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Mark your calendars for the tenth annual Queen of Arts Show and Sale on November 7, 8, and 9. An opening reception and sale will be held on Friday evening November 7 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Guests can enjoy wine and appetizers while shopping and meeting the 28 California artists and crafts people showing their original, handmade work. The show continues Saturday November 8 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday November 9 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. There is no charge for admission. From unique folk crafts to fine art, there is a wide range of prices and tastes. Striking fashion or home décor accessories are offered by fiber artists. They incorporate hand painted fabric, antique kimonos, and/or felted fabric. Glass work, ethnic art, collage, mixed media work, and paintings will be available. Jewelry artists creatively use vintage and contemporary beads, resin, and crystal with cold connection or torch construction. Pit-fired, hand-built, or thrown pottery work will be for sale, as well as original garden art handcrafted from steel, stone, and wood. Choose from a wonderful selection of handmade holiday ornaments and decorations to brighten your home. Participating artists, including seven new this year, are: Georganne Alex, Diane Arnold, Kristen Bates, Shari Beaubien, Norah Bierer, Elaine Cain, Barbara Carr, Louis Cassano, Colleen Darling, Susan Halme, Carol Kemp, Cindy Knight, Dorothy Love, Lindsey Manzo, Jill McCutcheon, Syd McCutcheon, Mike McNutt, Vicky Mitchell, Shelly Niro, Diana Paul, Petti Pfau, Sue Sattler, Deborah Simpson, Victoria Sjollema, Mary Stanley, and Janet Stevenson. Reception Nov. 16 Opening November 15 in the Museum Gallery is “Odyssey,” featuring dramatic new work by Santa Ynez sculptor Suzi Trubitz. She is an artist who uses large sheets of stainless steel and bronze as her canvas. Trubitz enjoys the challenge of manipulating seemingly impossible materials as she creates sculptures with sleek modern lines, often accented with colored glass or mirror. A high-energy artist, she operates welders, plasma torches, grinders, diamond saws, anvils, and hammers as she creates her work. This exhibit brings together a body of large sculptures. Multi-layered works offer glimpses through the depths of the layers; colors change with the light. Included in the exhibition is a series of multidimensional collages made of wood, glass, and mirror. Trubitz has enjoyed success and critical acclaim with her art, exhibiting regularly in New York and Los Angeles. Her work is included in numerous corporate and private collections in the United States, Europe, and Israel. The exhibit will remain on display through January 25, 2009.
The Elverhøj brochure has been redesigned for a fresh, new look. There are updated photos and expanded text relating the history of Solvang. Special thanks to Rob Jensen Art Direction Design, members of the Santa Ynez Valley Camera Club, and our sponsors: The Valley Foundation, The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, and Solvang Rotary Foundation.
Party December 7
Join us on Sunday December 7 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for our annual Christmas party when we celebrate the holiday season in traditional Danish style. The festivities include Danish open-face sandwiches, homemade Danish Christmas cookies and chocolates, and Christmas cheer. Santa will stop by with treats for the kids. Highlights of the evening are live music and the Danish Christmas tradition of “dancing” around the tree. Admission to the Christmas party is $5 for member and $10 for non-member which helps to cover the steadily increasing costs for event food. There is no charge for children eight and under. The 2008 Living History Festival was a big success. More than 800 visitors attended the two-day event which was held in conjunction with Solvang’s annual Danish Days celebration on September 20 and 21. Guests enjoyed the variety of demonstrations of Old World arts and crafts including Nolbinding, Danish Christmas crafts, Viking knitting, spinning and weaving, wood carving, bobbin lace making, papirklip (Danish paper cutting), Renaissance lace making, and stone carving. A special thank you to all the volunteers who gave time and shared their talents for the Living History Festival:
Contributed by Ken Johnson, President A museum like the Elverhøj, which is the repository of the origins and growth of a specific community, must be keenly aware of and represent three time frames: yesterday, today, tomorrow. Let’s look at how Elverhøj manages this task. YESTERDAY is beautifully represented by the building which houses the Museum. Built as a family home in a Danish provincial style by artists Viggo and Patt Brandt-Erichsen, it embodies the origins and life of Solvang’s settlers and the community they founded. In 1980 the family donated their home as a museum. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude, not only to the Brandt-Erichsens, but also to all the people who helped transform Elverhoy House into Elverhøj Museum. They contributed their time, labor and talents, as well as raised money and donated historical items for display. How well they succeeded in achieving their vision may be seen in a personal example. My wife Carol and I came to the Valley only five years ago. As a first generation American of Danish and Swedish descent, and still speaking a bit of Danish, I was truly taken by Elverhøj. It represented not only the history of Solvang but also so much of my own family history and background, even though I had grown up on the East Coast. In short, it felt like home, because it represents our own “yesterday” as well Solvang’s. TODAY we can clearly see how much our community has developed since 1911. Solvang is a thriving town with strong growth and a robust economic base rooted in tourism. It has become the “Danish Capitol of America” thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of the original settlers and their descendants. The Museum has also grown with the community. The transition from old to new, from past to present, is depicted by Elverhøj’s displays, especially in the Solvang Room. New and/or enriched programs bring in more visitors and participants. In addition, the effects of one monumental change for “today” have been ongoing: the transfer of Elverhøj’s buildings and grounds to the Solvang Heritage Associates. That means the current Board and the Executive Director have a whole new challenge to meet, as well a huge opportunity. TOMORROW, however, is the future part of the equation, and perhaps the most important. “Today” quickly turns into “yesterday.” If we don’t plan to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, the museum will just be a repository of an old, dusty yesterday. The Board and Executive Director are actively working on the present operations and planning for the future. We have been discussing and fine-tuning several initiatives, and envisioning the future we would like for the Elverhøj. But as they say, those are topics for upcoming newsletters. Stay tuned.
