Time Tested. Tradition Approved.

ASI’s 2020 Holiday Exhibition

Discover bits of the past and visions of the future in the richly decorated rooms of the exhibition Time Tested Tradition Approved. This annual holiday exhibition explored stories and decor from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Ireland, with the Celtic Junction.

Marking ASI’s 90th anniversary, the journey began with Sweden in 1929, an Art Deco inspired room showcasing original objects from the ASI Collection. The journey continues through the 1940s with Norway’s unique post-WWII perspective, to the mid-century when Danish art and design took the world by storm. Ireland and Iceland explore economic and cultural shifts of the 1980 and 2000s, and Finland looks to the future unfolding a view of holidays to come.

Holidays at ASI

Experience is one of Minnesota’s most talked-about seasonal destinations. Each winter, the ASI campus and historic Turnblad Mansion come alive with holiday spirit.

Unique, immersive displays of holiday décor and tradition from the five Nordic countries – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland – plus a yearly special guest community, activate rooms of the Mansion.

Thousands of visitors from across the region come together at ASI to celebrate this time of year, eat seasonal specials at the award-winning FIKA Café, peruse the unique product in ASI’s pop-up holiday Jul Shop, and engage in virtual and in-person holiday programming, and support local artists and artisans by purchasing handmade goods from ASI’s Julmarknad Holiday Market.

Photo credit Kara Hakanson