Visit Project Project Details
This online exhibit tells the story of a group of students at the now-defunct Dana College in Nebraska who went on a six-state tour with the Danish-language play “Ordet” (“The Word”) in 1942. Tying together diary excerpts, students’ own photos and ephemera with background information and maps, the exhibit highlights several intersecting issues: the role of ethnic ties during WWII, the Danish American history of Dana College, the connection between Danish Americans and the resistance movement in Denmark, the sunset years of the vibrant Danish American communities in the Midwest and the diminished use of the Danish language, the schisms of the Danish American churches, the work of the Danish pastor and playwright Kaj Munk, and the role of Danish-born professor and pastor Paul Nyholm.
Subjects or Themes
World War II, Danish American, Immigration, Ethnic, Nebraska, Dana College, Archives
Project Language(s)
English, Danish
Time Period
Geographic Location
Project Categories
Content Type
Images, text, video, maps
Target Audience(s)
Creators
The exhibit was created by the Danish American Archive and Library in Blair, Nebraska, and Catrine Kyster Giery, completing her practicum project as a master’s degree student in public history at American Public University.
Year(s)
2020
Host Institution / Affiliation / Project Location
Danish American Archive and Library/Student
Software Employed
Labor and Support
This online exhibit was created as a student's individual practicum project as part of a master’s degree program in Public History at American Public University working with a host institution: the Danish American Archive and Library. Due to the Corona pandemic, the student completed the project offsite. The host institution, located in Nebraska, provided the scanned sources from their collections as well as project support and oversight, and the student, located in South Carolina, digitally created the exhibit and promoted it to the media, on social media, and through the archive's network. The project required bilingual skills and translation as well.
Based on the collections of the Danish American Archive, this exhibit targets visitors in the United States as well as in Denmark, where the playwright Kaj Munk and his role in the Danish WWII resistance movement is well-known. The exhibit obtained media coverage in both local U.S. media and Danish media.
The time frame for the student was 160+ hours.
Project Cost
Partnerships, funding sources, or grant-funding acknowledgement
The exhibit was created by the Danish American Archive and Library in Blair, Nebraska, and Catrine Kyster Giery, completing her practicum project as a master’s degree student in public history at American Public University.