On certain days, when the light is just right, you might see something hover above Elverhøj Museum — the spirit of N. F. S. Grundtvig. He inspired Danish folk schools in Solvang and other places. His spirit must smile on Elverhøj when classes meet to study Danish language and culture in its Atterdag College: Lifelong Learning program. Nicolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig came into the world 50 miles south of Copenhagen in 1783 as the new baby of a pastor. He died in Copenhagen on September 2, 1872. He was a pastor, theologian, writer of hymns, philosopher, historian, social critic, honorary bishop, member of the Danish parliament, and a radical. Most of all he was an educational pioneer who believed in ordinary people. He wrote a booklet called School for Life that outlined his educational theories. Denmark saw its first folk school in 1844. As the year 2000 arrived, Denmark counted 44 folks schools and about 50,000 course participants. Danes brought folk schools to the United States in places like Elk Horn, Iowa; Grant, Michigan; Nysted, Nebraska; Tyler, Minnesota; and Solvang, California. Solvang’s first folk school opened in November of 1911 on Alisal Road, in the building now occupied by Bit O’ Denmark restaurant. A plaque marks the historic spot. When the original folk school wanted to expand, Atterdag College was built in 1914 on Atterdag Road up Chalk Hill. Gymnastics, singing, and folk dancing, among many other courses, were favorites of young and old. Danish speakers, artists, actors, and musicians visited the school. The last winter session at Atterdag came in 1937, but summer sessions continued into the 1950s. Eventually the grounds became the site of Solvang Lutheran Home. As a new century began, the spirit of Atterdag College and N. F. S. Grundtvig was revived with the start of educational classes on Danish culture and language at Elverhøj Museum. Contributed by Kenneth Harwood
Museum attendance is up. Visitors from around the globe come to learn about the history and culture of Solvang. We host a variety of group tours, including a recent Elderhostel visit and 45 Danish gymnasts with the GYS 87 team. If you would like to schedule a private tour of Elverhoj for a group of friends or an organization you belong to, call (805) 686-1211 for more information and/or an appointment. As the days grow shorter, we will begin a new series of classes. This fall we have four Saturday Children’s Art workshops. These are always well-attended and result in some colorful and charming art. More selections, for both youth and adults, will be offered in early 2009. An assortment of committees, comprised entirely of volunteers, meet regularly and assist with a variety of museum operations. (See the list of opportunities in this newsletter). Volunteering is a great way to help the Elverhoj and interact with interesting people. If you like taking a hands-on approach to maintenance and repair projects, the building and grounds committee meets the first Wednesday of each month at 3:30 pm. New members are always welcome! Speaking of building and grounds, demolition and rebuilding of the deteriorating exterior deck and stairs begins in October. Finally, I hope that you enjoy the new look of our newsletter. We want to keep you up-to-date and do it with style and color. Interestingly enough, the new style is less expensive to print, so not only is the newsletter more eye-catching, but it is also cheaper. More copies can be produced and distributed to schools, libraries, and other educational institutions. We want the community to know what a vibrant and fun place Elverhøj is! Esther Jacobsen Bates The historic building and carefully manicured cottage gardens provide a beautiful backdrop for intimate weddings. The garden with its abundant year-round blooms and corner gazebo creates a lovely setting for any wedding party. The bell in its stately tower can chime, marking the presentation of the newly married couple. The garden area comfortably accommodates up to 150 guests. Call (805) 686-9533 for information about availability and the reasonable rates. |
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The Elverhøj Museum of History and Art celebrates the Christmas season with a month of special activities. The museum glows during the holidays. A 12 foot tree decorated with handmade Danish Christmas ornaments is the focal point. Weekend activities include demonstrations of Danish Christmas crafts, bobbin lace making, and more. 
Our days have been full of activity, with a calendar crowded with events, meetings, and record numbers of visitors. Recent weekend events have included the busy annual Living History Festival and a lively reception for “Real/Abstract” artists Jim Farnum and Francis Scorzelli. Our gallery exhibits, with accompanying talks, are very popular.