To Cap the Year-Long Baldishol Celebration

In the summer of 2020, Norway House in Minneapolis was one of the very first galleries or museums to arrange for safe and socially-distanced gallery visits. Even so, perhaps you were far away and missed the great show, “The Baldishol: A Medieval Norwegian Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles.” In step with the new virtual reality of the pandemic world, there were lots of online opportunities to learn about the exhibit, too: a YouTube opening celebration, a virtual tour of all the works, and a web page leading to additional articles about the artists and the inspirational Baldishol Tapestry. To finish this year-long celebration of the Baldishol Tapestry, please enjoy our last, “old school” exhibition feature–a beautifully illustrated catalog. You can read (or print) the pdf version, or  purchase one in print. 

The Baldishol Exhibit will be forever tied to the pandemic for me. The lockdown coincided with the time for artists to complete their works in time for the summer show. Would it even happen?

The issues of lockdown were dire, and then the rioting and unrest following the murder of George Floyd caused even more uncertainty. I wrote about this in an article in Tapestry Weaver, the journal of the British Tapestry Group. “Art in a Time of Pandemic and Protest: A Minneapolis Exhibit Timeline” appeared in the Fall, 2020, issue.

It really was an amazing exhibit, but the best part was seeing the creativity of the artists in responding to the original Baldishol, and getting to know them all throughout the tumultuous year. My “Baldishol Duck” hangs in my studio, a daily reminder of the great experience.

And now the catalog is is a beautiful reality.