Renee Vaughan is a cultural artist working within Swedish folk traditions. She uses the nyckelharpa, (Sweden’s national folk instrument,) along with dalmålning (folk painting) and halmkrona (suspended rye-straw chandeliers) to explore the movement of people, music, culture, and folk arts across generations and across the continents.
Who were the Swedish immigrants? Where did they settle? What folk arts did they bring with them, and what did they create with limited means? Renee traces the fragments they left behind and brings those stories into the present through live music, historical programs, artistic exhibitions, and hands-on workshops.
Renee has received two fellowship awards from the American Scandinavian Foundation and studied with tradition bearer Cajsa Ekstav. In 2024 Renee served as Musician-in-Residence at UW-Madison, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), where she explored the music of Swedish immigrants and created the educational resource, Nordic Newcomers. Renee is a performer with COMPAS, and recently worked as a teaching artist with Minnesota Public Radio.
Renee creates welcoming, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore Swedish folk arts while connecting with their own sense of identity, culture, and community. Renee shares her work with libraries, community events and cultural institutions inlcuding the American Swedish Institute, Vesterheim Norwegian Museum, FinnFest, National Music Museum, and the Minnesota Orchestra Nordic Soundscapes Festival.
Before dedicating herself full time to the arts, Renee spent ten years teaching elementary and university students, and twelve years as a Life Enrichment Director in long-term care, supporting elders in assisted living, memory care, and hospice. These experiences give her a unique ability to create welcoming and adaptable spaces for learners and audiences of all ages.
Read about my current American Scandinavian Fellowship here at Voyages Minnesota
Who were the Swedish immigrants? Where did they settle? What folk arts did they bring with them, and what did they create with limited means? Renee traces the fragments they left behind and brings those stories into the present through live music, historical programs, artistic exhibitions, and hands-on workshops.
Renee has received two fellowship awards from the American Scandinavian Foundation and studied with tradition bearer Cajsa Ekstav. In 2024 Renee served as Musician-in-Residence at UW-Madison, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), where she explored the music of Swedish immigrants and created the educational resource, Nordic Newcomers. Renee is a performer with COMPAS, and recently worked as a teaching artist with Minnesota Public Radio.
Renee creates welcoming, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore Swedish folk arts while connecting with their own sense of identity, culture, and community. Renee shares her work with libraries, community events and cultural institutions inlcuding the American Swedish Institute, Vesterheim Norwegian Museum, FinnFest, National Music Museum, and the Minnesota Orchestra Nordic Soundscapes Festival.
Before dedicating herself full time to the arts, Renee spent ten years teaching elementary and university students, and twelve years as a Life Enrichment Director in long-term care, supporting elders in assisted living, memory care, and hospice. These experiences give her a unique ability to create welcoming and adaptable spaces for learners and audiences of all ages.
Read about my current American Scandinavian Fellowship here at Voyages Minnesota
National Music Museum
MN Orchestra: Nordic Soundscapes
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Cedar Cultural Center
International Music Festival of MN
Musician-in-Residence, UW-Madison
American Musicological Society
Folklore Village
MN Children's Hospitals & Clinics
Norsk Høstfest Festival
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum
FinnFest
Midwinter Folk Festival at ASI
Minnesota State Fiddlers Association
Belwin Conservancy Music in the Trees
Duluth Nordic Music Festival
Hjemkomst Festival
Rochester Music Guild
Døtre av Norge International Convention
American Craft Council
Belgian Heritage Center
Mpls. St. Paul International Film Fest
Exhibit Opener Salad Hilowye
Opener for Skye Consort
Opener for FRIGG
MN Orchestra: Nordic Soundscapes
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Cedar Cultural Center
International Music Festival of MN
Musician-in-Residence, UW-Madison
American Musicological Society
Folklore Village
MN Children's Hospitals & Clinics
Norsk Høstfest Festival
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum
FinnFest
Midwinter Folk Festival at ASI
Minnesota State Fiddlers Association
Belwin Conservancy Music in the Trees
Duluth Nordic Music Festival
Hjemkomst Festival
Rochester Music Guild
Døtre av Norge International Convention
American Craft Council
Belgian Heritage Center
Mpls. St. Paul International Film Fest
Exhibit Opener Salad Hilowye
Opener for Skye Consort
Opener for FRIGG