HUMAN: STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR
2025-11-18 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Join us on November 18 for an evening with prodigious Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir as she discusses the new book covering her wide-reaching career, HUMAN: Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir! The first major publication focused exclusively on capturing her 45 years as an artist, HUMAN contains images of all Thórarinsdóttir’s major works, as well as discussions from both Icelandic and international experts about her artistic vocation and works from various perspectives.
Thórarinsdóttir’s works– life-size, anonymous sculptures of human figures forged from aliminum and steel – gesture towards a universal humanity, whether they’re displayed in the nooks of American museums or scrambling up trellises outside of galleries in Denmark. Their featureless, genderless forms draw a stark contrast with their welcoming, all-too-familiar stances, posed as if interacting naturally with their environment. Wherever they might be, the representations of Thórarinsdóttir’s ouevre reach and twist through the pages of HUMAN to remind us of a raw connectivity that transcends outward appearances.

NORDIC INFLUENCES IN AMERICA: THE LAST 25 YEARS
2025-11-18 19:30 - 20:30 | NY
Organized by ASF with Susan Chin of DesignConnects, in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York, and American Institute of Architects Continental Europe, Nordic American Connections: Conversations on Architecture and Design is a 4-part series that presents prominent architects, critics and scholars to reflect on Scandinavian and Nordic design’s enduring impact in shaping modern American design since the 19th century.
With renewed interest in the Nordic tradition and its resilient building strategies for climate action and wellbeing, contemporary architects and designers, both Nordic and American, remain strong contributors to the American landscape with award-winning projects reflecting cross cultural influences. The series kicks off on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, with Nordic Influences in America, the Last 25 Years at Scandinavia House in New York City. The panel will focus on the historical perspective on the Nordic design approach and emphasis on ‘complete design’—human comfort, social equity and welfare, environmental responsibility, natural material and handcraft–and ties to the Homeland: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. Most importantly, the panel highlights Nordic design’s pivotal role in Modernism in America.
This opening panel features Rosalie Genevro as moderator, architectural historian and urbanist; Peter MacKeith, dean of Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Arkansas; Thomas Phifer, founding partner of Thomas Phifer and Partners; and Tod Williams, co-founder of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners.
The series continues in 2026 with discussions on January 15, March 19, and May 14, 2026. Purchase a series pass here.
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AIANY Continuing Education Credits are approved for this session; attendees receive 1.5 Learning Units | 1.5 HSW credits. To receive the credits, please ask to sign the AIANY student form at check-in.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
Rosalie Genevro, Hon. AIANY, is an architectural historian and urbanist who has been an active participant in New York’s architecture and civic communities for over four decades. She led the Architectural League of New York as executive director from 1985 to 2023, originating major research, publishing, and engagement projects such as Urban Omnibus and American Roundtable and significant exhibitions such as Ten Shades of Green, as well as managing the organizational and programmatic work of the League. She has contributed her expertise to numerous civic and professional committees, advisory boards, juries, and other undertakings as a committed New Yorker. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Places Journal, HypotheKIDS, and the Architecture Review Collective (parent organization of the New York Review of Architecture) and teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the New York/Paris program at Columbia GSAPP.
Peter B. MacKeith, Assoc. AIA is dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas and Honorary Consul for Finland in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. A leading design educator and administrator, he has served as a liaison between the United States and Finland for more than 30 years in architecture, design, and culture. A Fulbright Fellow to Finland in 1990, he lived and worked there for a decade and has written and lectured extensively on Nordic architecture. In 2012, he curated the Nordic Pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, and in 2014 was installed as Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland. Currently, he is lead commissioner and curator of the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Biennale Architettura. MacKeith also chairs the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program and serves as adjunct curator for architecture and design at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Thomas Phifer, FAIA founded Thomas Phifer and Partners in 1997. His completed works include the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, expansions of Glenstone Museum, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Corning Museum of Glass, the U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City, and the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, among others. Current projects include the TR Warszawa Theatre, Wagner Park Pavilion, and private residences in Texas, Maine, and New York. His firm has received more than thirty AIA Honor Awards and numerous international distinctions. Phifer’s honors include the Rome Prize, the AIA New York Medal of Honor and President’s Award, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at Columbia, Yale, Cornell, and Georgia Tech, among others. In 2022, Clemson University established the Thomas Phifer Fellowship to support underrepresented architecture students. Phifer received both his Bachelor and Master of Architecture from Clemson University.
Tod Williams, FAIA with Billie Tsien founded their New York architecture studio in 1986. From museums, to academic institutions, to residential projects, experience and spirit are at the heart of all their designs. They imbue the work with rootedness, light, texture, and detail. Some of their notable projects include the renovation of David Geffen Hall’s Public Spaces at Lincoln Center, New York; The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia; and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Their current work includes the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City (opening later this year) and the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, Chicago (opening in summer 2026). The firm’s work has been recognized by numerous citations including the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, National Medal of Arts from President Obama and the 2013 AIA Architecture Firm Award. As an educator and practitioner, Tod committed to making a better world through architecture.

