Scandinavia House

KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® | THE ROMANTIC MUSIC OF CHOPIN
2026-03-12 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel returns this fall for his ever-popular Keyboard Conversations® series at Scandinavia House. Each evening comprises an informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and a short Q & A session. The engaging format both makes friends of classical music and enriches the listening experience for avid music lovers.
In tonight’s program, experience Frédéric Chopin’s dreamy nocturnes, charming waltzes, poignant mazurkas, and heroic polonaises—including one written when the composer was seven years old!
Thanks to a generous loan by Victor Borge’s grandson Finn, concerts will be performed on Victor Borge’s personal Steinway piano.

LIONESS
2026-03-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“An affecting, spiky melodrama” (Lou Thomas, BFI) – on March 11, see Lioness, Estonian director Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo’s powerful psychological thriller exploring strength, family, and the courage (or madness) it takes to protect those we love.
Helena (Katariina Unt) is a steely paramedic in Tallinn known for her calmness and ability to handle crises. Off the clock, though, she struggles to connect emotionally with her volatile teenage daughter Stefi (Teele Piibemann), who has become rebellious and self-destructive. In a disastrous downward spiral, she skips school and finds herself wrapped up in a violent youth gang under the thrall of the charismatic Mariann (Elina Masing). One day, she disappears completely and her mother spends countless hours scouring the entire city for her. But when she learns that Stefi has ended up in the hospital after an overdose, a desperate and drastic plan forms in Helena’s mind to get her daughter back on her feet.
Picking up the Special Jury Award at last year’s Warsaw International Film Festival, Lioness delves into the collapsing boundary between Helena’s desperate imagination and Stefi’s reality, forcing them both to confront the blurred line between love, control, and delusion.
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NORDIC BOOK CLUB ONLINE | WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO...
2026-03-10 18:00 - 19:00
Read and discuss literature with our Nordic Book Club Online! Nordic Book Club meets monthly via Zoom to discuss contemporary literature in translation. On March 10, 2026, in coordination with our film festival West Nordic Film Days, we’ll be discussing Faroese author and Nordic Council Literature Prize nominee Kim Simonsen’s poetry collection What good does it do for a person to wake up one morning this side of the new millennium, in translation by Randi Ward.
The rhetorical title of this collection posits the crisis that is underway. Simonsen asks: as a species among species, all composed of the matter of the universe, how has our compulsion to classify everything hierarchically estranged us from ourselves, each other, and Earth’s ecosystems? Simonsen challenges our anthropocentric pursuit of knowledge, exploring humankind’s relationship with itself as an element of the natural world. follows the struggles of its narrator as he reckons with intensifying estrangement from his fellow organisms, gradually turning to the greater kinship of matter to find continuity, connection, and solace.
Nordic Council Literature Prize nominee Kim Simonsen introduces a new poetics to Faroese literature rooted in natural history, philosophy, and the materiality of all things in a collection hailed as “luminous and arresting, like the islands themselves” (Martin Aitken). The translation by Randi Ward was a winner of the ASF Nadia Christensen Translation Prize.

