Kristen Birkeland named Gold Medal Winner at 2026 National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition

Kristen Birkeland, Utah artist and Sons of Norway member, has been named a Gold Medal Winner at the 2026 National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition in Decorah, Iowa. This award recognizes Kristen's lifetime accomplishments as a rosemaling artist and her consistent performance as a contributor at Vesterheim's biennial exhibition. Gold Medal winners are also expected to help mentor future generations of rosemaling artists.

Having first learned her craft nearly 40 years ago, Kristen is well known in Utah and surrounding areas through her classes, mentoring of other aspiring artists, and exhibition of her work at the Utah State Fair. In 2025, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first organized group of immigrants to the United States, Kristen spent hundreds of hours painting nearly 200 square feet of rosemaling to be attached to the Sons of Norway float--which was seen by more than 500,000 people and won the President's Award. More recently, Kristen's work can be found in a set of notecards representing eight distinct rosemaling traditions.

Each year, artists enter their pieces in the exhibition and are awarded Blue, Red, and White Ribbons representing points that accumulate over successive years toward a Gold Medal. Judges also present Honorable Mention and Best of Show Awards. Visitors are invited to vote for People’s Choice Awards.

Ribbon winners and Gold Medalists are announced in conjunction with Nordic Fest, Decorah’s city-wide celebration of Norwegian heritage, which is held the last full weekend of July.

The exhibition is made possible thanks to generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

To learn more about Vesterheim and see all the winners and their entries, go to https://vesterheim.org/national-norwegian-american-folk-art-exhibition-winners-2026/.