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| THE HISTORY OF SOLVANG • THE HERITAGE OF DENMARK |
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2007 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE UNDERWAY Online Membership Information Form We invite you to support the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art by being a member. The Elverhøj depends on your support to sustain programs, services and facilities. Memberships and donations are an important contribution to the museum financial foundation, the preservation of archives unique to our area, and support of exhibitions, events, classes and services. Benefits for members include invitations to all museum events and exhibits including the annual Christmas party, special members-only rates for classes and events, a 10% discount on most Museum Store purchases, and the quarterly newsletter. For your convenience, included in this newsletter is a membership donation form. For more information, contact the museum at (805) 686-1211 or fill our our online membership form. VALLEY WINES & VALENTINES A BIG SUCCESS!
Valley Wines & Valentines, our winter fundraiser, drew nearly 200 guests and raised a record amount of funds to support museum operations. A joyful and international crowd filled the museum with their conversation and laughter, with visitors from as far as Denmark and Ireland joining museum volunteers, members and guests in drawing the winning tickets.
The gallery exhibition “Immigrants,” printmaking by artists from Denmark’s Funen Graphic Workshop, added a modern Danish flair to the event. Flowers, candlelight and live music by Cameron Cluff provided an elegant backdrop for Valentine’s Day treats. The beautiful table of food was created by volunteers Sandy Gregersen and Carol Johnson. Docents and board members greeted guests and assisted at the event. Valley Wines and Valentines proved again to be “a fun way to celebrate Valentines Day, sample some of our wonderful valley wines, and come together to support the Museum,” said Executive Director Esther Jacobsen Bates. “Thank you to all who attended, donated and contributed to the evening’s success!” This annual fundraiser included the Fabulous Valentine’s Drawing and a small, but select, silent auction. The grand prize Cupid’s Wine Cellar, a 24-bottle collection of local wines, was won by Ken & JoAnn Verkler. First place winners Agnes Larsen, Honey Jaramillo and Beverly Smith each received a 12 bottle wine collection. Thank you to the following vintners for donations of wine for drawing prizes and sampling at the event:
Additional drawing prizes and the winners were:
Silent auction prizes and winners were:
Thank you to the sponsors who provided event food: Ingeborg’s Homemade Chocolates
ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY DONATION A letter sent by Lene Balleby, Minister Counselor, Head of Information, Press and Cultural Affairs, states that the donation is “for the great work the Elverhøj Museum is doing to preserve Danish heritage.” WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SOLVANG’S HISTORY? You’ll find the answers and much more in the new swinging panel exhibit of Solvang’s history. It is nearing completion. Located in the Solvang Room, the exhibit will trace milestones in the town’s life from the very beginning, when the Danish-American Colony was incorporated in 1910, to the present.
Information has been compiled from various sources: the Museum’s extensive archives and exhibits, newspaper stories, books, manuscripts, magazines and academic theses. In addition, different civic and cultural groups as well as individuals have generously contributed information. Currently, text is being checked for accuracy before being printed in its final form.
Old photographs, from the Museum’s collection or borrowed from others, have been identified. Now they are being scanned, digitally restored, and beautifully printed on archival paper with archival carbon inks. Recent photos will depict the Solvang of today. Look for an announcement of the exhibit’s formal opening!
DIRECTOR’S NOTES During my visit to Denmark last spring I had a meeting with Esben Kjeldbaeck, director of The Museum of the Danish Resistance, which is located just steps from the Little Mermaid statue and Copenhagen’s beautiful harbor. Just as fascinating as the Museum’s exhibits were their extensive archives (which are housed below sea level) and dialoguing about the contemporary view Danes have regarding their role during World War II. Last month I traveled to the San Francisco area to meet with Knud Dyby at his home in Novato. You may remember Knud’s visit to Solvang and the wonderful “Boats in the Night” lecture where he spoke to a crowd of 350 about his role in Denmark’s World War II resistance efforts. This charming Dane has amassed an outstanding collection of books and paraphernalia connected to the Danish resistance. His awards and medals are tucked into a compact hallway display in his home where they form a remarkable tribute to a proud and unassuming man. I left Knud’s home with boxes of books, papers, posters and paraphernalia related to the resistance of the Nazi occupation of Denmark. This treasured collection will be used for reference material and for display in a new exhibit dedicated to the World War II Danish resistance. Added to the exhibit will also be a poster collection and information that has been sent from Denmark’s Museum of the Resistance. Although it will take an estimated two years of planning and preparation and the work of an entire team of volunteers and sponsors, I am very excited about this upcoming addition to the permanent exhibits presented at Elverhøj.
Esther Jacobsen Bate HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIPS GIVEN TO BRANDT-ERICHSEN FAMILY In recognition of the Brandt-Erichsen family’s generosity and support, the children of Viggo and Martha—Thor, Jean, and David--have each been awarded a Life Membership. With appreciation, we welcome Life Members:
FUNDS GRANTED The Santa Barbara Foundation recently awarded the Museum a $970 capital grant to fund the purchase of a digital camera and a flat bed photo/slide scanner. Additional funds were made available through a partnership between the Santa Barbara Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation Communities Advancing the Arts Initiative and the Board of Trustees awarded Elverhøj full funding of a mini-grant of $3,000 to be used for marketing and promotional materials. A grant proposal submitted to The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation was recently approved. It will provide funding for a new phone system and for archival supplies for sorting and storing some of the collections and artifacts. An unexpected additional gift of $730 brought the grant total to $5,000. The phone call informing Executive Director Esther Jacobsen Bates of the good news came the same day that the main office printer failed. The additional gift was used to purchase a color laser printer and an external hard drive for the main computer. What great timing!
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One of the joys of my position as Executive Director is the many interesting people I have the privilege of meeting. It is a diverse group that includes artists, museum directors, educators, historians, community activists, and Danish cultural representatives. I also meet many of our museum visitors who come from destinations both near and far. Their comments, suggestions and expertise have proved invaluable to all areas of museum operations.
In 1980, Martha “Patt” Brandt-Erichsen agreed to donate her home, Elverhoj, to be used as a museum with the provision that she could live in the home until her death, which occurred in 1983. The home, lovingly handcrafted by her husband Viggo Brandt-Erichsen, underwent extensive retrofitting to meet the California seismic requirements, and opened as Elverhoj Museum in May 1988. The gifts of the Brandt-Erichsen family are celebrated every day at Elverhøj and have been enjoyed by more than 125,000 visitors.
WEDDINGS AT THE ELVERHØJ