What good does it do for a person to wake up one morning this side of the new millennium is available in paperback and e-book from Deep Vellum and from Bookshop.org and other retailers.
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MAIL ART WORKSHOP WITH RIITTA IKONEN
2026-03-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
This hands-on workshop introduces participants to the practice of mail art as a collaborative and time-based artistic process involving sender, postal system, and receiver. Led by acclaimed Finnish artist Riitta Ikonen hot off ahead of her exhibition at the American Swedish Institute, the workshop invites participants to work with everyday materials and found ephemera to create postcard-sized artworks intended for mailing.
During the full-day session (10:00 am–4:00 pm, with a 30–45 minute lunch break), participants will receive an introduction to the history and contemporary contexts of mail art, followed by guided studio time. Each participant will create up to three postcards, including one work to be sent to the Finnish Postal Museum as part of a dedicated exhibition documenting the journey of the artworks from New York to Finland.
In advance of the workshop, participants will be invited to collect a hand-created mail art postcard by Riitta Ikonen from a designated “mailbox” at Scandinavia House. The postcard provides conceptual prompts and practical guidance for observing and gathering materials from daily life, offering participants the opportunity to experience mail art as recipients prior to making their own works.
All materials, postage, and addresses are provided. No prior experience is required. Can’t make it on this date? No worries! This is a repeating workshop, and will also have sessions on March 21st and 28th.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Originally from the deep forests of eastern Finland, Riitta Ikonen works through performance, wearable sculptures, participatory performances and mail art. After completing her MA at the Royal College of Art in London in 2008, she has exhibited internationally holding shows at the Barbican Centre, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Peabody Essex Museum and the London- and Pyeongchang Olympics. Ikonen lectures at schools and universities and advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration for actionable change.
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RED CODE BLUE | SCREENING + FILM TALK
2026-03-05 18:30 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“A gripping Latvian crime epic” – on March 5, see Red Code Blue, director Oskars Rupenheits’s masterfully produced crime drama that accurately rewinds time to the Baltic region’s unsafe, frenzied, and uncertain 1990s. Under Rupenheits’ raw direction, intense chases, interrogations, and shootouts unfold among rival gangs, reckless punks, corrupt operatives, and ruthless policemen in lawless, chaotic Riga. A Q&A with producer Sintija Andersone, cinematographer Juris Pīlēns, and location manager Amanda Rēvalde will follow the screening.
A young, idealistic investigator, Romāns Skulte (Raitis Stūrmanis), struggles to find his footing in the cruel, callous labyrinth of newly independent Latvia from his very first shift. Drug traffickers and violent gangsters control the bleak streets under the invisible protection of high-ranking officers. Rookie cadets quickly learn they can trust no one, not even their closest friends, as traitors and informants lurk everywhere. Cunning Georgian smugglers are deeply embedded in a fearful society, while the aggressive Armenian mafia– headed by the mysterious crime lord known only as “The Armenian” (Robers Kosojans) –enters the scene without hesitation. Romāns must navigate this harsh world while trying to salvage his moral compass, coming to realize virtues like honesty and loyalty are punished in cold blood.
A hit at the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Red Code Blue is a slow-burning police thriller packed with suspenseful heists, double-crosses, blackmail, bribery, and relentless pursuit.
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GIRL PICTURE | SILVER ANNIVERSARY RESCREENS
2026-03-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On February 4, see Girl Picture to continue our Silver Anniversary Rescreens! First screened at Scandinavia House in 2022 as a part of our Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders, this tender coming-of-age film follows three young women as they try to defy the persistent winter darkness in Finland while navigating their adolescent dreams, reality, friendships, and relationships.
In this dramedy from the director of Force of Habit and Love & Fury, best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö have each other’s backs, always, aspiring for adventurous lives filled with experiences and passion. Emma, on the contrary, has given her whole life to figure skating — nothing gets between her and success. But when the girls meet, life opens new paths that send them rocketing in new directions. While Mimmi and Emma find themselves experiencing the earth-moving effects of true love, Rönkkö is on a quest to find pleasure. As new bonds form and others are tested over the course of three successive Fridays, the girls must navigate the complex paths of teenage desire.
“Haapasalo clearly understands that, when you’re young, desire can feel confusing or gratifying, thrilling or overwhelming…an affecting achievement that never feels less than loving”—The Film Stage
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This program has been supported by the Monika and Charles Heimbold Fund for Exhibitions and Programs.

