Mission & Vision

Our Mission

The Museum of Danish America celebrates Danish roots and American dreams.

Organized in 1983 as The Danish Immigrant Museum (a non-profit institution), the name Museum of Danish America was adopted in October 2013. The museum has been open since June of 1994 as a national center for the Danish-American community.

A summary of the museum’s current Strategic Plan 2024 – 2026 outlines the goals and priorities that provide direction for the museum’s Board of Directors and staff.

  • Discover the story of Danish immigration from the mid-19th Century to the present
  • Celebrate the continuing relationship between Denmark and the United States
  • Explore communities from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to Solvang, California, and Danevang, Texas, to Dalum, Alberta
  • Learn about traditions carried on by later generations of Danish-Americans presented in programs, exhibits, and special events
  • Research family history at our Genealogy & Education Center
  • Participate in our outreach programs and traveling exhibits

The museum is located in a magnificent half-timbered building on a 35-acre site. The Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park is named for the colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright and the father of the Prairie School of Landscape Architecture and boasts picnic areas, a walking trail, outdoor exercise equipment, and more. The Christensen Curatorial Center’s green roof is planted with a variety of native species.

Contributions from many individuals are what make the Museum of Danish America possible. The museum invites your membership and support.

The Museum of Danish America explores the Danish-American experience, the historic and modern influences of Denmark on the United States, and the continuing story of how a nation of immigrants shape American identity.

Values

We are:

  • Inspirational: We honor the contributions of Danish-Americans to the complex fabric of American history and culture.
  • Innovative: We present visitors with experiences that challenge and enlighten. We experiment with new ways of engaging audiences locally, regionally, and nationally.
  • Authentic: Using primary sources, we tell the story of Danish immigration in all its complexity, including success and failure, accomplishment and discouragement, longing for what was left behind and hope for a new life.
  • Visitor-centered: We educate and entertain visitors of all backgrounds and engage them in a dialogue about American identity through the lens of the Danish immigrant experience and the influences of modern Danish society and culture.
  • Promoting tolerance and respect: We build appreciation for the United States as a nation of immigrants, past and present.
  • Focused on preservation: We collect and preserve artifacts, documents, and stories for current and future education and scholarship.
  • Stewards: We focus on responsible management of human, financial, and facility resources, sustaining the museum and its mission for future generations.

Vision

  • To be the foremost Danish-American museum and cultural center in the nation.
  • To be a model for ethnic heritage museums in how to remain relevant in a changing world.
  • To be a showplace for Danish innovation and its importance to American progress.
  • To be engaging and relevant to people both with and without Danish ancestry.
  • To help visitors connect past Danish immigrants’ experience with the experience of today’s Danish and non-Danish immigrants to the United States.

A summary of the museum’s Strategic Plan 2024 – 2026 describes the goals and strategies through which the museum’s mission, values, and vision are realized.