SDF E-Newsletter

Greetings Line!

The Northwest Trolls have experienced a festive Fall so far amidst crowds of creative souls on Halloween. Last week Nordic Northwest welcomed over 250 guests to a Trick or Treat Halloween Fest with Ole Bolle. On Vashon Island, Matt Beursken, one of our volunteers during the build for Oscar the Bird King became a Dambo troll himself! He honored Oscar the Bird King with a magnificently detailed homemade troll Halloween costume.

Photo above:

PSU students in Copenhagen on a Study Tour funded by SDF. They went troll hunting around Copenhagen- the troll above is Kaptajn Nalle by Thomas Dambo in Nordhavn.

Halloween with Ole Bolle at

Nordic Northwest.

Oscar meets Edgar the troll, his doppelgänger, on Halloween.

In other news, this Fall we have 66 Scan Design Foundation Fellows studying in the U.S. and Denmark. This quarter there are 7 students from Danish universities studying at the University of Washington-Seattle (UW-Seattle) and 17 UW-Seattle students studying at various universities in Denmark. We have 36 Danish students studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and 6 UW-Madison students studying abroad in Denmark.

Find out more about these programs on our website:

University of Washington - SDF Fellowship Program

University of Wisconsin - SDF Fellowship Program

Our UW-Seattle students and UW-Madison students exploring Copenhagen and doing their part to keep the city green! The students were on a Green Kayak Trip -

as part of an SDF excursion program for U.S. students in Denmark.

As you read on, in this newsletter you will find a link to our latest blog by our partners at Portland State University (PSU) and an update from one of our SDF interns at the Museum of Danish America, Svend. As we move from Fall toward the holiday season - we wanted to also share information on some of the 'hyggelige' (cozy) community holiday events that are coming up. Below you'll find a preview of upcoming events sponsored in part by Scan Design Foundation.

Warm regards / Med venlig hilsen,

Your friends at Scan Design Foundation

New Blog: Students Learn Effective Transportation Methods That They Can Bring Back to the U.S.

Portland State University, the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation, and Scan Design Foundation offer a unique opportunity to students: a two-week study abroad course that introduces participants to cities with stellar bike cultures. This year’s class of fourteen students, led by Professor John MacArthur and supported by funding from the Scan Design Foundation, explored Denmark. Read the full blog about the 2023 program here.

Upcoming Events

Global Green Series Lecture:

City Nature and the Nature of Cities with Rasmus Astrup

Join us for an engaging and timely lecture by Rasmus Astrup of the Copenhagen-based design studio SLA, as he delves into the firm’s innovative approach to climate mitigation and adaptation, centered around the multifaceted capabilities of city nature.

Discover how the nature-based Danish design studio, SLA, elevates the quality of life for all species by embracing and utilizing both the social and biological values of city nature, enriching biodiversity.

6:00 pm Monday November 13th

University of Washington

147 Architecture Hall

Seattle, WA

Scandinavian Holiday Events in Seattle and Portland

Julefest: November 18 & 19

Experience the 46th Annual Julefest at the National Nordic Museum. Enjoy an authentic Nordic holiday experience in the heart of Ballard.

ScanFair: December 9 &10

ScanFair brings Scandinavia to Portland through traditional food and drink vendors; an entertainment program focused on cultural heritage; games, activities, and crafts; and welcoming local community organizations.

Søren Solkær: Sort Sol (Black Sun)

Opens December 9 - National Nordic Museum

Sort Sol features recent work by Danish photographer Søren Solkær (b. 1969). Solkær established his career in the early aughts with penetrating portraits of legendary performers Björk, Metallica, Paul McCartney, the White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, and many others. The subjects of the photographer’s present work are music makers of another sort.

Sort Sol

Fall 2023: Museum of Danish America

Intern Update

Read about a Danish intern's first experiences in the U.S. in this update from SDF intern, Svend, a Dane from Argentina, working at the Museum of Danish America (MoDA):

As part of the Scan Design Foundation internship, I am currently working at the Danish American Museum and it is outstanding for me being here. I already had the idea of coming to work at the Museum long before I applied for the J-1 VISA, and now it has been a month, not much but not less, definitely where I learned a lot the last 30 days.

The Museum staff have been so kind to me to follow their routine, and their participation on big and small decisions. I even got the opportunity to be a part of the yearly Board Meeting of the Museum in October here in Elk Horn! But also, I worked on how to make a story out of an object; how to organize the forthcoming exhibition; how to interact and attract members to the Museum; how to maintenance the existence of the Museum; and I am still learning further! But I also enjoying being a Dane in America, by singing old traditional Danish melodies, drinking snaps, talking Danish with those who still can!

All this wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the purpose of the Danish Scan Design Foundation, to bring Danish intern to the USA. My stay at MoDA, is part of my goal to establish an equal Danish Museum, but in Argentina. As I am part of the Danish Community in Argentina, and there is no such a Museum to preserve Danish culture and tradition heritage in that country, I am here to take note on how MoDA had developed to be a modern, popular, and attractive Museum throughout the USA. I am going to create the Danish Immigrant Museum of Argentina. That is why I am looking forward to continuing learning and enjoying the activities at the Danish Museum until January 2024.

Svend, a Dane from Argentina

About SDF

Mission

Honoring the legacy of Inger & Jens Bruun, our mission is to advance Danish American relations by supporting cultural exchanges focused on environmental sustainability

Vision

We envision a future enriched by the exchange between the US & Denmark of people, ideas and cultural experiences