THE ACTIVIST
2026-03-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“A multifaceted and inventive crime thriller” – On March 3, see The Activist, the electrifying queer noir that’s already generated buzz across Baltic cinemas! Director Romas Zabarauskas will be present for a film talk and Q&A following the screening.
A masked intruder murders Deividas, Lithuania’s most influential human rights activist, just as the urban center Kaunas prepares for its first LGBTQ+ march. Only hours earlier, Deividas had clashed with his secret lover, Andrius, who is too afraid to come out or publicly support the fragile community. Consumed by grief and guilt, Andrius launches his own covert investigation, soon discovering that Deividas was surrounded by two-faced enemies. As the police stall and threaten to revoke the Pride march permit, the city seethes with hatred and fear. A ruthless neo-Nazi gang poses as the self-proclaimed defenders of civilization. With nothing left to lose, Andrius dares to play with fire: assuming a new identity as an idealist working at a printing house, he infiltrates the gang to uncover a disturbing truth.
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IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT | LUX AUDIENCE AWARDS 2026
2026-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“A blast of pure anti-authoritarian rage” — See five of the shortlisted finalists for this year’s LUX Audience Awards this season at Scandinavia House! On February 27 we’ll be screening It Was Just An Accident, a bristling, raw political thriller by Azeri director Jafar Panahi. Praised by Rolling Stone as “one of the most deceptively profound movies of the year,” It Was Just An Accident reaffirms Panahi’s status as one of this century’s great cinematic heroes in perhaps his bravest film yet, a tale of revenge and impossible choice that won him the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid gathers several former prisoners, all abused by that same captor, to try and confirm Eghbal’s identity. Master filmmaker Panahi creates a deeply felt moral thriller, where high stakes tension combines with unexpected flurries of humor and thoughtful, sometimes devastating questions regarding persecution and revenge versus compassion and understanding. France’s official selection for Best International Feature at the 2026 Academy Awards.
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This event has been organized by the European Parliament in partnership with Scandinavia House. The LUX Audience Award is a joint initiative of the European Parliament and the European Film Academy in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. It is the largest audience award worldwide and the only film prize in the world where citizens together with Members of the European Parliament -with each group weighting 50% -can decide who the winner will be by rating the nominated films online. The LUX Audience Award fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public through the medium of film. The nominated films address European values and raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues such as mental health, poverty, climate change, freedom of expression, gender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights.

NORWEGIAN 2 — SPRING 2026 ENROLLMENT OPEN
2026-02-25 19:15 - 21:15, 2026-02-18 19:15 - 21:15 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Learn the Nordic languages in classes offered in-person and virtually at Scandinavia House! This course continues to expand vocabulary and master grammatical structures, while enhancing conversational abilities, and deepening cultural knowledge of all things Norwegian. Students will get to practice conversations in class which will put grammatical structures to the test, all the while building on listening and speaking skills. There will also be a focus on pronunciation and Norwegian sounds and flow. Students will also have at-home assignments focusing on reading, writing, and grammar.
This course builds upon Norwegian 1, or its equivalent.
Outside of class, students are encouraged to watch Norwegian shows, and movies, read simple text, and have Norwegian podcasts on in the background. The required text will be provided via pdf, before the first class.
This hybrid class will be held both in-person and via Zoom; in-person attendance for the first four classes is highly recommended. Classes take place on Wednesdays from 7:15–9:15 PM beginning February 18 and ending on May 20. This hybrid class will be held both in-person and via Zoom; in-person attendance for the first four classes is highly recommended. *Please note that there will be no classes March 24-April 15.*
Prerequisite: Norwegian 1 or equivalent; instructions for remote learning will be emailed upon registration. For questions about language levels, please contact Marie-Therese Bjornerud. Tuition is $675 ($607.50 ASF Members); 20 hours total class time.
The required text will be provided via PDF, before the first class.
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MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN | FILM TALK
2026-02-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On February 25, Scandinavia House presents a special screening of the Danish nominee for Best Documentary Feature at the 98th Academy Awards: the poignant first-hand documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, followed by director talks by Pasha Talankin and David Borenstein!
In this “must-watch, indelible document of ideological warfare” (The Guardian), Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero: a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the militarization of his school and community, he wrestles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.
As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.
The winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children. (Denmark & Czech Republic, 2025. 90 min. In Danish & Russian with English subtitles)
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NORWEGIAN 1 — SPRING 2026 ENROLLMENT OPEN
2026-02-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-24 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Learn the Nordic languages in classes offered in-person and virtually at Scandinavia House! This course is for absolute beginners.
In this beginner’s course, you will build your Norwegian vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar skills, while also learning about Norwegian culture and life. By the course’s end, you should be able to conduct simple conversations in Norwegian. Students are welcome to bring facts they know about Norway into class discussions.
You will get to practice small conversations and reading in class, and there will be a focus on pronunciation and certain Norwegian vowels and sounds which may be new to your ear. There will also be at-home assignments focusing on reading, writing, and grammar, as well as an optional end-of-semester presentation. Outside of class, students are encouraged to watch Norwegian shows/movies, read children’s books, and have podcasts on in the background.
This hybrid class will be held both in-person and via Zoom; in-person attendance for the first four classes is highly recommended. Classes take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6–7 PM beginning February 17 through May 21. *Please note that there will be no classes March 24-April 15.*
No prerequisites required; instructions for remote learning will be emailed upon registration. For questions about language levels, please contact Marie-Therese Bjornerud. Tuition is $675 ($607.50 ASF Members); 20 hours total class time.
The required text will be provided via PDF, before the first class.
Enroll

