The Immigrant Church at Sletta emigrated from North Dakota 18 years ago. Built on the prairie by Norwegian settlers in the 1900s, but latterly abandoned, it was deconstructed, transported and rebuilt on the island of Radøy, off Norway’s west coast. Now it presides over the West Norway Emigration Centre, a monument to the Norwegian diaspora, where it has since been joined by a jailhouse and four other buildings also salvaged from the American Midwest. This jumbled prairie scene surprises the unwitting visitor, accustomed to the red-or-white uniformity of the wooden houses of Radøy, each one equipped with a magnificent woodpile and a flagpole bearing a tricolor pennant.
The flagpole at the Radøy Kunstsenter, however, was flying the Lion Rampant — and in my honour! I was there as artist in residence: 15 days to explore, draw and paint the landscape (I return soon for a second trip). The Norwegians, who are indulgent towards artists, fund these expeditions through the local municipality. The Kunstsenter is a state-funded enterprise too, dedicated to bringing art to this region, which is fairly remote, though hardly by Norwegian standards.
Radøy, ‘The Green Isle’, is a low-altitude land of tiny farms and large forests. Fields, rarely bigger than an acre, are grazed by sheep wearing bells or cut for fodder using antiquated machines that look like rusting dragons. Silage matures in ubiquitous white plastic bales, know locally as ‘tractor eggs’.
Because Norwegians are also indulgent towards children, I was able to bring mine, as well as my husband. While I painted, they explored. A wet start to the stay revealed a lack of indoor activities, the Museum of Port Warehousing on the neighbouring island being closed and the Museum of Leprosy just a little too far into the mainland to justify visiting.
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