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Clubs & Affiliated Organizations
There are nearly thirty organizations and performance groups that call the American Swedish Institute home, and many of them meet at ASI on a regular basis. If you would like to learn more, or if you are interested in joining one of these organizations, we encourage you to get in touch with the contact person listed after each group’s description.
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Contact Name: Gloria Rosen | Contact Phone: 952-938-9505 | Website: http://www.asicloudberries.com
The ASI Cloudberries, a women’s choral ensemble, promotes the Swedish Choral Tradition. Members perform and sing in Swedish.
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Contact Name: Matt Davis | Contact Phone: 651-246-8595 | Website: http://asimalechorus.org/
The ASI Male Chorus promotes the Swedish Choral Tradition. Members give an annual Spring Concert, perform at Svenskarnas Dag and many ASI events, and sing in Swedish for senior living sites and civic events. Rehearsals are Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
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Contact Name: Muriel Johnson | Contact Phone: 952-831-4180
The ASI Male Chorus Auxiliary is a women’s support organization for the ASI Male Chorus that was founded in 1936. The Auxiliary—together with the Chorus—hosts Svensk Frukosts (Swedish Breakfasts) in October and February. The Auxiliary and Chorus lend support to ASI in various ways.
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Contact Name: Suzanne Walters | Contact Phone: 651-633-1607 | Website: http://asispelmanslag.org/
The ASI Spelmanslag is an adult fiddlers club that performs at ASI and community events.
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Friends Encouraging Scandinavian Traditions (F.E.S.T.!) organizes creative events built primarily upon Swedish traditions where members learn, sing and laugh together, practice “Swenglish” and enjoy culinary delights. Examples of group events include the Crayfish Party (kräftskiva), Valborgsmässoafton (spring is here), Dance Your Buns Off (where we eat traditional “semlor” and dance folk dances), Swedish movie nights, and cross-country ski events.
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Gustavus II Adolphus Society was founded in 1886 as a benevolent fraternal organization with membership open to men of Swedish decent. Today, the Society and Auxiliary plan various social activities such as potluck suppers, dinners, picnics, and Christmas parties so they can continue their charitable activities. GIIA established the Gustavus II Adolphus Society Scholarship Fund for students at Gustavus Adolphus College and scholarships to other colleges and higher educational schools and universities.
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Contact Name: JoAnn Swanson | Contact Phone: 612-861-2476
Idun Guild is a women's guild interested in promoting Swedish culture, sharing the Institute purposes, and providing enrichment for the members of the group in terms of their own relationship to their heritage.
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Contact Name: Roger Baumann | Contact Phone: 763-449-9835
Punschklubben is a men’s organization that meets monthly to enjoy the traditional pea soup, pancake, and punsch supper.
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Contact Name: Arvis Gustafson | Contact Phone: 952-942-0468
Scandinavian Friends is a women's social group that promotes and encourages the aims and purposes of ASI, helping to keep alive Swedish traditions and develop and perpetuate an appreciation and understanding of Swedish culture and its contributions to global society.
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Contact Name: Margareta Ritt | Contact Phone: 651-426-1904
Svea Club is an association of American and Swedish women interested in Swedish heritage and maintaining a better social understanding between Swedish and American families. Svea members meet once a month to celebrate special occasions in traditional Swedish ways. New members welcome!
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Contact Name: Åsa Schmidt | Contact Phone: 612-889-8261 | Website: http://www.swea.org/default.aspx?mid=3811
SWEA is a global non-profit organization with approximately 7,500 Swedish speaking women in 75 chapters and 33 countries. SWEA provides a strong personal network as well as valued support to Swedish industry and families abroad. SWEA is the largest organization outside Sweden promoting Swedish language, culture and tradition and also grants approximately $300,000 a year in donations and scholarships to promote Swedish language and culture. All Swedish-speaking women in Minnesota are welcome to join the SWEA MN chapter, there is no requirement to have lived in Sweden or to be a Swedish citizen. Recurring activities in Minnesota are mother/child group, movie nights, book club, craft club, lunch and dinner meetings as well as celebrations of major Swedish holidays.
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Website: http://sgsmn.org
Organized in 1983, the SGSM is a branch of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. The purpose of the society is to assist members and others requesting assistance in their Swedish-American genealogical research, to provide informative talks on Swedish-American topics, to encourage the research and writing of family, emigration/immigration and settlement histories, and pubication of Swedish genealogical material.
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Contact Name: Arne Larson | Contact Phone: 763-544-7494
All persons interested in the province of Dalarna and the culture of Sweden are invited to attend meetings and to become members. Meetings include homemade lunch, singing anthems and other Swedish songs, organizing Scandinavian programs, celebrating Swedish holidays, and volunteering at ASI events.
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Contact Name: Cheryl Paschke
The Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag is a group of folk musicians, most of whom play nyckelharpa (Swedish key fiddle).
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Contact Name: Joyce Hanson
The Twin Cities Swedish Folk Dancers is a dance group that meets at ASI on the second and fourth Mondays of each month from September to June. They teach beginning Scandinavian folk dances from 7-8 p.m. and then dance until about 9 p.m. The group is available to dance for most festivals, celebrations and community events throughout the year. A partner is not needed to join the group. Contact Joyce Hanson for further information or to schedule an event.
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Contact Name: Chuck Gustafson | Contact Phone: 952-236-9578
Värmlandsförbundet is a social club that welcomes all who are of Scandinavian descent and others who would like to attend meetings.
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Contact Name: Janice Lehman | Contact Phone: 612-729-0334 | Website: http://www.vasajrdancers.org
Organized in 1927, the primary function of the Vasa Junior Folk Dancers club is promoting Swedish heritage and culture to children, and preserving Swedish traditions and heritage through Swedish folk dancing.
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Contact Name: Carolyn Spargo
The Vasa Order of America began more than a century ago as a benefit fraternal society for Swedish immigrants to the United States. Vasa provides members a means to share their rich heritage. Swedish in origin, the Vasa Order welcomes members of Nordic roots—Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, or Icelandic—who would like to rediscover the traditions of their forefathers or share their heritage. Stenbock Lodge was founded in 1908.
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Contact Name: Jeanette & Gordon Anderson | Contact Phone: 763-788-8532
This social group was formed in 1991, and is primarily for (but not limited to) persons with ancestry in the Västergötland region of Sweden. The group’s mission is to promote the awareness of ancestral roots in Västergötland for its members, to develop a growing appreciation of the heritage and culture found in Sweden (particularly Västergötland), to strengthen ties with Sweden, and to promote fellowship locally with those interested in Scandinavian culture.
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Contact Name: Joyce Miller | Contact Phone: 651-490-3420
Through its history, the Women's Club has provided service to the Institute in a variety of ways. This social group meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Nokomis Square Cooperative at 5015 35th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55417. Stories are shared over lunch about what the group has done in the past and their connections to Scandinavian heritage.