Ballard museum offers unique blend of Nordic exhibits and cultural arts

Originally published Saturday, November 16, 1996;
revised Friday, November 19, 1999

By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Seattle is 2,800 miles from Ellis Island, yet the experience of passing through the world's most famous immigration portal can be felt at Ballard's Nordic Heritage Museum.

The museum has a three-dimensional exhibit that takes visitors on a trip starting in the "old country" and ending in the Pacific Northwest.

Included is a cross section of a passenger ship that has the smells and sounds of an Atlantic Ocean crossing, which was experienced by tens of thousands of European immigrants.

The museum also has a gallery of life in an early day logging camp, as well as a fishing exhibit.

The heritage museum is unique in the United States in that it offers educational displays, museum-quality exhibits, costumes and artifacts, as well as a broad range of cultural arts.

An average of about 150 people are enrolled in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish classes held at the museum, said Marianne Forssblad, the museum's director, who came to the United States from Sweden as a student in 1964.

In addition to concerts, lectures and dance performances, the museum offers workshops in a variety of crafts, including weaving, Forssblad said.

The museum, which has gained a national reputation as a cultural arts center, attracts about 65,000 people a year to its exhibits, classes and performances, Forssblad said.

The museum is a popular attraction for local residents as well as tourists. About 14 percent of Seattle's population is of Nordic descent, Forssblad said.

The museum is, of course, in Ballard at 3014 N.W. 67th St. Admission is $4; $3 college students and seniors; $2 ages 5-17; free for under 5. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays, noon-4 p.m. 789-5707.

The museum's Yulefest is a festival of Scandinavian arts and crafts, music, dance, food and children's activities.