Since its founding in 1980, the Nordic Museum is the largest museum in the United States to honor the legacy of immigrants from the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
In May 2018 the Nordic Museum opened its new 57,000 sq. ft. purpose-built location in the heart of Ballard (on Market Street). The space includes interactive and immersive core exhibitions, dedicated areas for classrooms and a craft studio, and a state-of-the art auditorium — ideal for presentations and performances. Temporary exhibitions are presented in a dynamic 3,700 sq. ft. gallery, designed to accommodate world-class exhibitions from the national galleries of the Nordic countries.
The Museum shares Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences, and serving as a community gathering place.
The museum design is organized around a linear “fjord” that weaves together stories of the Nordic region and of the Nordic American experience. Bridges crossing the fjord intensify the experience of migration, connecting Nordic and Nordic-American exhibits.