Lars Idar Waage, photographer from Stavanger, Norway, will give a presentation on Thursday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Vesterheim Commons in connection with the exhibit A Dying Norway – in a Living America?.
This exhibit of documentary photographs by Waage is a portrait of Stavanger, Illinois, by someone from 6,000 miles away in Stavanger, Norway. The tiny town of Stavanger, Illinois, in LaSalle County, is the location of the first permanent settlement of Norwegian immigrants in the United States, including some of those who sailed on the Restauration. This ship brought the first organized group of emigrants from Stavanger, Norway, in 1825. Through these images, Waage shares how Norwegian identity and traditions are expressed in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.
During the presentation, Waage will share this important immigrant history while discussing the similarities and differences between the two Stavangers and the people who now live in each location.
