The Danish Pioneer Newspaper attends the Grand Opening Celebration of the Museum of Danish America’s new Curatorial Center in Elk Horn, Iowa
The Danish Pioneer Newspaper staff had the honor of attending the Grand Opening Celebration for the Museum of Danish America’s new Curatorial Center, which was held on Saturday afternoon, October 18, 2014. Over 200 local citizens, visitors and board members from around the USA ventured to Elk Horn, Iowa to tour the recently completed 8,000-square-foot curatorial addition, which now houses many of the museum’s largest and most fragile artifacts. The Curatorial Center also features workspace for staff, interns, and volunteers.
“Der er et Yndigt Land” and “America the Beautiful” are sung during the Curatorial Center Grand Opening on October 18, 2014. (Photo courtesy of The Danish Pioneer Newspaper)
The Grand Opening program started at 2 p.m. with Dr. John Mark Nielsen, Executive Director of the Museum of Danish America, bidding welcome inside the Museum’s entrance. Der er et Yndigt Land (There is a Lovely Land) and America the Beautiful were sung with accompaniment on Victor Borge’s first piano played by Board Member Kristi Planck Johnson.
Dr. Nielsen then told the story of the Curatorial Center followed by remarks from Linda Washburn, Executive Director of the Glenwood Area Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Great Places Advisory Board and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional remarks were given by Mardy Holst, AHTS Architects; Angela Stanford, Curator of Collections and Registrar; and Tova Brandt, Albert Ravenholt Curator of Danish American Culture.
A ribbon cutting by the Better Elk Horn Club and the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce was held immediately following the program in the multimedia room on the museum’s lower level followed by tours of the new Curatorial Center.
The ribbon cutting ceremony on October 18, 2014. (Photo courtesy of The Danish Pioneer Newspaper)
Guests could also enjoy refreshments in the Bro Dining Room and had the opportunity to explore the exhibits “Danish Children Growing Up American”, “Nude Vases, Cubist Faces: Modernism at Rookwood Pottery”, “Exploring Danish Happiness”, and “Across Oceans, Across Time”.
The grand opening coincided with the museum’s 31st Annual Meeting and 98th Regular Board Meeting in Elk Horn. In addition to the museum’s dedicated and hardworking staff, the 25-member board features regional representation from throughout the United States, including The Danish Pioneer Newspaper’s Editor Linda Steffensen of Hoffman Estates, IL, who has the honor of serving on this enthusiastic and devoted national board.
The museum has long needed to expand its capacity for caring for the artifact collection. A Conservation Assessment completed in 2011, funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, helped identify priorities and strategies for achieving that goal. A start-up gift in November of 2011 from Bill and Bernice Grewcock and an anonymous $1 million in September 2012 allowed the museum to proceed with formal plans for an addition to the building.
Inside the new Curatorial Center at the Museum of Danish America. (Photo by The Danish Pioneer)
AHTS Architects was hired to create plans for the structure, and through the generosity of many donors, bequest gifts, and foundations, a ground breaking was held at the end of August 2013. Dirt work began in September and concrete footings were poured over the next two months. From mid-December to early February, the exterior walls and interior support columns were poured. February also saw the opening of two entry points into the existing building, one for an exhibits preparation room and another for a film room and hallway entry. After very cold temperatures prolonged the thawing of the ground, the floor was poured in two sections in mid-to-late March, and just a few weeks later the roof was added in one continuous pour.
Once the building was fully enclosed, crews began framing and hanging drywall. By July 2014, windows were installed, walls were painted, doors were hung, and most of the mechanical systems were ready to go. The roof had also been waterproofed and planted. The end of the summer saw the laying of carpet and the final stages of phone and computer systems. On August 28, staff began the exciting but time-consuming task of moving artifact collections into the two vaults, a process that is ongoing.
The new Green Roof atop the Curatorial Center at the Museum of Danish America. (Photo by The Danish Pioneer)
With the exception of gallery space at the entrance to the Curatorial Center on the museum’s lowest level, the addition will not normally be accessible to the public unless by appointment. The new gallery space will be used as a multimedia room with features made possible through contributions by members of the Board of Directors in honor of Executive Director Dr. John Mark Nielsen and wife, Dawn.
Another of the features of the addition is a green roof. Planted with native flowers and grasses, the environmentally-friendly design complements the museum’s existing Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park and provides economic and ecological benefits. The green roof received grant support from Iowa Great Places and Iowa West Foundation. In 2010, Copenhagen, the Danish capital with hopes of becoming carbon neutral by 2025, became the first Scandinavian city to put a mandatory green roof policy into action. The policy requires green roofs for all new buildings with roof slopes of less than 30 degrees.
New landscaping is featured at the museum’s main entrance. The design incorporates the existing curving landscape features and integrates a pathway to the green roof, where visitors can walk atop the structure and find information about the roof and plants.
Some of the artifacts stored in the new Curatorial Center. (Photo by The Danish Pioneer)
Visitors to the museum will also notice new interpretive signage around the 30-acre site. The durable outdoor signs provide context and explanation for the many features of the park including the council rings, rose meadow, outdoor fitness equipment, and native plants. Community members and tourists are encouraged to use this privately-owned park responsibly at their leisure.
Congratulations to the Museum of Danish America, its hardworking staff, volunteers, interns, board of directors, donors, supporters and members on the new addition of the Curatorial Center from The Danish Pioneer Newspaper!
Learn more about the Museum of Danish America at www.danishmuseum.org.
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The Museum of Danish America’s National Board of Directors pictured in Elk Horn, Iowa on October 18, 2014. (Photo by The Danish Pioneer)
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