Vesterheim Museum's Pioneer Immersion Program Exhibition begins Monday

An exhibition of pioneer projects and journals created by area fourth-grade students who participated in the Pioneer Immersion Program at Vesterheim Museum will open to the public Monday in the third-floor galleries of the museum's Main Building and will run through Saturday.  There will be an Open House on Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with free admission and refreshments. Opening greetings will be at 5:30 p.m.

The students participating in the exhibition are from the Decorah Community Schools and North Winneshiek School.  Each spring, Vesterheim becomes a classroom for fourth-grade students. In March and April, students and their teachers from Decorah and North Winneshiek schools make five visits to the museum, immersing themselves in the history and culture of nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century immigrants.  This program uses the Norwegian-American experience as a jumping-off point for exploring the experiences of other immigrant groups during the time period. Students use artifacts, archival materials, and hands-on activities to gain a better understanding of what it meant for immigrants to journey from their homelands and establish new lives in America.

Prior to their visits to the museum, the students create immigrant identities for themselves using immigrant diaries, documents, and other sources. The students record their impressions and thoughts in their own journals as they take part in activities like packing an immigrant trunk, constructing a "log" home, and completing a series of typical pioneer chores. Along with their journals, students make a project related to immigrant or pioneer history.