Traveler, TV host Rick Steves is Vesterheim museum’s guest online presenter on Sunday

DECORAH — Vesterheim, the National Norwegian American Museum and Folk Art School, welcomes everyone to join an online presentation “An Innovator Abroad” by guest Rick Steves on Sunday at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the link at vesterheim.org. The presentation is part of a lecture series connected to the new exhibit “Innovators & Inventors,” which is supported by the Tomson Family Foundation.

Rick Steves is a popular public television host and a bestselling guidebook author. He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves’ Europe, a travel business with a tour program that brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. Steves is also an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel.

During the presentation, Steves will talk about travel for the purpose of challenging cultural assumptions, travel to Norway, and his background as a Norwegian American.

The exhibit “Innovators & Inventors,” open at Vesterheim through May 2022, celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of Norwegian immigrants and their descendants in America. It covers everything from the wearable pacemaker invented by Earl Bakken to Karsten Solheim's ergonomic golf putters.

In addition to patents, drawings, models, and artifacts, Vesterheim shares the stories behind the creations and shines a light on some unknown Norwegian immigrants and their descendants who helped make the world a better place. The exhibit also prominently includes contemporary innovators and inventors.

The Innovators & Inventors Lecture Series continues in the spring with “Teaching Innovation” on March 19 at 2 p.m. on Zoom. The last presentation in the series will be “The Art of Innovation” held in person at Luther College on May 5 at 7 p.m.

Vesterheim, the National Norwegian American Museum and Folk Art School, welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in the conversation of the American immigrant journey through the lens of the Norwegian American experience. Vesterheim offers innovative and interactive exhibits, classes, and programs, both at the dynamic campus and park in scenic Decorah, Iowa, and online at vesterheim.org and Vesterheim social media. For more information on exhibits, classes, programs, tours, membership opportunities, and ways to donate and volunteer, connect at vesterheim.org, (563) 382-9681, and Vesterheim, 502 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA, 52101-0379.