Japan, Norway, and Sweden | University of Minnesota Retirees Association

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EVENT SUMMARY: | ARMCHAIR TRAVELER
The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.

Japan, Norway, and Sweden

January 22, 2025, at 10am

Wayne Potratz, Sculptor and Professor Emeritus- Art Department, spoke and showed images about traditional iron and steel making in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The talk is called " Tetsu No Michi", roughly translated as "The Iron Road", though the phrase has spiritual and cultural connotations.

Lynn Anderson shared photos and insights into some little-known areas in and around Oslo, Norway and in Boshuslän (western) Sweden where she visited relatives in September and October 2024.

Event recording

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ARMCHAIR TRAVELER

Japan, Norway, and Sweden

Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 10am

Location

Event to be held via Zoom.

UMRA’s first Armchair Traveler program for the new year will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22, via Zoom and will include two presentations featuring travels in Japan, Norway, and Sweden.

Sculptor and professor emeritus Wayne “Ironwain” Potratz will speak and show images of traditional iron and steel making in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Potratz says, “The talk is called ‘Tetsu No Michi’—roughly translated as ‘The Iron Road,’ though the phrase has spiritual and cultural connotations.”

The tatara is a traditional Japanese furnace used for smelting iron and steel. — The tatara is a traditional Japanese furnace used for smeltng iron and steel.

Lynn Anderson will share photos and information about parts of Norway and Sweden. “We will see some stave churches, ‘hike’ Aurlandsdalen, and enjoy the amazing sculptures at Vigeland Park in Oslo,” she says. Her travelogue will also include The Twist—an architectural marvel that functions as both an art gallery and a bridge spanning a river in the middle of Kistefos Museum and Sculpture Park north of Oslo, one of the largest sculpture parks in northern Europe.

A zoom invitation will be emailed to UMRA members in late December and again one week before the program. We hope you can join us.

—Lynn C. Anderson, Armchair Traveler program chair

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