We Are America

Now Open!

We Are America explores the story of Swedish immigration to Chicago. Visitors will see environmental displays such as the deck of a steamship, a 19th century Swedish stuga, an early 20th century Swedish-American woodshop, and a mid-century Swedish-American kitchen. Through a range of artifacts, images, and interactives, visitors will learn about the lives Swedish immigrants built in the U.S., from employment to recreation to religion to home life.

Throughout the exhibit, personal stories are highlighted to help tell this immigration story. You will meet Elin and Birgitta Hedman, a Swedish mother and daughter who stayed overnight at Ellis Island while waiting for Elin’s husband to pick them up. Thor Rydholm, a young Swedish-American from Lee Country, Illinois who served in the U.S. military during World War I, and Anna Elisabet Martinsson, a young woman who traveled to America by herself aboard the SS Stockholm in 1925. There are many more included, and each Swedish-American’s story illuminates how Swedes created community in a new land. Through the jobs Swedes worked, clubs they joined, holidays celebrated, and hardships shared, the Swedish-American identity began to take shape and became one many proudly embrace today.

There will also be a variety of interactives in the exhibit including an interactive map showing the routes Swedes took from Sweden to Chicago, a Swedish children’s game to play, a touch screen interactive to explore Swedish clubs, and many more. Each interactive is aimed at engaging all ages and audiences as a fun way to learn more about Swedish-American heritage and culture.

While We Are America looks at immigration through the Swedish-American lens, it also invites visitors to compare this story with others from Chicago. We worked with partners from the Chicago Cultural Alliance, to feature immigration stories submitted by the Japanese American Service Committee, Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Dominican-American Midwest Association, and the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society.

Submit photos to our Family Photo Wall.

Exhibit Sponsored By

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Swedish American Museum 40th Anniversary Campaign

Morlights, LLC

Many thanks to our community who volunteered their time and donated their stories and items to the Museum.

Thank you to our exhibit team and to all those who made this exhibit possible!

Karin Moen Abercrombie - Executive Director

Phoebe Yates - Curator

Lisa Lindström - Collection Manager

Tamara Biggs – Project Advisor, Installation Lead

Miles Lindblad - Architect

Amy Reichart - Exhibit Designer

Jordan Mosher - Exhibit Designer 

Mark Ramirez - Graphic Designer

Mark Schall - Contractor

Patience Baach – Exhibit Evaluator

Katie Biggs-Wrona - Mannequin Artist, Installation Team

Erin Bliss – Mountmaker, Installation Team

Kassadi Locke - Graphic Design Intern

Carol Turchan - Paper Conservator and Mountmaker

Geneva Wrona – Fabricator, Installation Team

Balance Digital Media Studios

Brad Larson Media, Inc.

Morlights, LLC

Most Visual

Progressive Communications, Inc.

Third Coast Conservation