NORWEGIAN 4 — SPRING 2026 ENROLLMENT OPEN
2026-02-24 19:15 - 21:15, 2026-02-17 19:15 - 21:15 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Learn the Nordic languages in classes offered in-person and virtually at Scandinavia House!
Designed for intermediate learners who have taken Norwegian 3 or equivalent, this course continues to expand and refine your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, enabling grammatically correct conversations, and language structure. A stronger focus will be given to pronunciation, Norwegian structure, tone, and flow.
You will get the opportunity to hone in your knowledge of grammatical structures, thus engaging more confidently in conversations and discussions in class, expanding your vocabulary, and fine-tuning your listening skills. Students are actively encouraged to talk more in-depth about their own experiences in Norwegian.
There will also be weekly at-home assignments, and more, focusing on reading, writing, and grammar, as well as a strongly recommend end-of-semester presentation. Students are strongly encouraged to watch and read Norwegian news, and articles, watch Norwegian shows and movies, and listen to podcasts and audio books, as often as possible, on a weekly basis at a minimum. These classes are conducted in Norwegian, with the occasional English word/sentence.
This hybrid class will be held both in-person and via Zoom; in-person attendance for the first four classes is highly recommended. Classes take place on Tuesdays from 7:15–9:15 PM beginning February 17 and ending on May 19. *Please note that there will be no classes March 24-April 15.*
Please note that in order to take this course, you should be comfortable using the simple past tense, and have knowledge of regular and irregular verbs, as well as their irregularities and rules. You should also be able to use indefinite, definite, and plural forms of masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns; conjugate adjectives; and apply intermediate Norwegian sentence structure, including “inversion.”
Prerequisite: Norwegian 3 or equivalent; instructions for remote learning will be emailed upon registration. For questions about language levels, please contact Marie-Therese Bjornerud. Tuition is $675 ($607.50 ASF Members); 20 hours total class time.
The required text will be provided via PDF, before the first class.

Enroll

FLOWERS BEYOND THE DARK
2026-02-24 18:30 - 20:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“An artful exploration of the human side of war” — To honor the solemn anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, join us for a special screening of Flowers Beyond the Dark, a documentary offering three powerful perspectives on life in the Kyiv region following its de-occupation in 2022. Winner of the Best International Feature Film Award at the Carmel International Film Festival, the film is a raw eyewitness account of people maintaining the spirit of resistance despite facing the horrors of occupation in their daily lives — whether in church, at home, behind the artist’s canvas, or in armored vehicles.
Amid the chaos of Russia’s invasion, Natalia and Serhiy, an artist couple separated by occupation, quickly lose any contact. They feel paralyzed, drowning in helplessness and uncertainty. At the same time, the soldiers of the 72nd brigade of the Armed Forces, Vitaliy and Serhiy, build unity and find courage guarding “the road of life,” a planned evacuation route for civilians. Priest Andriy Halavin is tending to the region’s first mass burials on the territory of his church. Almost daily, he welcomes international delegations to share evidence of Russia’s atrocities, while continuing to be the source of healing for locals who survived the occupation.
This event has been organized by the Consulate General of Ukraine in partnership with Scandinavia House.
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WEATHER CLOSURE
2026-02-23 08:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Scandinavia House will be closed on Monday, February 23 due to inclement weather. This includes Björk Café and Bistro, the Shop at Scandinavia House, and the Children’s Center.
The building will reopen with normal hours on Tuesday, February 24.
See you after the storm!

