This major international loan exhibition is the first to present the extensive exchange of design ideas between the United States and the Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—between 1890 and 1980. The exhibition complicates existing narratives about American and Nordic design, presenting an understudied chapter in American culture and history.

The exhibition features more than 180 objects, including furniture, textiles, drawings, ceramics, jewelry, glass, and product designs, organized into six themed sections: Migration and Heritage, Selling the Scandinavian Dream, Design for Diplomacy, Teachers and Students, Travel Abroad, and Design for Social Change.

Co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art