Pioneer PBS, in partnership with the Milan Village Arts School, will be hosting an in person AND virtual event to celebrate Scandinavian American artists and their art on Sunday, November 7, 2021 from noon to 4 p.m. (CST) at the Greater Milan Initiative building (the former Milan High School) in Milan. The event is free and open to the public but registration is required by visiting pioneer.org/karen. Or calling 1-800-726-3178. All attendees to the in person event are required to be fully vaccinated.
At noon, Scandinavian Sunday will begin with a workshop by Pieper Bloomquist on the Swedish Folk art of story painting known as Dalmålning. Workshop participants will learn about the history of the art form and see a demonstration of Pieper’s work. To sign up for the workshop, please register at pioneer.org/karen.
At 2 p.m. participants will be able to preview two new Pioneer PBS Postcards stories about Pieper Bloomquist and Harley Refsal. Pieper got her start at the Milan Village Arts School taking lessons from Karen Jenson. Harley Refsal is the much beloved flat plane figure carver from Decorah, Iowa who taught for decades at the MVAS.
Participants can sign up for the Dalmålning workshop, the video screening event, or both. Both events can be watched online or in-person. Scandinavian refreshments will be served. Pieper Bloomquist and the famous rosemaler Karen Jenson will be present to discuss the videos and their respective careers.
Information will be shared about a campaign to raise funds to purchase Karen Jenson’s home in Milan for use and preservation by the Milan Village Arts School. In 2019 Pioneer PBS created a story about Karen Jenson’s home that was nominated for an Upper Midwest Emmy® and is the most widely watched and shared video on the Pioneer PBS Facebook page.
For more information, visit Pioneer.org, call 1-800-726-3178 or email yourtv@pioneer.org.
