IN THE NEWS at the ELVERHØJ MUSEUM Fall 2007

Read about Solvang and Elverhoj in Broughton Quarterly.
See cover photo and two articles on Solvang with lots of photos: Click Here 

Circulation is 10,000 printed and more than 100,000 via email. Hard copies available at the Wine Valley Inn in Solvang (a Broughton Hospitality Group hotel).

This lion sculpture and its twin guarded the entrance to Atterdag’s gym hall until the building was demolished in 1970. We are searching for a photo of the lion(s) to display in the Solvang Room. Please call us at (805) 686-1211 if you have a photo to donate or lend; we can scan and return an original.

SOLVANG ROOM EXHIBIT UPDATE

Work continues on refurbishing the Solvang Room and assembling the new wall panels depicting the highlights of Solvang’s history from 1910 to 2007.  Right now a team of volunteers, led by Joan Mitchell, is chasing down the last few historical details. Our photography expert, Paul Roark, will be scanning and printing the last of the historical photos for the panels. The text is being proof-read and corrected.

The Elverhøj is very fortunate to have an abundance of old photographs and historic records and artifacts. The difficulty has been to pick and choose among all these riches. From time to time we will have special rotating exhibits of the material that didn’t fit into the new Solvang history panels.

Look for more information about our opening celebration this fall.

SECOND ANNUAL ELVERHØJ CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT

The 2007 Elverhøj Christmas ornament has arrived! This is the second annual collectable ornament created specially for Elverhøj. The 2007 edition features the Brandt-Erichsen Icelandic horse sculpture in Museum entry adorned for the holidays. The original design was created by Rick James Marzullo and is imprinted on a fine quality 3 ¼” round glass ball. The ornament retails at $12.50 and comes in its own gift box, ready for holiday gift-giving.

To reserve your ornament(s), phone the Museum at (805) 686-1211 or email info@elverhoj.org with your request. Quantities are limited. Delivery via U.S. mail is available.

Nov. 9, 10, 11
QUEEN OF ARTS SHOW & SALE

Mark your calendar for the The Queen of Hearts Benefit Show and Sale. The event returns to Elverhøj for three days in November. The opening reception and sale will be held on Friday evening November 9 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event continues Saturday November 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday November 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There is no charge for admission.

From unique folk to fine art, there is a wide range of prices and tastes for everyone on your holiday shopping list. The participating artists work in a variety of mediums, utilizing a wide range of techniques. Unique accessories by fiber artists feature antique kimonos, hand painted fabric, and/or hooked wool to adorn your body or your home. Glass work, ethnic art, collage and paintings will be available. Jewelry artists are creating wearables using vintage and contemporary beads, resin, and crystal with cold connection or torch construction. Felters are making jewelry and table runners. Pit-fired, hand-built or thrown pottery work will be for sale as well as original garden art hand crafted from steel, recycled or found wood. There will also be a selection of handmade holiday ornaments and garlands to brighten your home.   

The artists all support the Elverhøj Museum with a percentage of their sales and also make a donation to Domestic Violence Solutions in Lompoc.

COLOR & CLOTH EXHIBIT

Reception Nov. 16

The holiday gallery exhibition, Color and Cloth: Redefining a traditional art form, opens with a reception for the artists on Friday November 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition showcases the colorful contemporary art quilts of 15 fiber artists from the tri-county area.

The public is invited to meet the artists at the Friday evening reception. Appetizers and refreshments will be served including Wedell Cellars wine. There is no charge for admission.

Some pieces in the exhibit have a strong quilting influence, some are cloth paintings, and others use recycled materials such as batting, dyer sheets and/or baby wipes. Some artists focus on the visual impact while others enjoy the tactile appeal. This is a special opportunity for collectors as many of the art pieces will be available for purchase. In addition, there will be a gift boutique with one-of-a-kind items.

Artists who make innovative quilts today do not always work from a foundation of traditional quilt making techniques or styles. Many different techniques may be used to bring the artist’s vision to life: silk-screening, painting, photography, dyeing, collage, quilting, embroidery, block printing, and burning, to name a few. They do this with a variety of paints, dyes, fibers, hardware, embellishments, wire, ribbon, twigs, and found objects. Their quilts not only express eye-pleasing interactions of color and design, but also include intellectual explorations of design elements, spiritual beliefs, and social or political observations.

Exhibiting artists are: Diana Acevedo, Anne Braddock, and Linda Cassirer, Ran ell Hansen, Susan Conan Italo, Angela Moll, Lorna Morck, Mary Norton, Kristin Otte, Michelle Peerson, Andi Peered, Judy Rys, Jeanne Surber, Ruth Walters and Susan West.

All the artists are members of Fibervision, a group formed in 2003 to support, share and promote artists’ creation and exploration in fiber art. As with any art group, there are as many different styles as there are artists. They explore new methods and materials, share their knowledge, and encourage one another’s growth as artists.

LARSEN DISSERTATION ADDED TO ARCHIVES

Many of you may remember Hanne Pico Larsen, the UC Berkeley student who was doing field work in Solvang in 2005-2006. Last December Larsen completed her Ph.D. dissertation in the fields of Scandinavian Studies and Folklore at UC Berkeley. The title of her dissertation reads: Solvang, the “Danish Capital of America”: A Little Bit of Denmark, Disney, or Something Else? During her dissertation work Larsen lived in the Valley for nearly a year. She interviewed many people from and around Solvang to find answers to her many questions. She returned to Solvang recently and stopped by Elverhøj to deliver her dissertation for addition to the Museum archives in bound form and on disc in PDF format.

