

Destination:

  • North America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Australia
  • Africa

Categories:

  • Business
  • Family
  • Purpose
  • Writing

© 2023 · Wanderboomer. Terms and Conditons | Sitemap | Contact · Site by Wordpress Barista