EXHIBIT: “ORIGINAL/MULTIPLE: Following the Red Thread” FEBRUARY 4 - APRIL 7
Debuting February 4 in the Museum Gallery is “Original/Multiple: Following the Red Thread.” This intriguing exhibition expands on a collection of 13 prints by contemporary artists and includes work in a wide variety of art media.
The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday February 4 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Join the celebration and enjoy refreshments and the opportunity to meet the artists.
Each of the 13 exhibiting artists was invited to participate in a collaborative effort dubbed the Limited Edition Project. Over the course of a year each made limited edition prints (25 identical pieces) in a variety of printmaking media: intaglio, relief, planographic, and digital. “Original/Multiple” includes the entire Limited Edition print portfolio along with supporting pieces from each artist’s studio. Viewers will have the opportunity to explore the creative process and better understand how artists come to their images and the decisions that shape the work. In many cases, these other images are NOT prints, but paintings, sculptures, drawings, watercolors, collages, assemblages, books, mixed-media objects.
“It is fascinating to find connections and repetitions in a single artist’s work,” says Esther Jacobsen Bates, Executive Director of the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art. “Some elements persist and appear across disparities of time, medium, scale, color, dimension — as if the artist is driven to keep looking for meaning in certain themes, shapes or surfaces, compositions or other visualized ideas.”
Exhibiting artists are Stephanie Dotson, Dane Goodman, Carolyn Hubbs, Michael Jameson, Rafael Perea de la Cabada, Marie Schoeff, Libby Smith, Nicole Strasburg, Dug Uyesaka, Nina de Creeft Ward, Nina Warner, Teresa Zepeda and Pamela Zwehl-Burke.
All of the Limited Edition prints and many of the supplemental works are available for purchase. In addition, smaller works will be available for sale in the Museum Store.
For more information, phone (805) 686-1211
On Exhibit thru February 2012 SILVER HEIRLOOMS: A DANISH GIFT GIVING TRADITION
Danes have a long tradition of giving beautifully designed silver service pieces as gifts. These objects usually mark important occasions: weddings, anniversaries, birth of a baby, etc. They often become family heirlooms passed down through the generations.
A new exhibit in Elverhøj’s Main Room elegantly showcases this long-held tradition. Community members have graciously loaned family heirlooms to be shared with our visitors for the remainder of the 2011 centennial year.
The art of Danish silversmithing goes back to the middle ages, but gained popularity during the industrial revolution. Legislation made it easy for silversmiths and goldsmiths to set up their own shops, and affluent upper and middle class Danes eagerly bought their work. Artisans created a distinctive Danish design style and received international recognition.
Contemporary Danish silversmiths continue the tradition of fine design, and Solvang residents carry on the tradition of silver gift-giving.
The silver pieces on display include large spoons for serving soup and tiny spoons for serving salt. The selection of candelabras varies from simply elegant to more formal and ornate. There are coffee and tea sets with delicate scalloped edges and cream and sugar service with elegant sleek lines. There is even a lady’s compact with a map of Denmark etched on the top. As is Danish tradition, many of the items are engraved with the name or initials of the recipient as well as the date the gift was given.
The exhibit was inspired and coordinated by Else Lassiter with the assistance of members of Solvang’s Danish Sisterhood Flora Danica Lodge.
SOLVANG ROOM EXHIBIT
History, someone has said, is the stories we tell ourselves. In Elverhøj’s Solvang Room, the so-called Scrapbook on the Wall — a series of large panels of photos and text — tells the stories of Solvang from 1910 to the present. A team of talented people have worked together for many months to assemble this special exhibit.
Just as with a personal scrapbook, material for these history panels has come from a variety of sources. We have rummaged through Elverhøj’s records to find historical treasures: oral history tapes, family genealogies, old letters, personal reminiscences, the museum’s extensive photo collection, local newspaper clippings, school board records, event programs, souvenirs and memorabilia, published and unpublished histories of Solvang, student theses on Solvang, and more.
People have shared their personal photo albums, scrapbooks, and stories with us. Organizations have donated information about themselves. Other museums have generously assisted. A UCSB intern and a Cal State researcher contributed some expertise. Even the Danish embassy got involved and furnished photos of Denmark’s royal family.
What you can now see is a series of important vignettes or stories about key milestones in Solvang’s history rather than a complete and definitive history. The history panels start with Danish immigration to America, progress through the founding and growth of Solvang, and in a generally chronological way, guide the viewer through stories about local culture, influential people, and events. You can also read about Solvang cowboys, how the automobile came to the Valley, how Solvang reinvented itself, the three visits from Danish Royalty, and learn about ring riding and hitting the cat out of barrel, among other things.
Funding generously provided by The Valley Foundation, The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, MIS Associates, and Premier Imaging Products.
PROPOSALS FOR ART GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
The Elverhøj Museum of History and Art encourages art exhibition proposal submissions from individual artists and artist groups. The guidelines are intended to help expedite the review of these submissions by insuring that each proposal is as complete as possible. Proposals for exhibitions at the Elverhøj must include both written and visual components.
A copy of the artist proposal guidelines is available for download.
Danes have a long tradition of giving beautifully designed silver service pieces as gifts. These objects usually mark important occasions: weddings, anniversaries, birth of a baby, etc. They often become family heirlooms passed down through the generations.
Artist Exhibition Proposal Procedures PDF