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.
Abundance Sauna will be celebrating National Sauna Week at the Scandinavian Cultural Center, Friday through Sunday February 20-22, 2026.
There are many sessions available each day, starting as early as 10:00am. Choose between 60 minute and 90-minute sessions. 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, if Mother Nature supports us… some snow angels. Afterwards, relax around the fire pit to share stories of sauna adventure while enjoying tasty snacks.
Sauna Mestari will be on site to provide full orientations to all participants.
Preregistration is required. A welcome/orientation packet will be sent, and a liability waiver must be signed by each participant. Each participant must provide their own towels, swimsuits and hydration.
If you have sauna specific questions, email Mark@gotsauna.com
Join us at the Scandinavian Cultural Center & Library for a screening of the extraordinary and deeply moving documentary The Painter and the Thief. When two of Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova’s paintings are stolen from a gallery in Oslo, she seeks out one of the thieves—not for revenge, but for understanding. What unfolds is an unexpected, tender, and profoundly human friendship that explores art, trauma, forgiveness, and connection in ways that linger long after the credits roll.
An unforgettable story of empathy and transformation, this award-winning film invites us to consider how we see one another—and what it truly means to be seen.
Special Screening: Lewerentz – Divine Darkness With Director Sven Blume in Attendance
Join us for a special screening of Lewerentz – Divine Darkness, an evocative documentary that explores the life and legacy of Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz—one of the most enigmatic figures in modern architecture.
The afternoon will begin with an introduction by the film’s director, Sven Blume, whose deep personal connection to Lewerentz’s work brings rare insight into the architect’s creative process and spiritual vision. Following the screening, Sven will join us for a Q&A session, offering audiences a chance to discuss the film, Lewerentz’s architectural philosophy, and his enduring impact on Nordic design.
Synopsis: A treasure trove of film and sound recordings of the ageing Sigurd Lewerentz was discovered in a cellar in Lund, and these previously unseen materials form the basis of this documentary. Through this rare archival footage—combined with interviews and a deep dive into his built works—the film offers a unique portrait of a man who shunned the spotlight yet produced architecture of haunting power. Classicism and modernism converge in his designs, and the documentary reveals how his aesthetic of “darkness” and material subtlety still resonates in Nordic architecture today.
Saturday, February 28th | 1pm | $15; $7 for members | tickets
Sven Blume is a Stockholm-based documentary filmmaker whose work bridges art, architecture, and personal storytelling. He graduated from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Documentary Film.
Since then, Blume has directed several notable documentaries, working across fine art, architecture, music videos and dance. His films have been exhibited at festivals, galleries and broadcasters in Europe and the U.S.
Join us for a special screening of Sentimental Value, a critically acclaimed Norwegian drama from director Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World).
Selected for Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Sentimental Value explores the complicated emotional terrain of family, memory, and artistic inheritance. The film centers on a fractured family brought back together through the legacy of a long-abandoned family home, where old wounds, unspoken truths, and competing desires surface with both tenderness and sharp insight.
With its quiet intensity, nuanced performances, and Trier’s signature blend of intimacy and restraint, Sentimental Value offers a deeply human portrait of love, resentment, and the stories we tell ourselves about the past.
This screening is part of SCC&L’s ongoing commitment to showcasing contemporary Nordic cinema and bringing award-recognized international films to our local community.
Content note: Adult themes; recommended for mature audiences.
Friday, February 13th, 2026 | 7pm | $12; $5 for members | tickets
A young teacher, Ester, hides her Sami identity to avoid being exposed to racism. After finding herself drawn to demonstrations against a big dam development in Alta, a personal journey out of the shame she has carried for so long begins.
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.
