On September 28, Vår Gård turns 100 years old. We celebrate this with an open house and a sparkling anniversary night that takes us through a century filled with courage, innovation and beauty. We look back on our rich history and unique corporate culture with art as a guiding light and offer exhibitions, music and activities. Welcome to an evening filled with nostalgia, inspiration and faith in the future.
For personal service call 08-7487700 or email reception @ vargard .se
Date
September
For personal service call 08-7487700 or email reception @ vargard .se
On September 28, Vår Gård turns 100 years old. We celebrate this with an open house and a sparkling anniversary night that takes us through a century filled with courage, innovation and beauty. We look back on our rich history and unique corporate culture with art as a guiding light and offer exhibitions, music and activities. Welcome to an evening filled with nostalgia, inspiration and faith in the future.
Vårgårdhallen
16:00 – 16:15
Mood-enhancing and mingling-friendly jazz from Willes Vänner. The music draws inspiration from popular music from 1924 onwards, to reflect Vår Gård 100-year history.
Tant Grön in Villa Skärtofta
16:00 – 17:00
Vernissage and inauguration of the third part in the exhibition series "Time & space for new meetings" with works by the contemporary shooting star Miriam Johannesson and the recognized sculptor Einar Höste.
Meet the artist Miriam Johannesson and Vår Gård's curator and art manager Josephine Rosenblad during an Artist Talk. Get a close look at the exhibition and the artistry behind it.
We offer bubbles. Limited amount.
The Wine Café
16:30 – 17:30
A presentation on the food culture of Vår Gård's kitchen and restaurant is held in the Vincaféet. Over the years, Vår Gård has trained Konsum's store staff in product knowledge and consumer guidance. The kitchen team will talk about how food and culture are connected in a place where meetings between people are the focus.
The conversation is held in connection with the opening of Historical Consumer Posters with nostalgic advertising from the 20th century's greatest poster artists Gunnar Orrby and Gun Wahrenby.
Selection of posters from Coop's Art Association and Consumer Association Stockholm
Vårgårdhallen
17:30 – 18:15
Atmospheric and lively 20s jazz from Willes Vänner. A tribute to the decade that Vår Gård was founded - 1924.
Consumer shop 18:00 – 19:00
The country's first consumer store was moved from Köping to Vår Gård in 1944. Today the store is a museum, completely preserved in original condition. It looked like a unique opportunity to get an insight into the grocery store of the time.
The Isaac room in the main building
18:30 – 19:30
Panel discussion with the Graphic Society about their upcoming exhibition project about the artist Sven X:et Erixson. Eight graphic artists from the Graphic Society will be invited to interpret the X during an exhibition at Vår Gård later this winter.
During the event, an art lottery is also held where you have the chance to win a work from the exhibition. Lottery tickets are purchased on site.
The attic in the main building
18:30 – 19:30
Celebrate our heritage as a course farm by participating in an open conversation on the theme "The importance of crafts then and now". Led by Stina Jofs, you will meet the ceramicist Anna Löwenhielm and Magnus Karlsson from KFK snickeri in an interesting conversation about the history of the craft and its relevance today.
Vår Gård has always been a place for learning and development, based on a strong tradition of pedagogy and innovation. Take part in this inspiring activity and discover how craftsmanship continues to shape our present and future.
Moderator: Stina Jofs
Vårgårdhallen
19:30 – 20:15
Atmospheric and lively 20s jazz from Willes Vänner. A tribute to the decade that Vår Gård was founded - 1924.
The Isaac room in the main building
20:30 – 21:30
Welcome to an exciting exploration of the future with the staff who run today's Vår Gård. Kadi Upmark, CEO invites you to an open dialogue with his employees during a panel discussion in Isaac. Gain insight into the ongoing development journey and participate in the discussion about future visions.
The Wine Café
21:00 – 00:00
The celebration continues with a DJ in Vår Gård's Vincafé. Mingle and enjoy in a pleasant party atmosphere before the finale in the courtyard, which offers a spectacular surprise.
