In bi- and multilingual homes, parents sometimes struggle with the decision which language(s) they should use with their children. Outside of the family, at least since the 1960s when the first bilingual programs were introduced in schools in Canada, there has been a heated debate in many countries around the world as to the pros and cons offering bilingual education programs.
In this presentation by Dr. Beata Schmid, she will review the recommendations given to parents, caretakers and educators, the history and the various iterations of immersion and other types of programs, as well as the impact that public opinion and referenda have had on multilingual education and upbringing. Participants are welcome to share their own experiences as well.
We will also provide some insights into language acquisition theories and what more recent findings tell us about the positive impact of multilingualism, not just on children.
Dr. Beata Schmid has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Brown University. As a practicing applied linguist, she studies how people learn and use language(s) in the real world.Now retired, she previously worked as a senior academic officer at EF Education, based in Cambridge. Now she does occasional school compliance visits and enjoys gardening, traveling, cooking and playing with her dogs.
Finlandia Foundation National proudly presents Ruut DeMeo (artist name, Ruut), a Finnish-born, multidisciplinary artist whose work as a musician, author, and educator celebrates the transformative power of creativity and cultural heritage. Known for two decades in Baltimore as the city’s beloved “piano girl,” she has released nine independent albums and performed internationally. Ruut comes from an artistic lineage: her grandfather, Aulis Sa linen, is Finland’s most celebrated living opera composer. She has built a unique and authentic body of work and is deeply influenced by Finnish oral storytelling traditions and the shamanistic worldview of her ancestors.
Ruut has served for three years as president of the Finlandia Foundation Baltimore Area chapter, where she has built community through concerts and cultural programming. She also co-wrote a 2025 National Sauna Week theme song in collaboration with Ida Metsberg, FFN’s 2023 Performer of the Year.
Ruut’s upcoming album, Motherland, is a musical journey into Finnish mythology and heritage, bridging past and present through song. Closely tied to her forthcoming novel, which reimagines the world and characters of the Kalevala, the project embodies her lifelong vision: that creativity is not only an act of expression, but of renewal—a way to connect, to remember, and to shape the human experience.
Sunday, October 4th | 3pm | free (donations to the Finlandia Foundation will be accepted on-site)
Sweden meets New England on our gallery walls this fall.
Join us for a reception celebrating Swedish-born, Rhode Island-based artist Jens Retlev and a body of work inspired by the landscapes that have shaped his life—from the coastlines and countryside of Scandinavia to the forests, mountains, and shores of New England.
Jens grew up in Sweden surrounded by dramatic landscapes, beautiful cities, and a deep appreciation for art and architecture. His father was both a painter and an architect, and Jens learned early to notice the beauty in the world around him.
After moving to Rhode Island as a young adult, he found himself equally enchanted by New England. His paintings bring those two worlds together, capturing memories of Scandinavia alongside the places and landscapes he continues to discover closer to home.
Through color, texture, light, and shadow, Jens celebrates the natural world—and the places that stay with us long after we’ve left them.
Are you looking for an opportunity to converse in a Nordic language? Join one (or more!) of our conversation circles for casual chats, whether you’re fluent or a learner who wants some practice.
While the Scandinavian Library has always been a place where people can come to speak and hear the five Nordic languages, this new program is specifically for encouraging conversation in Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. Fluent speakers and language learners alike will gather in the library on Wednesday evenings for casual discussions, rotating weekly through each language. Native speakers get the opportunity to converse in their first language, while learners get the opportunity to practice speaking, pronunciation, and listening comprehension in a welcoming atmosphere. Each meeting will have a designated host who will start the discussion, but the evenings will be fairly free-flowing and unstructured.
Check the dates below to attend the meeting of your preferred language. These meetings are free to attend. You don’t need to bring anything, but you are welcome to bring a snack if you’d like, or a book or other conversation starter that might interest the group! Please RSVP using the link below.
Wednesdays 6-8pm | Scandinavian Library | free | RSVP here
Nordic culture has a rich tradition of fiber arts such as knitting and weaving, from Icelandic lopapeysa sweaters to Norwegian selbuvotter mittens. Our monthly Nordic Knit & Craft Gathering celebrates this while also welcoming all crafts, cultures, techniques and styles. Join a group of crafters who are creative and curious and get ready to be inspired!
Bring your own supplies
All types of craft welcome: draw, weave, collage, embroider, bedazzle… we love seeing new ideas!
Drop in anytime between 10am and noon
You’re welcome to get coffee, pastries, and open-face sandwiches from the Kaffestugan and bring them into the Nordic Hall to enjoy. You can also bring food or coffee from home if you prefer!
All experience levels welcome–all you need to do to fit in here is be kind and respectful 🙂
Saturday, October 10th | 10am-12pm | free with registration | BYO supplies | donations to support free programming are welcome
Repeats on the 2nd Saturday every month
Upcoming dates: November 14th, December 12th, January 9th
The Love That Remains (original Icelandic title: Ástin sem eftir er) is a story of an Icelandic family in which the parents are separating. Anna, an artist, and Magnus, a fisherman, share three children and live in Iceland’s stunning countryside. With wit and depth, auteur Hlynur Pálmason explores a year in the family’s life through a series of vignettes. The film is beautifully shot on 35mm film and features bursts of surrealism. Join us for this visually and emotionally radiant study of a family.
Saturday, October 10th | 1pm | $10, $5 for members | tickets
EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders receive free admission. To reserve free tickets, email caroline@scandicenter.org
What began as a 19th century treat enjoyed on the ferries between Sweden and Denmark, the shrimp sandwich is now a Swedish icon. The sandwich still maintains its connection to traveling and is often enjoyed in airports. So, in 2009, Arlanda Airport in Stockholm started celebrating Räkmackans dag to honor this popular sandwich.
