Exhibits 2026 - Gammelgården Museum

Exhibits
Image: Wise & Foolish Virgins (by Alison Aune)

2026 Exhibits

Each year, Gammelgården Museum presents a variety of exhibits exploring local history, culture, and traditional arts. For the 2026 season, our featured exhibits focus primarily on the rich history of textiles and fiber arts that have shaped our region over the past century.

Our indoor exhibit room showcased historic artwork, artifacts, and textiles spanning nearly 200 years, celebrating the remarkable craftsmanship and creativity of artists and artisans across generations. These exhibits highlight the diverse artistic traditions and handicraft skills practiced throughout Minnesota, celebrating the makers and artisans whose work has been left behind, enriching our region’s cultural heritage.

Vinterfest 2026 Exhibit The Craft of Shoemaking in Minnesota Common Threads, Celebrated Stitches

2026 Vinterfest Exhibit

Life in a Northern Winter

The objects displayed here reflect the ingenuity, resilience, and traditions of northern communities shaped by long winters and harsh climates across both Scandinavia and the Upper Midwest.

From Sámi reindeer travel traditions and the Scandinavian spark sled on display here, to the handmade wool blankets, kerosene lanterns, and clamp-on ice skates, each artifact in this display represents a different aspect of daily life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Together, these items portray the realities of life during the cold months for these separate but similar regions through stories of transportation, warmth, work, and recreation in snowy environments where adaptation to winter was essential for survival and community life.

Spark Sled

This sled, also known as a “spark sled,” is traditional to Sweden and Finland. It is a small sled with a mounted chair on long, flexible metal runners. It is typically self-propelled by kicking off the ground with one foot, or can be pulled by animals like dogs, other people, or domestic caribou. The spark sled was invented in the mid 1870’s and remained a popular form of winter transportation until the first half of the 20th century, when they began getting phased out with the introduction of the automobile. Their use became more recreational after this point, besides their continued use in highly snowy villages and towns in certain regions.

Woven Tapestry

Depicting Sámi Men with Caribou-Drawn Sled

This woven tapestry depicts two Sámi men traveling through the snow in a sled drawn by four caribou. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggests that caribou (reindeer) have been domesticated to varying degrees for over 3,000 years and have long been used to pull sleds and carts in regions where they were plentiful.

For the Sámi people of northern Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle, reindeer herding has historically been central to daily life, mobility, and cultural identity. Reindeer provided transportation, clothing, food, and tools, making them essential to survival in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments.

Caribou are native to the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of North America, including Alaska and Canada, as well as across Eurasia, notably Greenland, Scandinavia, and Russia. They inhabit tundra and boreal forest environments. In Eurasia, the species is typically referred to as reindeer and is often semi-domesticated, particularly among Sámi communities, while North American populations remain largely wild and migratory.

Kerosene Lantern

Cold Blast Kerosene Lantern, Circa ~1913

This C.T. Ham No. 2 Cold Blast Kerosene Lantern is an antique collectible important to Early Modern America. The kerosene lantern was invented in the mid 1850’s and provided light to millions around the world. This model, mostly manufactured in Rochester, New York, was renowned for its innovative Cold Blast design that allowed for a more efficient cycle of air to meet the flame, which returned in a brighter and steadier flame. Kerosene lamps remained a popular source of light until the early 1940’s.

Woven Blankets

Wool production expanded in Minnesota during the late 19th century as sheep farming and local textile work became increasingly common in rural communities. Wool production thrived in this region from the late 19th century and into the early 20th century due to the rise of local textile mills. One of these blankets was handmade from local Scandia wool collected in the mid 1800’s.

Clamp-On Ice Skates

Antique Barney and Barney Clamp-On Ice Skates

A pair of antique clamp-on ice skates, likely dating back to the end of the 19th century, when the company was actively patenting and selling the product. Also sometimes referred to as Victorian Ice Skates. This type of skate was adjustable and attached to the bottom of a pair of boots.

The Craft of Shoemaking in Minnesota

Cobbler Exhibit – 2026

Our upstairs hallway exhibit from May-September of 2026.

This exhibit features artifacts donated primarily by two local Midwest families sharing their family histories of cobbler and leatherwork in Minnesota, spanning all the way back to the 1890’s.

This collection includes the entire contents of a cobbler’s workshop passed down through generations.

Exhibit curation and research done by Museum Staff member Hunter Panoch. The full contents of this exhibit will be available to view online at the end of September, when the exhibit reaches its close.

Common Threads, Celebrated Stitches:

Minnesota Handiwork, 1850-1950

Textiles Exhibit — 2026

Our upstairs main room exhibit from May-September of 2026.

This exhibit features a variety of textile artifacts from over 100 years of Minnesota’s history. These artifacts include examples of a variety of different types of handicraft skills including; embroidery, tatting, stitching, weaving, sewing, and more.

This exhibit’s curation and research were a collaborative effort by Museum staff members Ann Rinkenberger, Hunter Panoch, Linnea Johnson, and intern Ezra Bao. The full contents of this exhibit will be available to view online at the end of September, when the exhibit reaches its close.