Needleworker Arlys Sorby ( left ), speaks with a visitor to Hallson Church , Icelandic State Park , ND , about her Hardanger parament — a traditional decoration in Nordic churches . Photo : Barb Gunderson .
Folk Art Projects in Nordic American Churches
Historic Nordic American churches are deeply embedded in many communities in the Upper Midwest , and their buildings , community engagement , ethnic traditions , and culinary events represent significant civic assets to the larger population . Over the past five years , Partners for Sacred Places has been working with churches in Nordic communities across the region to help them preserve their buildings and sustain their presence in their communities . In 2022 , a group of these churches commissioned new folk art , created in ways that involved the general public . As a result , participating sites grew their networks of support and encouraged greater awareness and appreciation of their contributions to local culture and society .
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The visibility of working artists is key to any community project involving art . Non-artists need to see and experience the work being done in order to relate to it and gather meaning from it .
— Pieper Bloomquist , Folk Artist
Pieper Bloomquist stands near her painting of the history of Hallson Church in the Bonadsmålning style , a traditional Swedish method involving natural pigments painted on linen to tell a story with words and pictures . Photo : Barb Gunderson .
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