Come celebrate on Saturday, October 27th from 10am-2pm (reservations not required)
A mangle board is a plank of wood used in the 16th to 20th centuries to smooth wrinkles in linen. Author of the book “Mangle Boards of Northern Europe: A Definitive To The Geographic Origins of Mangle Boards” Jay Raymond joins us for a presentation of his research on the objects, which he surveyed over 7,000 of from museums in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. The boards are not only functional but decorative, and Raymond studied and catalogued the aesthetic differences between regions. Join us to learn about these beautiful tools of the past, and stay for a Q&A with Raymond to ask any questions you might have about mangle boards or the process of writing and researching his book.
“When he was first asked to explore mangle boards, Mr. Raymond said. ‘I wasn’t naturally drawn to them, but the more I looked at them, the more I came to love them.’ At some European museums he visited, no one else had ever asked to examine these humble tools, which had been left behind by farmers emigrating to America.” – The New York Times
“The book is like a fine art museum, inviting you to go deeper, to look more closely. It feels fresh and ancient, all at once. The layout is just right, showcasing the text as well as the art. I get the sense of traveling back in time, from country to country, with this friendly and erudite curator showing the way.” – Reader
Jay graduated from Temple University with a degree in art. He studied at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania, then taught in the art department there. He appeared in the documentary film The Art of the Steal, which examines the figures and forces behind the relocation, disfigurement, and commercialization of the art collection at the Barnes Foundation.
Raymond is editor of Pressing News, a publication of the Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America. His first book, Streamlined Irons, was published in 2008.
His work life has also encompassed the jobs of heating mechanic and contractor, building inspector, handyman, and maître d’ of a vegan restaurant. He lives in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
Anne will give an illustrated talk about Hygge and Happiness, drawing on Meik Wiking’s “The Little Book of Hygge” and her own recent book, “Happier Longevity,” by Anne Ipsen and Tami Muller.
Hygge has been described as the cozy feeling of curling up with a good book, spending time with loved ones, or sharing food with your closest friends. It is about savoring the simple pleasures of everyday life. It is a familiar concept to Danes and Norwegians but is related to similar cultural concepts in Sweden and Finland. In short, it is one explanation for why Nordic people vie for first and second place as the happiest people on earth.
So, how do we become happier? Although Anne’s book was written for seniors like herself, including their families and caregivers, much of the material applies to people of any age. It is based on scientific research and the SPIRE happiness framework by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar and his Happiness Institute. The talk will combine these two concepts and explain how hygge and the SPIRE framework can contribute to a happier life.
Saturday, October 24th | 1pm | free with registration* *donations to support free programming are welcome and can be given via Eventbrite
Dr. Ipsen was born in Denmark but emigrated to the USA with her parents in 1949 and grew up in Cambridge. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received a PhD in Statistics from Harvard University.
She has been a writer for over thirty-five years, having published ten books, including two memoirs and five historical novels. Her first memoir, “A Child’s Tapestry of War, Denmark 1940-45,” and the historical novel “Karen from the Mill,” were written while she was a Professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, where she taught, published technical papers, and collaborated on medical research. After leaving academia to pursue writing full-time, she and her husband moved back to the Boston area in 2005.
Anne walks the talk. At ninety-one years of age, she continues to write, give talks, and actively participate in her independent living community in Wellesley. She is widowed and has two adult children and five grandchildren.
In the Viking age, monsters and other dreadful entities roamed the world of humans. These were not ethereal spirits wearing white bedsheets, but horrific physical entities that destroyed those that crossed their path in a most gruesome way. Vikings and Icelanders well into the modern era prepared themselves for a fight against these monsters with special armor and their empty-hand combat system called Glíma.
Now, the Halloween season is upon us, and the veil between this world and the next world grows thin. Accordingly, it seems a good time to discuss these dangerous beings and how Viking-age people defended themselves against them. Join us on October 31st for an exciting and enlightening presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson on the monsters of the Viking age.
Presenters William and Reynir are the principals of Hurstwic, a New England-based organization that uses the scientific approach to research Vikings with a focus on Viking combat. Their book on Viking Combat, Men of Terror, has been the subject of several previous lectures here at the Scandinavian Center. Their next book, Violence in the Viking Age, is a follow-up to Men of Terror and is due to be released in November this year. The third book in their Viking combat trilogy is expected late in 2027 and covers the topic of Glíma: the empty-hand combat of the Vikings and the national sport of Iceland today.
A mangle board is a plank of wood used in the 16th to 20th centuries to smooth wrinkles in linen. Author of the book “Mangle Boards of Northern Europe: A Definitive To The Geographic Origins of Mangle Boards” Jay Raymond joins us for a presentation of his research on the objects, which he surveyed over 7,000 of from museums in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. The boards are not only functional but decorative, and Raymond studied and catalogued the aesthetic differences between regions. Join us to learn about these beautiful tools of the past, and stay for a Q&A with Raymond to ask any questions you might have about mangle boards or the process of writing and researching his book.
Jay graduated from Temple University with a degree in art. He studied at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania, then taught in the art department there. He appeared in the documentary film The Art of the Steal, which examines the figures and forces behind the relocation, disfigurement, and commercialization of the art collection at the Barnes Foundation.
Dr. Ipsen was born in Denmark but emigrated to the USA with her parents in 1949 and grew up in Cambridge. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received a PhD in Statistics from Harvard University.