The Nordic Heritage Museum announces the launch of a new and ambitious effort to record the life histories of Nordic immigrants and their descendants in the Pacific Northwest.

The Nordic American Voices project will be a multi-year effort to collect, preserve, and share history “from the ground up.” Eric Nelson, the museum’s executive director, invites broad community participation in this initiative.
 
A 15-member Steering Committee chaired by Gordon Strand will guide the project, with the professional guidance of the museum’s chief curator Janet Rauscher. The steering committee is composed of representatives from each of the five major Nordic immigrant groups. Volunteer interviewers will play a crucial role in the project’s success.
 
VOICES OF BALLARD
Nordic American Voices builds upon the expertise gained in the 1999–2000 Vanishing Generation Project, when 123 interviews were recorded by more than 40 volunteers. In 2001 the museum, together with project partners the Ballard Historical Society and the Swedish Finn Historical Society, published a 289-page book. Voices of Ballard: Immigrant Stories from the Vanishing Generation contains narrative renditions of over 100 interview transcripts. The first edition sold out quickly and is currently out of print. One early goal of the Nordic American Voices project is to publish a new, expanded edition of the popular book in the fall of 2009.
 
BEYOND BALLARD
The scope of Nordic American Voices will reach beyond Ballard, capturing the life stories of individuals throughout the region, from the farming communities of Snohomish and SkagitCounties to Scandinavian settlements in Eastern Washington. These interviews will inform future publications as well as exhibitions in the Museum’s current facility and in the new building planned for Market Street in Ballard.
 
SPECIAL FOCUS: WORLD WAR II, OCCUPATION AND RESISTANCE
 Another special focus of the project will be to identify and interview individuals living in the Pacific Northwest who can share their memories and experiences of the Nordic countries during World War II, the occupation and the resistance movements, and the Winter War and Continuation War in Finland. These stories will be featured in a range of projects, from educational websites to exhibitions, and will be available to historians and to other Nordic cultural organizations.
 
YOU CAN HELP
The Nordic American Voices project will thrive with the assistance of many volunteers. A training session for those who wish to commit to the project as volunteer interviewers is planned for Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Individuals interested in participating in this exciting project can contact Janet Rauscher at janetr@nordicmuseum.org or 206-789-5707, ext. 35.
 
The Nordic American Voices Steering Committee also seeks the community’s assistance in identifying interview participants. Please consider nominating individuals by completing the brief questionnaire available online at www.nordicmuseum.org or at the museum, located at 3014 N.W. 67th St.