Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, is a major center for the Norwegian-American experience, with more than 33,000 artifacts, a library, archives, and historic buildings that trace immigrant settlement and daily life. Founded in 1877 at Luther College, it evolved through the work of curators who broadened its focus to everyday life and created the first open-air museum of its kind in the United States. Its collections expanded through important gifts and acquisitions, while Heritage Park preserved homes, a mill, a church, and other structures. Since becoming independent and adding a Folk Art School, it has linked preservation, teaching, and contemporary artistic practice.