In 1976, in a one-room storefront log cabin, a small group of Swedes dared to dream about establishing a center of Swedish culture in America. Today’s Swedish American Museum is a bustling center of Swedish art, history, culture, and educational activities and programs. Each year, more than 43,000 visitors enjoy special exhibits, Swedish language classes, crafts, genealogy classes, concerts, lectures, films, and the interactive Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration.
Special programs and classes for fall 2008 include: the Museum’s quarterly rotating temporary exhibit Johnson-Morrison: Tradition and Innovation in Contemporary Textile Art (Sept. 26 – Nov. 30), Treasures from the Trunk: Highlights from our Immigration History (Sept. 5), Scandinavian Day Festival (Sept. 7), Michael Saxell in Concert (Sept. 11), Historical Bus Tour to Bishop Hill (Sept. 28), Herring Breakfast with entertainment by guitarist/songwriter Karen Lindblad (Oct. 5), Concert by the Old Town School of Folk Music (Oct. 10), Family Night (Oct. 17), Reflections – Annual Dinner Dance and Auction (Oct. 18), Meatball Contest and Tasting: An Evening with a Great Swedish Tradition (Oct. 22), Greger Hansson in Concert (Nov. 1), Candle Making Workshop (Nov. 2), The Fate of Raoul Wallenberg – The Latest Discoveries (Nov. 13), Christmas Preview and Sale at the Museum Store (Nov. 14), Swedish Christmas Craft Workshop (Nov. 19), Julmarknad (Dec. 6 & 7), Breakfast with Tomten (Dec. 13), Lucia Celebration (Dec. 13), Old Fashioned Swedish Family Christmas Dinner (Dec. 21), and Julotta (Dec. 25).

The Swedish American Museum is committed to preserving Swedish heritage, educating all generations and ethnic groups in Swedish language, art, culture, and traditions and celebrating Sweden’s past, present, and future. Additionally, the Museum serves as a unifying force for all Scandinavian groups in the greater Chicago, Illinois area.

The Swedish American Museum was founded in 1976 as a grassroots movement to preserve and disseminate the history of the great contributions of early Swedish immigrants to Chicago. The first Museum site was in a small 1,000-square-foot storefront located in Andersonville. Ten years later, the Museum purchased and moved to a three story building, a former Swedish hardware store, to continue to be the center of Swedish life in Andersonville. In the new 24,000-square-foot building, the first phase of renovation to the building began, in order to facilitate extensive programming and audience development, which were pursued over the next eight years. This, lead to the second phase of major expansion, completed in 1997 including: a permanent exhibit, gallery space, staff offices, a library, new elevator and other life-safety improvements. Phase three renovation included The Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration, which opened in June 2001. The Swedish American Museum is an active thirty year old mid-sized museum located in the heart of Andersonville, one of the most concentrated areas of Swedish culture in the United States, whose Swedish roots date back to the nineteenth century. The Museum serves 1,900 dues-paying members, and in 2007, had 43,000 visitors. SAMAC’s audience is broad-based in age (from toddlers to seniors), gender, residence (from foreign tourists to near neighbors), and cultural origin. The Swedish American Museum is committed to preserving Swedish heritage, educating all generations and ethnic groups in Swedish language, art, culture, and traditions and celebrating Sweden’s past, present, and future. Additionally, the Museum serves as a unifying force for all Scandinavian groups in the greater Chicago, Illinois area.