Larsen’s dissertation looks at different aspects of contemporary Solvang life and history. One of the conclusions drawn is that Solvang, in spite of its claimed Danish-ness, represents a very typical American place, and hence Solvang can serve as a prism through which we observe contemporary conglomerate American culture. If you would like to read more about her studies and observations, a copy of the dissertation is available for review and may be borrowed from the Museum Library.

Currently, Larsen is part of a Scandinavian team of five scholars who are researching real and imagined Scandinavian spaces in the U.S. This interdisciplinary project will last four years and is funded by the Swedish National Bank. Larsen’s part of the project is to carry out a comparative study of Solvang and Elk Horn/Kimbelton in Iowa. The focus is on the importance of visual representation of culture: does it have to look Danish in order to be considered “real”? Another study will be on Danish immigrants’ concept of “home.” Her fieldwork will be carried out in Danish retirement homes in Chicago and New York.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SOLVANG’S HISTORY?
Why did the early Solvang Hotel (built in 1911) have trouble keeping cooks? Who was called the “Viking Cowboy”? How did Ray Paaske, Ferd Sorensen, and the Saturday Evening Post transform Solvang? What was the Ynez School?

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.

Solvang has seen many changes since its early days. This photo, taken circa 1912, shows the original folk school (left) and the Solvang Inn on Alisal Road. Notice the American and Danish flags flying just as they do in present day Solvang.

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

Elverhøj has been buzzing with activity in recent weeks. In addition to vacationing visitors and area residents attending special events and exhibitions, there has been a stream of people working on the buildings. Since acquiring ownership of the property in June, work has been nearly non-stop. If you were in the area, you probably saw the striped fumigation tent that encased the building for several days in August. As summer came to an end, exterior restoration and repair work was completed --just ahead of the painting contractor and crew. The much-needed paint job is nearly complete and will protect and preserve for years to come. And a fresh coat of paint really improves our look!

We have a variety of upcoming events that I hope will bring you by to see our fresh new look. The fall series of classes offers a variety of ways to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Queen of Arts, the hugely popular annual event with more than 30 artists and craftspeople, returns for three days during the Veteran’s Day weekend. You will find special, hand made items for all tastes and budgets. The following weekend the “Color & Cloth” exhibition opens, with colorful and contemporary art quilts that redefine a traditional art form. There will also be a special boutique area with fabulous one-of-a-kind creations available for holiday gift giving. These events all provide ways for you to have fun and support Elverhøj. And speaking of support, in November we will be kicking off our 2008 membership campaign. Our members receive invitations and special discounts, stay informed with quarterly newsletter, and—most importantly—become a part of preserving Solvang’s history and culture and promoting the arts.

Esther Jacobsen Bates

FUNDS GRANTED

The Elverhøj has recently been awarded grants from two organizations:

The Santa Barbara Foundation granted funds for three custom-built cabinetry projects: (1) a storage cabinet base for existing glass-front display case, (2) a desk custom designed to fit into tiny library/office space, and (3) a pair of rollout drawers for the Museum Store. Combined, these three projects create significantly improved function of the existing space and maximize access for staff and volunteers.

The Rebild National Park Foundation recently gave a gift of $500, delivered by Solvang Chapter President Jens Agregaard and Treasurer Erik Pedersen. Elverhøj and the Rebild Foundation share some of the same goals including promoting Danish culture and traditions, and friendship between Denmark and the United States.

GIVING
This series of occasional articles is designed to inform and educate about charitable giving options.

In 2006, Congress revised the tax law to permit investors over the age of 70½ to make charitable gifts directly from their IRAs. Through December 31, 2007, investors may use their IRAs to give up to $100,000 directly to charity. The amount of the gift will be excluded from their gross income on their tax return.

This is a meaningful revision, as it can provide a unique opportunity to make tax efficient gifts.  IRA distributions are normally taxed at ordinary income rates when an investor withdraws funds.  Federal income tax rates can be as high as 35%. In addition, tax responsibilities on an IRA do not go away—heirs pay income tax on beneficiary IRA funds they withdraw (in addition to any federal estate taxes that may apply).

While this revision provides a means to make charitable gifts, it can also be used to increase giving.  If you regularly send a donation check for $1,000 to a charitable organization, you would receive a tax benefit for the $1,000 gift. This year, you could instruct your IRA trustee to send $1,333. Assuming you are in a 25% tax bracket, you would have previously had to withdraw $1,333 from your IRA account – the $1,000 donation and the tax of $333. That $333 can now be added to the donation, and you will have increased your support by one-third.

IRA Gift Rule Book

• Donor must be past the age of 70½ and own an IRA. Other retirement plans such as pensions and 401(k) plans are not eligible.
• Only the IRA trustee can transfer gift amounts to a qualified organization. If IRA owners withdraw funds and then contribute them to charity separately, withdrawn amounts will be included in the donor's gross income.
• Gift amounts will not be included in the donor's income; no charitable deductions are allowed. California tax law conforms to Federal law in this regard.
• IRA transfers will count toward your "minimum distribution requirement"—meaning that a charitable gift can reduce your taxes in 2007 if you haven't yet received a distribution.
• IRA gifts may not exceed $100,000 and may be made only through 2007. The "ceilings" on contribution deductions (50% of adjusted gross income for cash, 30% of AGI for long-term capital gain property) do not apply to IRA gifts.
• Transfers can only be made to public charities.
• IRA gifts cannot be made to charitable remainder trusts or other "life income gift" arrangements.
• Provision does not apply to employer-sponsored retirement plans, including Simple IRAs and SEPs.

In addition to this revision in the tax law, there are other efficient means of giving to charity, including the gift of appreciated securities.  Please remember to consult your tax advisor regarding which gifting strategy may be right for you.

WEDDINGS AT THE ELVERHØJ
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.