social and cultural events

Exhibit at Heritage Hall


L to R: Rigmor Swensen, NIA Chair; Greta Lafayette, Exhibit Chair; Sissel Breie, Consul General;
Rolf Stang, NIA; Mary Ellen Pelzer, Director South Street Seaport Museum. Credit: Everett Halvorsen

November 22, 2008, the exhibit, Norwegian Americans on the Waters Around New York opened at Heritage Hall, located in the Norwegian Christian Home and Health Center in Brooklyn.
Tables filled Arthur Nilsen Auditorium and a sell out crowd had a lovely lunch of ham with all the trimmings. Greta Lafayette, Exhibit Chair, wearing many hats that day, accompanied Paul Mori whose fine, clear voice interpreted songs in Norwegian and English. Jeanne Widman, longtime friend of the NIA, established a festive atmosphere, playing the accordion throughout the afternoon.

As lunch was winding down, Greta Lafayette stepped up to the podium to give a brief summary of her committee’s hard work in producing this fine exhibit. She thanked those who contributed documents and artifacts, and noted that there would have been no exhibit without the creative, demanding work of the volunteers on the Exhibit Committee. Greta further noted that Norwegian Americans on the Waters Around New York is just the tip of the iceberg. So many new and amazing facts turned up as research material came in, that there must be at least one sequel to this story.

Next, Consul General Sissel Breie, newly arrived in New York, cut the ribbon to officially open, Norwegian Americans on the Waters Around New York. The gallery buzzed with interest as people strolled among the panels and showcases, the 7-foot tall ship’s mast, and the old dock. The past came alive. The immigrants themselves, and the sons that followed them onto the docks, the tugs, the barges, the dredges, and the yachts took a nostalgic look backwards. Some just nodded and contemplated the display. One older man said he could smell the salt and taste the briny water as he saw a photo of himself pulling at the gears of the huge crane on a dredge on New York’s West Side.

If you’ve seen it once, come again and bring your friends, and especially your grandchildren for a glimpse of the contributions of Norwegians to New York Harbor. If you haven’t seen it, take the first opportunity.