ABSTRACT
Americanness with their English-language pronunciation, it also connects them to the immigrant heritage.
A number of institutions promote Danish American heritage and work to pass on folk traditions to younger generations. Elk Horn, Iowa, advertised as the “heart of Dane Country,” is home to the Danish Immigrant Museum, established in 1983. The town claims the largest rural Danish settlement in the country, and the museum sponsors cultural events such as Julefest on Thanksgiving weekend. The Wisconsin Folklife Festival and the Festival of Iowa Folklife both feature presentations of Danish traditions. Also bringing attention to Danish folk arts was the awarding of a National Heritage Fellowship to Nadjeschda Overgaard of Kimbalton, Iowa, by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1998. Overgaard was chosen for her expertise in Danish traditional arts such as hardanger embroidery, papirklip (paper cutting), baptismal dress making, tatting, choral music, cooking, folk dance, and drama. She is especially renowned for her hardanger embroidery, in which the fabric is cut in square, geometric patterns determined precisely through the counting of threads. The embroiderer then applies a traditional repertoire of stitches (such as the basic satin stitch) around the edges of the cutwork, creating an array of delicate, detailed patterns. The work of Overgaard and other traditional crafts workers are displayed at the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, the Iowa Arts Council Folklife Program, and other special venues.