TWO-NEEDLE MITTENS | LEARN TO KNIT WITH HILARY SNELL
2026-02-21 12:00 - 14:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Are you feeling very comfortable with your new knitting skills? Can you cast on, knit and purl and do a rib on your own and with ease? If so, and you feel like you’re ready to try something new, come join us and make two-needle mittens!
Join us in a relaxed, supportive and creative workshop – and at the end of the month go home with a new pair of two-needle simple mittens! Over a period of 4 weeks, we’ll follow a pattern that requires you to stretch your abilities and learn new techniques. The pattern includes ribbing, K2tog, increasing stitches, slipping stitches (sl1st), decreasing stitches with slip stitch over (psso), sewing seams, and using stitch holders.
• For women’s medium size: Bring 4 oz of pre-balled worsted wool in any color and 1 pair of straight knitting needles No. 5 US.
• For men’s medium size: Bring 4 oz of pre-balled worsted wool in two balls (you’ll be knitting with double yarn) and 1 pair of straight knitting needles No. 8 US.
You’ll also need small stitch holders and a tapestry needle (a big-eyed needle)
We strongly suggest that you have a proven comfortability with knitting and purling in order to take on this project.
* This workshop series is for ages 18+.*
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Hilary Snell, a longtime visitor services staff member of Scandinavia House, is of English, Scottish, and Irish descent, and loves everything about Nordic culture. She was taught to knit by her grandmother and mother when she was eight years old and took it up again in her late 20s, and has been knitting ever since. She enjoys sharing her love of the craft and of fiber arts in general. See her work at: https://www.instagram.com/lockwoodknits/
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SENTIMENTAL VALUE | LUX AUDIENCE AWARDS 2026
2026-02-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
See five of the shortlisted finalists for this year’s LUX Audience Awards this season at Scandinavia House! On February 20, we’ll be (re)screening Joachim Trier’s poignant drama Sentimental Value.
“The best film of the year” (Vogue) —Sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård, in a remarkable performance), a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When she declines, Gustav casts an up-and-coming young Hollywood star (Elle Fanning) instead, forcing the family to confront long-buried tensions as the striving outsider becomes entangled in their fraught dynamic.
With Sentimental Value, Danish-Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier follows his critically acclaimed The Worst Person in the World (2021) with a magnetic comedy-drama about legacy, art, and the performances that bind—and divide—families. Trier’s insightful and captivating adult drama, which won the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, furthers the writer-director’s piercing exploration of the frayed ties that bind us to one another and to our creative selves.
“A transcendent, moving masterpiece” (IndieWire)
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This event has been organized by the European Parliament in partnership with Scandinavia House. The LUX Audience Award is a joint initiative of the European Parliament and the European Film Academy in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. It is the largest audience award worldwide and the only film prize in the world where citizens together with Members of the European Parliament -with each group weighting 50% -can decide who the winner will be by rating the nominated films online. The LUX Audience Award fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public through the medium of film. The nominated films address European values and raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues such as mental health, poverty, climate change, freedom of expression, gender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights.

MUSIC ON PARK AVENUE WITH PER TENGSTRAND: SCHUBERT'S LAST SONATA
2026-02-19 19:30 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Join us on February 19 for our second installment of a special concert series celebrating 25 years of Music on Park Avenue, the acclaimed performance series curated by Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand that has been with Scandinavia House since its inauguration in 2000. In honor of Scandinavia House’s silver anniversary, Tengstrand presents a program of chamber music performances featuring distinguished guest musicians that continues into spring of 2026.
For the second performance, Tengstrand will present Franz Schubert’s final Piano Sonata in B-flat major D.960, as well as other iconic arrangements from the composer.
Written two months before his death, the B-flat Sonata (D. 960) is one of Schubert’s most heavenly creations, with a slow movement that is one of the most profoundly beautiful piano pieces you will ever hear. Also on the program, Beethoven’s beloved “Pathetique” Sonata and the incredible piano version by Ferruccio Busoni of Bach’s masterpiece for solo violin, the Chaconne in D minor.

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Thanks to a generous loan by Victor Borge’s grandson Finn, concerts will be performed on Victor Borge’s personal Steinway piano.