THE SOUTHERN CHRONICLES | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2025-11-19 19:00 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On November 18, New York Baltic Film Festival at Scandinavia House presents a screening and director talk on the hit new Lithuanian coming-of-age film, The Southern Chronicles (Pietinia kronikas) ! Director Ignas Miškinis will present a virtual talk about the film exploring a young man’s struggle with love and the future amid a newly independent 1990s Lithuania. Southern Chronicles is Lithuania’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
In a working-class neighborhood of the Lithuanian city of Siauliai, a few years after the restoration of the country’s independence, brawny 17-year-old Rimants (Džiugas Grinys) is on the cusp of adulthood. More interested in playing rugby, listening to bands and dealing on the black market with his friend Minde than studying at school — much to the disapproval of his parents — Rimants is certain that physical strength and money are the essentials for success in a changing, competitive society. But when he meets and falls in love with the beautiful, middle-class Monika, Rimants is introduced to a new world of literature, culture and alternative possibilities which he explores with guarded enthusiasm. However, frustrated by the difficult, fickle nature of young love and the ever-present obstacles of class, Rimants eventually casts aside the expectations of others and begins to contemplate a future on his own terms.
Based on the semi-autobiographical book by Rimantas Kmiti, The Southern Chronicles was awarded Best Baltic Film at Tallinn Black Nights and is a portrait of a ’90s generation with a lot of humor, music and the special slang of Šiauliai.
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KNITTING THURSDAYS! | LEARN TO KNIT WITH HILARY SNELL
2025-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Learn to knit at Scandinavia House this fall in classes in October and November!
When one thinks of Scandinavia, one of the first things that comes to mind is the distinctive patterns of knitted sweaters. Knitting has been an essential part of Nordic culture since the early 1500s and people, sheep and knitting have always been inextricably linked. The craft has been a source of artistic expression while also keeping generations warm during the long, cold winters.
Knitting is a symbol of self-sufficiency. Families tended the sheep, spun the wool from those sheep and used yarn to clothe themselves and their loved ones. They would also sell their work to support their families. Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland all have rich and varied knitting traditions and continue to express themselves through stunning design and wool work.
Join us for small, two-hour workshops to learn the basics of knitting. In a casual and supportive setting, you’ll learn how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off. You’ll leave with your own knitted piece to continue your work at home. Scandinavia House will supply the needles and the yarn.
DID YOU KNOW? Repetitive motions like knitting, where your mind becomes fully absorbed in the task, can lead to increased happiness and decreased stress.
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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DOG OF GOD | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2025-11-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On November 21, Scandinavia House presents a special screening and film talk of Latvia’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards: the bawdy adult animated feature Dog of God, followed by a Q&A with directors Lauris and Raitis Ābele.
Dog of God
Dir. Lauris Ābele & Raitis Ābele | Latvia/United States, 2025
“Spectacular, bold, uncompromising” — In a medieval town drenched in autumn rain, a sacred relic is stolen. Passion, witchcraft accusations, shamanism and a deal with an otherworldly plant that possesses aphrodisiac superpowers lead to chaos in the accursed hamlet.
Set in the 17th century in a destitute Latvian village, a local priest named Buckholz (Reginar Vaivars) goes on a crusade to punish the local tavern owner, a woman named Neze (Agate Krista), whom he’s been lusting over and is accusing of witchcraft. When he finally makes her stand trial, it’s interrupted by a werewolf named Theiss (Einars Repse), who brings with him a psychedelic and carnage-filled spectacle that will change the village forever. Loosely based on the real-life account of one of the last werewolf trials held in 1692, Dog of God offers a twisted tale of debauchery, Latvian folklore, and anarchic humor.
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SHUT UP /ORO JASKA
2025-11-22 13:30 - 15:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On November 22, Scandinavia House and the Consulate General of Norway present a special screening of the first two episodes of the International Emmy-nominated Sámi youth drama series Shut Up (Oro jaska). Series creators Silje Bürgin-Borch and Vegard Bjørsmo will be present with screenwriter Katherine Nedrejord for a panel after the screening.
Set in a small town in the heart of Sápmi, the cross-country region the Sámi people call home, Shut Up follows Elli Anne, a young Sámi woman whose intimate world collapses after a brutal rape. As she seeks justice within a tightly knit community bound by tradition and family loyalty, the narrative takes a gripping turn when Issat, a celebrated snow cross racer, is accused. The allegation not only threatens his reputation but forces him to confront his own closely guarded secret: that he is queer.
Praised as “powerful and timely,” Shut Up marks a historic first—it is the first Sámi TV drama of its kind to center social issues from within the community, told by Sámi voices. With a commitment to the guiding principle “Nothing about us without us,” the series was developed by a writers’ room composed entirely of young Sámi creatives, including queer voices. The series’ action is based on eight in-depth interviews conducted with Sámi women who have experienced abuse, and extensive research amongst Sámi who identify as queer.
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