Finnfest 2014

FinnFest USA 2014 Festival Presents

The 21st C Finland And Finnish America

Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center, Minneapolis, August 4-10

Finland and Public Education in the 21st C: A Dialogue with Minnesota

August 6-7: Education Forum : “From Cradle to Career: Education for a 21st C World”.
August 8: Education Forum: “Public Education’s Relationship to a Successful Business Climate”.

Historic Cokato, Minnesota, the oldest continuous Finnish American community in North America

August 6: Guided tours including opportunities to meet descendants of original settlers.

Genealogy Workshop

August 7: Full day Genealogy Workshop.

Opening Ceremony

Event to include festival music Evening of August 7: Details to be announced soon.

Lectures and panel discussions in eight separate tracks, August 8-9, 2014

(Vetted speakers representing scholars and public leaders will define new public discussions)
  • Finland in the 21st C (including special forum on Finland/US relations).
  • The Finnish American Diaspora: Assessment of the past and goals for the future.
  • Finnish and Finnish American Literature in the 21st C.
  • Finnish and Finnish American Music in the 21st C.
  • Finnish and Finnish American Arts in the 21st C.
  • Finland/Sweden: the Finland Swedish population, issues and challenges, in the US and Finland; the post 1950 Finnish migration to Sweden.
  • Indigenous Peoples: Challenges for the 21st C with particular emphasis on Native Americans and Sami peoples living in Finland and the USA.
  • The Natural World: Finland & Minnesota Parallels and Challenges.

Musical performances, August 7-10, 2014

Music for all tastes and ages, traditional as well as contemporary, creating a rare opportunity to feast on Finnish music, to explore all kinds of Finnish music in an American setting. Folk and Classical music will mingle with world, jazz, pop, and rock. Finnish and American performers solo and collaborations in concert, in the tori, at dances, at late-night cabarets.

Art exhibitions

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, May 10-August 17: “Finland: Designed Environments”.
American Swedish Institute, May 31-November 2: “The Living Tradition of Ryijy: Finnish Rugs and their Makers and Salmela Architecture/Loll Designs”.
Textile Center: June 12-August 16: “Dreams and Memories: Contemporary Tapestries of Aino Kajaniemi”.
Textile Center: June 12-July 12: “Warming the Room: Finnish-American Regg Rugg Weaving”.

Special events

Minnesota Twins game: Special seating for FinnFest USA group on August 5.

Tori

Hotel convention center has two halls for vendors, demonstrators, exhibits, and workshops.