Inner yard
23:30 – 00:00
Surprise appearance at Innergåden.
Open house 16:00 -00:00
Free entry to all activities
No pre-registration is necessary
Please book dinner during the evening
During the anniversary night, we do a deep dive into our rich history and art treasure. As a visitor, you can take part in a special anniversary exhibition that highlights our solid art collection and history over a century. Take part in stories from the Cooperative Association's training days that paved the way for Vår Gård 's significant role in Swedish culture and Swedish business life today. We also weave together the evening with swinging live jazz from the glory days of the 20s, a nostalgic poster exhibition and an exciting artist meeting in the borderland between past and present.
Throughout the evening, our exhibition hosts are on site to answer questions and concerns.
The art - a reflection of the times
Vår Gård 's art treasure has grown over a century and consists of approximately 300 works, many of which were given as gifts to the Cooperative Union's school and others were artistic investments from KF and Vår Gård . The exhibition highlights works from the 20th century's most influential Swedish modernists, grouped into themes that reveal our rich cultural heritage.
"The cooperative invention" - a street-smart corporate culture
One hundred years ago, the story of Vår Gård with a vision of better educational opportunities, which became a cornerstone of folkhemssverige's successful company building, the Kooperativa Förbundet. The exhibition is based on the question of what the cooperative school Vår Gård became and presents a story about the values that have lived on through the ages. "The cooperative invention", is shown in Lindbergsgången, where visitors can explore a rich archive material in text and photos. There is also a unique film screening of the KF journal in the Albin hall.
The title "The cooperative invention" is taken from Harald Elldin's memoirs. Harald Elldin was Vår Gård 's initiator and first principal. Between 1924 and 1959, he developed an innovative place and corporate culture that made the Cooperative Union's employees grow with the organization. The exhibition is created in collaboration with ArkDes and the Center for Business History archives.
Read more about Vår Gård 's history
Our modern Vincafé is visited by eye-catching advertising with a nostalgic exhibition of historical consumer posters.
Experience the colorful world of consumer advertising created by advertisers Gun Wahrenby and Gunnar Orrby. Let yourself be fascinated by images that take you back to the smells, tastes and future optimism of a bygone era. Gun Wahrenby and Gunnar Orrby were two of the most successful artists of the 20th century, both employed by the cooperative advertising agency Svea, which was the largest employer in advertising in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
The works are on loan from Coop's Art Association and the Stockholm Consumer Association, and a selection of posters by Gun Wahrenby are available for purchase in the hotel shop. A presentation on food culture is also held in the poster exhibition. Over the years, Vår Gård trained Konsum's store staff in product knowledge and consumer guidance. The kitchen team will talk about how food and culture are connected in a place where meetings between people are the focus.
In our oldest building, Villa Skärtofta exciting meetings between past and present artists take place through the exhibition series - Time and space for new meetings.
During the anniversary night, we invite the contemporary artist Miriam Johannesson to interpret the time that has passed at Vår Gård . Her work, created especially for Villa Skärtofta , is in dialogue with Einar Höste's iconic sculpture 'Globe in cube' which is part of Vår Gård art collection. Höste's work was donated in 1974 as an anniversary gift to the Cooperative Association and represents an expanding world inside a cube. A symbol of the complexity of the universe.
Johannesson and Höste share a fascination for the sculpture's special way of making the viewer experience spatiality - and infinities.
Through shimmering surfaces and painterly forms, Johannesson's work lures the viewer into a twilight land of geometric suggestion. Although the artistry belongs to different traditions, they find each other in a quest to understand and portray the hidden structures of the universe. This meeting between Johannesson and Höste creates a fascinating dialogue about the human challenges of navigating a changing world. In connection with the exhibition, an opening and an Artist Talk will be held with Miriam Johannesson, and Vår Gård 's curator and art manager Josephine Rosenblad. Take part in a close conversation about the exhibition and the artistry behind it. Limited number of seats.