Join us for a festive morning of Nordic Easter crafts and traditions! This event is open to all ages (and egg-painting skill levels) and will invite you to explore a variety of Scandinavian traditions to celebrate one of the region’s most beloved holidays.
Activities will include…
Making påskris (Swedish Easter trees), twigs embellished with colorful ribbons and feathers, that symbolize the end of the cold season and the beginning of spring
Dressing up as Easter witches (påskkärringar/påskhäxor) a tradition where children (or children at heart) dress up as witches and exchange drawings and cards for treats
Creating yellow candles, which decorate Scandinavian homes during the season
Bring your creativity, your friends, and maybe a smock or two—get ready to make some crafts to take home and relish in the påskestemning (a Norwegian word to describe the festive Easter atmosphere)!
Ages: Recommended for ages 6 and up (younger kids welcome with adult help)
Space is limited, so reserve your spot early!
Saturday, April 4th | 10am – 12pm | $20pp; $10 for members | Tickets
Join us for a moving and powerful afternoon of cinema as we present Never Alone (Finland, 2025), a gripping historical drama based on true events.
Set during World War II, Never Alone tells the remarkable story of Jewish refugees seeking safety in Finland as Nazi influence spreads across Europe. At the center is Finnish-Jewish businessman Abraham Stiller (Ville Virtanen, Bordertown), who risks everything to protect the refugee community. This deeply human film explores courage, moral conviction, and the enduring fight for hope in the face of overwhelming adversity.
From acclaimed director Klaus Härö — known for the Oscar-shortlisted The Fencer and Golden Globe-nominated My Sailor, My Love — comes a powerful and timely story of resilience, compassion, and quiet heroism.
Saturday, April 11, 2026 | 1pm | $10; $5 for members | tickets
Finland · 2025 | Drama · Finnish with English subtitles | Running time: 85 minutes
Food available for purchase in our Kaffestugan from 10am-2pm
During our weekly Kaffestugan we will be celebrating the Swedish tradition of Våffeldagen. Swedes have enjoyed waffles in some form since the 1600’s and they remain popular today. So much so they celebrate them every March! Often covered with cream and jam instead of syrup, these are sure to delight. Come on out for lunch and a waffle or just a waffle on it’s own! We won’t judge. The standard Kaffestugan menu will still be available.
Saturday, March 21st | 10am-2pm
**no reservations. There will be extra seating in the Nordic Hall**
Abundance Sauna will be at The Scandinavian Cultural Center — Saturday and Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2026.
St. Urho is an unusual character. We celebrate and remember him every year on March 16th. As legends have it, the saint chased the grasshoppers out of Finland shouting at them, “Grasshoppers, Grasshoppers, Go to Hell!” But why did he want grasshoppers to disappear from Finland? This was so the wine vineyards could be saved from destruction. He also wanted to save the grapes and the worker’s jobs, all while feeding on only sour milk and fish soup. Thanks to his noble deeds, he became a hero.
There are many sessions available each day, starting as early as 10:00am. The session cost is the same regardless of the number of people in your party. The sauna comfortably accommodates 3 people at once. Ten minutes of each session is allotted for turnover. You are welcome to book available consecutive sessions for a longer sauna experience.
Daring souls are invited to experience the thrill of thermal extremes with a dip in the cold plunge tank, or snow angels, if Mother Nature and Ol’ Man Winter are still in cahoots. Afterwards relax around the fire pit to share stories of sauna adventure while enjoying tasty snacks.
Sauna Mestari will be on site to provide a full orientation to all participants.
Preregistration is required. A welcome/orientation packet which includes a liability waiver which must be signed by each participant. Participants provide their own towels, swimsuits and hydration.
If you have specific questions about this event, email Mark@Gotsauna.com
Join us for a compelling afternoon of Danish cinema with The Kiss, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bille August.
Set in the early 20th century, the film follows Anton, a young cavalry cadet, who becomes entangled in a complicated relationship with Edith, the disabled daughter of a wealthy baron. As Anton struggles to distinguish love from pity, honor from desire, he is drawn into a moral dilemma that tests his sense of duty, class expectations, and the emotional cost of compassion.
Loosely based on Stefan Zweig’s novel Beware of Pity, The Kiss is a nuanced and beautifully crafted drama that explores the fragile line between kindness and harm.
In Danish with English subtitles | 100 minutes
Saturday, March 14th | 1 PM | $10; $5 for SCC&L members | Tickets
The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston presents an afternoon of chamber music, hosted in the SCC&L’s Nordic Hall and featuring music by Valerie Coleman, W.A. Mozart, and Amy Beach.
The Salon Series is Pro Arte’s chamber music concert series. Each performance features a select handful of musicians from Pro Arte’s cooperative along with occasional guest artists to present musical gems not featured in the full orchestral Ensemble Series. They are a perfect way get to know Pro Arte players better. If you haven’t been to one of these fun concerts, they are presented in a less formal manner and feature plenty of opportunity to interact with the musicians and to learn more about the music.
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Pernille Ipsen, acclaimed author and historian, on her powerful memoir My Seven Mothers: Making a Family in the Danish Women’s Movement. Ipsen, a longtime professor of gender and women’s studies and now full-time writer, tells the remarkable story of the seven women who raised her, weaving together themes of family, feminism, community, and radical social change.
Through intimate storytelling and historical insight, My Seven Mothers asks timeless questions about identity, belonging, and possibility — and reminds us that new worlds are always possible.
🗣️ Don’t miss this chance to hear Ipsen discuss her work and the lives that shaped it, followed by audience Q&A.