PAPER SCULPTURES
2026-02-19 17:30 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This workshop has been rescheduled from February 5 to February 19.*
This series offers a gentle introduction to the tactile qualities of materials such as paper, pastel, paint, graphite pencil, and ink. Participants will explore the unique characteristics of various tools and surfaces, learning simple techniques to get started and discover inspiration—whether drawn from the inner world or the world around us. The focus is on the process of making: approaching art as a meditative, exploratory practice. Together, we’ll experiment, play, and pay close attention to what unfolds on the page, moment by moment. There are no expectations for finished pieces or specific outcomes —the class itself is the experience and the goal. Each session will close with a supportive group reflection, where we’ll share and appreciate each other’s progress, process, and discoveries.
In this course, students will explore and experiment with making sculptural forms out of paper.
The series can be experienced as a complete progression or as individual, standalone classes. Participation is limited to 12 students.
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THE UGLY STEPSISTER | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2026-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On February 18, see Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt’s sinister reimagining of the Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister, a nominee for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards!
Elvira (Lea Myren) is preparing to earn the prince’s affection, at any cost. But in a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira must compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) to become the belle of the ball. The Ugly Stepsister is a chilling, visually stunning exploration of beauty, worth, and the societal systems that shape women’s lives (Norway, 2025).
“A fascinating exploration of beauty standards, and the way in which women are repeatedly placed into competition with one another” (THN).
“Emilie Blichfeldt blends the more brutal folktale elements with phantasmatic longing” (Sight & Sound).

VALENTINE'S DAY PRIX FIXE
2026-02-14 16:00 - 21:00 | Björk Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special prix fixe at Björk Cafe & Bistro! Björk will offer a special dinner menu from 4-9 PM featuring appetizers including lobster bisque or potato mille-feuille, main courses including braised flank steak, roasted monkfish or barley risotto, and a sweet finale ($78 pp). Björk will also offer a brunch menu and fika special that day.
RESERVATIONS
VALENTINE’S DAY 2026
Brunch Menu
11 AM-4 PM
Fika Special with Princess Cake & a Frozen Mimosa
3-5 PM ($25 pp; $22.50 ASF Members)
Dinner Prix Fixe
4-9 PM ($78 pp; $70.20 ASF Members)

