Dear Liza,
I had been in the Nordic House building just a few weeks ago, but during the Nordic Fest it was full of people wandering around, craftspeople selling their wares, and all the hubbub of a festival.
On a regular Monday, it was much more quiet. The Broder cafe was open and a dozen or so folks were having lunch and chatting, some in what I assumed to be Swedish, Danish, or other Nordic languages. I asked a secretary where the Danish conversation group was meeting, and was kindly told that the schedule …. had been changed. For the afternoon group, I needed to come back in two weeks.
Sigh. Big sigh. Disappointed to the point that I had to step outside sigh. I found a seat, ate my apple, and decided to make the most of my trip. I went back inside.
The secretary had said something about ‘a new show’ and indicated a room, so I went that way.
I discovered a whole world of Icelandic art of that combines textiles and books, amazed that two of my own favorite crafts are actually contemporary Icelandic art!
These were all pieces by women artists, either native Icelanders or local Portland artists using Icelandic techniques. There were woven pieces made into books, and books that had been stitched to enhance the text. More than a dozen pieces combining painting, printing and stitchery, bound into paper books. My brain was on fire.
I was no longer sad about missing the group. I realized that if I had attended the group, I would not have visited this art on my own and been able to see it in this way. As so often happens, the unexpected, the mistake, was a gift.
I read about the artists, who had such distinctive names as Anna Greenwood and Helga Brynjolfsdottir, took a few dozen pictures, and checked my bus schedule. It was time to go.
I will return in two weeks for the conversation group, with more Danish under my belt.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 