*Books will be available for purchase. Sales will support the programming at the SCC&L*
“This book is a treasure, especially for a second-wave American feminist who was thrilled to learn of the boldness and courage of our Danish sisters at the very start of the 1970s women’s movement. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
—Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments
Pernille Ipsen was professor of gender and women’s studies and history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for fifteen years and is now a full-time writer. The Danish-language version of this book, Et åbent øjeblik (An open moment), was published in 2020 and was awarded the Montana Prize for literature, one of Denmark’s top literary prizes. She divides her time between Madison and Copenhagen.
Tiina Nunnally is the award-winning translator of more than seventy books from the Scandinavian languages, including Sigrid Undset’s epic tetralogy Olav Audunssøn, also published by the University of Minnesota Press. She was appointed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her contributions to Norwegian literature in the United States.
Join us for an opening reception for Hilde-Kari Guttormsen’s exhibit, Portals.
Guttormsen was insired by the cave drawings found in Northern Norway, now a UNESO site. The drawings feature showcasing Stone Age hunter-gatherer life with carvings and rare paintings depicting showcasing Stone Age hunter-gatherer life with carvings and rare paintings depicting reindeer, elk, boats, humans, and hunting rituals.
Come see Guttormsen’s stunning interpretations.
Reception: January 24th, 2026 | 12-2pm | FREE with registration
On display through February.
Artist Bio:
I was born in Bergen, Norway, where I grew up pursuing my love for medicine and science (M.D., Ph.D.). I came to Boston to become a research fellow at Harvard Medical School in 1993 and stayed on as faculty. However – I have always loved music and visual art – both as performer/artist and listener/viewer – which led me to Massachusetts College of Art and Design to study studio art. I had four exciting, thought-provoking, and inspiring years at MassArt obtaining a BFA in painting, and in sculpture in 2015. I have worked as a full-time studio artist since graduation, first at Fountain Street Studios in Framingham, and since the fall of 2018 as a member of the Lincoln Studios in Waltham, Massachusetts.
To me, the essential nature of art and science are closely linked. My art practice is about seeing, questioning, and examining the relationship between biological evolution and cultural evolution, between nature and humans, and the fluidity of nature and of the human condition.
I have for many years reflected over relations and connections – especially the liminal space in-between. Exploring the relationship between us and our surroundings – close and far – in distance or time. The idea for the Portal exhibit came to me when I read a scientific report on newly discovered 2,000-8,000 years old Scandinavian stone carvings in Western Norway. Most of the carvings were of animals, hunters and weapons. However, a photograph of a rubbing of a 1” x 2.5” carving depicting a female animal with a little standing miniature animal inside caught my eye. The baby was proudly standing inside the mother’s belly – the baby ’s head was the heart of the mother – and the baby looked like it was on the way out. I used this image for several works of art – I transposed the artwork from carving in stone to a soft additive technique where I added soft materials like thread (silk, wool or mercerized cotton) and linen – later I also used canvas thread on canvas and acrylic yearn on fleece. The series of artworks consists of images of life I would want to leave behind.
Excited to spend a morning with your current craft project,
Or need inspiration for a new one?
If the answer to any of the above is YES, head to the Scandinavian Cultural Center & Library on Saturday, March 7th from 10am to noon for our Nordic Knit & Craft Gathering! Bring some supplies, whether it’s something you’ve been working on or something brand new. If you’re looking for ideas, we will have available some knitting patterns for hats, socks, and mittens with traditional Norwegian designs. Feel free to chat with other crafters, or turn your attention to the screen: we will be playing “National Knitting Eve,” a Norwegian speed-knitting competition that begins with shearing the sheep to create the yarn that will become sweaters!
Saturday, March 7 | 10am-12pm | free with registration | donations to support free programming are welcome
The Leroy Anderson Foundation is pleased to present pianist Takeshi Nagayasu in concert.
Takeshi Nagayasu has performed in concert halls in New York, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, South Korea, China and Japan. He has received numerous awards and prizes in competitions including the Texas State International Piano Festival Concerto Competition, Concours International Long-Thibaud in Paris, France, International Robert Schumann Competition, Borderland Chopin International Competition, The Rosamond Haeberle Memorial Piano Award (Michigan), The Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition, Jacob Flier Competition (Piano Summer at New Paltz), and the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Valldemossa, Spain.
He received a B.M in 2021 from Juilliard School of Music, a M.M. in 2023 from Yale School of Music, and a D.M.A in 2026 from the University of Michigan School of Music.
“Takeshi Nagayasu’s performance was remarkable for its passion, expression and dazzling virtuosity.” – Marc Chabot, Leroy Anderson Foundation, December 2025
PROGRAM: Norske Folkeviser og Folkedanse, Op.30 (Mov. 1, Brudeslått, Mov. 3, Bygdevise, Mov. 11, Fanitull) by Agathe Backer Grøndahl; Sonata in G major by Marianna Martines; 8 Etudes, Op.42 by Alexander Scriabin; Afro Peruvian Suite by Carlos Bernales; Piano Sonata by Samuel Barber.
The Leroy Anderson Foundation honors the legacy of Swedish-American composer Leroy Anderson. The Foundation hosts concerts at the Leroy Anderson House in Woodbury, Connecticut, a historic house museum and cultural center on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pernille Ipsen
I was born in Bergen, Norway, where I grew up pursuing my love for medicine and science (M.D., Ph.D.). I came to Boston to become a research fellow at Harvard Medical School in 1993 and stayed on as faculty. However – I have always loved music and visual art – both as performer/artist and listener/viewer – which led me to Massachusetts College of Art and Design to study studio art. I had four exciting, thought-provoking, and inspiring years at MassArt obtaining a BFA in painting, and in sculpture in 2015. I have worked as a full-time studio artist since graduation, first at Fountain Street Studios in Framingham, and since the fall of 2018 as a member of the Lincoln Studios in Waltham, Massachusetts.