WHAT CAN AMERICAN CITIES LEARN FROM THE EUROPEAN NONPROFIT SAUNA MOVEMENT?
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
In honor of National Sauna Week, join us on February 12 for a panel on how American cities can take inspiration from Europe’s sauna movement to embed community health and wellbeing into the heart of public spaces. Moderated by Therme Group US’ Adam Bamba Tanaka, the panel discussion features a pioneer of Norway’s nonprofit sauna movement, a global expert on bathing culture, and a leader in programming New York City’s public realm.
Across European cities — from London to Oslo and beyond — a rapidly growing nonprofit sauna movement is charting a dynamic new model of public health infrastructure: low-priced, high-design public saunas located along waterfronts, rooftops, and public parks. At the center of the story is the Oslo Sauna Association (Oslo Badstuforening), a nonprofit that operates over 25 floating saunas across the Norwegian capital. Supported by a grassroots volunteer operation, these saunas have become beloved pieces of civic infrastructure, social lifelines for a city with long winters and a high proportion of residents who live alone. In 2025, the Oslo Badstuforening was recognized by Time magazine as one of the World’s Great Places.
Drawing on Oslo’s experience, the panel will examine how creative activation of public spaces for community health can support physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen social ties, and make cities more livable year-round.
This event is organized by Culture of Bathe-ing, a global community that celebrates the modern resurgence of communal bathing as a tool for preventative health and a response to growing social isolation within modern urban life. Beginning February 12 and running through March 1, 2026, Culture of Bathe-ing will transform Domino Park on the Williamsburg waterfront into the site of an unprecedented sauna festival. The festival marks the first event of its kind in New York City and the largest sauna village ever staged in the United States.
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SOLD OUT — PASTEL CHALK ON PAPER
2026-02-12 17:30 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This workshop is now sold out.*
This workshop series for adults offers a gentle introduction to the tactile qualities of materials such as paper, pastel, paint, graphite pencil, and ink. Participants will explore the unique characteristics of various tools and surfaces, learning simple techniques to get started and discover inspiration—whether drawn from the inner world or the world around us. The focus is on the process of making: approaching art as a meditative, exploratory practice. Together, we’ll experiment, play, and pay close attention to what unfolds on the page, moment by moment. There are no expectations for finished pieces or specific outcomes —the class itself is the experience and the goal. Each session will close with a supportive group reflection, where we’ll share and appreciate each other’s progress, process, and discoveries.
In this course, students will explore and experiment with using various pastel chalks on paper.
The series can be experienced as a complete progression or as individual, standalone classes. Participation is limited to 12 students. *Please note: this workshop is for ages 20+.*
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SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD
2026-02-11 19:00 - 21:00
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, winner of the award for Best Documentary at the 2023 European Film Awards, returns to Scandinavia House on February 11 for National Sauna Week! Join us for director Anna Hints’ intimate delve into the cultural tradition of Vana-Võromaa’s smoke saunas in South Estonia (included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list) and see how they are unique spaces for healing and community. The film draws inspiration from the smoke saunas’ historical role in childbirth, where women gather to share secrets, connecting family and friends to cleanse the body and — more importantly — the soul, inside a place of peace and contemplation.
This documentary, which was the first Estonian film to win an award for directing at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, captures the essence of the smoke sauna experience with masterful cinematography, evoking Vermeer and Rembrandt. Hints authentically portrays women, delving into themes of trauma, healing, and sisterhood. The film concludes with a runic verse, “Thank You Song for Smoke Sauna,” performed by director Anna Hints and producer Marianne Ostrat, expressing gratitude to the spirit of the smoke sauna, the women in the film, and all those who contributed to bringing Smoke Sauna Sisterhood to life. The film has been selected as Estonia’s contender for next year’s Academy Awards.
“This is a film that records a little-known aspect of a little-known national identity…the visual poetry is magnificent”—(Jonathan Romney, Financial Times)
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GALLERY TOURS | A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
2026-02-11 17:30 - 18:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On view from October 18, 2025 to February 14, 2026 at Scandinavia House, A Time for Everything, a group exhibition of internationally acclaimed Nordic artists — all of whom have presented work in the Scandinavia House Galleries over the past 25 years — will underscore the vision of the Scandinavia House Galleries as a steward for new and established Nordic voices in the contemporary artistic landscape, and for promoting the exchange of ideas and culture between the United States and Nordic region.
In this guided tour by Eve O’Shea, ASF’s Exhibitions and Cultural Programs Assistant and assistant curator of the exhibition, learn about the artists in this exhibition and their works.
These free, 35-minute public tours meet in the Gallery elevator lobby. Gallery tours are subject to change; please check with the Scandinavia House front desk or email info@amscan.org.
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NORDIC BOOK CLUB ONLINE | CLEARING OUT
2026-02-10 18:00 - 19:00
Read and discuss literature with our Nordic Book Club Online! Nordic Book Club meets monthly via Zoom to discuss contemporary literature in translation. On February 10, 2026, we’ll be discussing Norwegian novelist Helene Uri’s novel Clearing Out, exploring a search for identity and Sámi heritage, in translation by Barbara Sjoholm.

Inspired by Helene Uri’s own journey into her family’s ancestry, Clearing Out tells two intertwining stories. A novelist, named Helene, is living in Oslo with her husband and children and contemplating her new protagonist, Ellinor Smidt—a language researcher, divorced and in her late 30s, with a doctorate but no steady job.
An unexpected call from a distant relative reveals that Helene’s grandfather, Nicolai Nilsen, was the son of a coastal (sjø) Sami fisherman—something no one in her family ever talked about. Uncertain how to weave this new knowledge into who she believes she is, Helene continues to write her novel, in which her heroine Ellinor travels to Finnmark in the far north to study the dying languages of the Sami families there. What Ellinor finds among the Sami people she meets is a culture little known in her own world; she discovers history richer and more alluring than rumor and a connection charged with mystery and promise. Through her persistence in approaching an elderly Sami activist, and her relationship with a local Sami man, Ellinor confronts a rift that has existed between two families for generations.
Intricate and beautifully constructed, Clearing Out offers a solemn reflection on how identities, like families, are formed and fractured and recovered as stories are told. In its depiction of the forgotten and the fiercely held memories among the Sea (sjø) Sami of northern Norway, the novel is a powerful statement on what is lost, and what remains in reach, in the character and composition of contemporary life. A masterful blend of fiction and autobiography from one of Norway’s most celebrated authors, the novel’s expert translation by Barbara Sjoholm was a winner of ASF’s Nadia Christensen Translation Prize.
Clearing Out is available in paperback and e-book from University of Minnesota Press and various retailers.
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