Happy Thanksgiving from AGHC!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but open Friday, November 25 from 1-4 pm. We will then resume our regular winter hours of Saturday-Monday 1-4pm and Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm.

And remember, there are just over two weeks left to bid on the Jerry Ranch Photo Auction! All proceeds from the auction will go towards our Iowa Cultural Trust Endowment Campaign, so it is a great piece of art for a great cause! The auction runs until 5:00 pm on December 9th. Bids can be made on our website, by phone, or in person at the American Gothic House Center. Bids by phone and in person on the last day of bidding would be much appreciated, as bids will most likely be coming in quickly that day! Information about the auction can be found at this link:

http://www.wapellocounty.org/americangothic/events/auction.html

Holly Berg

Administrator
American Gothic House Center
theamericangothichouse@gmail.com

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenue, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will be used to match the Iowa Cultural Trust Endowment Challenge Grant and will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

Lecture Series tonight and AGHC tidbits from the web

Just a reminder that UNI Professor Roy Behrens will be presenting “Looking Closer at Grant Wood: What Did He Do, and How Did He Do It?” tonight at 7:00pm at the Eldon Library Hall. His lecture will discuss Grant Wood’s life, how he was trained, what he achieved, and how he was influenced as well as who he, in turn, influenced. His talk will include rare photographs of Wood, his students, and his contemporaries, accompanied by eyewitness stories about his creative process, his methods, his failings, his sense of humor, and the growth of his basic beliefs about art.

A few new videos about the American Gothic House and the Center have popped up on the web lately. One family who visited recently created a video of their visit, which features one of our volunteers, Allen! Allen does a great job in the video explaining the history of the house and painting, so be sure to check it out!

http://vimeo.com/30756536

Also, Kohler just posted a news release and video showing the improvements made to the kitchen from their donation of a new sink and faucet. The video features Beth Howard, the American Gothic House pie baker, and operator of the Pitchfork Pie Stand. It is definitely a great video as well!

http://www.pitchengine.com/kohler/kohler-co-donates-and-installs-enameled-cast-iron--kitchen-sink-in-american-gothic-house

Holly Berg

Administrator
American Gothic House Center
theamericangothichouse@gmail.com

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenue, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will be used to match the Iowa Cultural Trust Endowment Challenge Grant and will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

Holidays are quickly approaching!

As the first snow touched down yesterday at the American Gothic House Center, I finally accepted that winter is indeed just around the corner. But the one good thing is that this means it is almost time for the Holidays to kick in!

The American Gothic House Center will again present its annual Gingerbread House Display. Everyone is welcome to submit a gingerbread house to be displayed at the Center from December 1-December 14. Submissions should be brought to the Center by 5:00 pm on November 30th. I’ve already begun brainstorming my design!

On Saturday, December 3rd we will host the Gingerbread House Activity from 1:00-4:00pm. Stop by the Center and make your own gingerbread house made out of graham crackers, frosting and candy! We will have treats for everyone who stops by and you will have a chance to see the submitted gingerbread houses on display.

There will be many other activities going on in Eldon that weekend! There will be a “Tour of Homes” on Saturday with tours running from 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm. Featured homes will be decked out in Christmas finery and open to the public. Tickets are $5.00 and will be available at the Opera House that day.

The Eldon Depot will be having their Christmas Celebration December 2nd and 3rd. They will be open on the 2nd from 12:00-5:00pm and Saturday from 9:00am-9:00pm. Bring the kids as they will be running the trains during open hours and plan to run the big train around on the flat to see Christmas lights after dark!

Stop by the Opera House from December 2-4 and December 10-11 for the annual Christmas Tree Wonderland. See over 100 decorated Christmas trees and seasonal vignettes on the ground floor of the opera house. There will be a gift booth and bake sale held in conjunction with the displayed trees. Seating is provided so that you may sit and enjoy a snack and listen to the Christmas music. The American Gothic House Center will have a tree decorated as well. I’ve been working on making some new decorations for the tree this year. This is what I’ve come up with so far!

These are just a few of the events being held the first weekend in December. Please contact Eldon City Hall at 641-652-7510.

Here is a complete list of upcoming programs and closings at the American Gothic House Center:

November 11th: Center is closed in observance of Veterans Day

November 17th: Professor Roy Behrens presents “Looking Closer at Grant Wood: What Did He Do, and How Did He Do it? 7:00 pm at Eldon Library Hall

November 24th and 25th: Center is closed for Thanksgiving

November 30th: Gingerbread houses for display due at the Center by 5:00 pm

December 1-14: Gingerbread House Display

December 3: Gingerbread House Activity at the American Gothic House Center from 1:00pm-4:00pm

December 24-25: Closed for Christmas

Holly Berg

Administrator
American Gothic House Center
theamericangothichouse@gmail.com

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenue, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will be used to match the Iowa Cultural Trust Endowment Challenge Grant and will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

How far would you travel to see the American Gothic House?

Today started quite dreary in Eldon as the cold rain blew around outside my window at the American Gothic House Center. I thought to myself “Who would want to be out in this weather?”, but not too long after we opened for the day a car pulled up and a woman hurried inside from the blustery drizzle. Her name was Christy and she was from New Jersey (and worked in New York City). Now, of course we have visitors from all over the United States (and the world for that matter), but many of them come here as a stop during a road trip, or as a day trip from somewhere not too far away. Christy had no reason to come to Iowa except to fulfill her dream of seeing the American Gothic House.

She had business in Minnesota and thought that perhaps that is the closest she would ever be to the American Gothic House. She thought this might be her only chance so she made a plan to fly out of Des Moines instead of Minneapolis and got in her rental car and made the 8 hour trek to Eldon to carry out her plan. Christy is an art historian who specializes in historic architecture…which probably explains why she was so drawn to see the house!

The weather cleared up to take a few pictures in front of the house before she had to head down the road to make her flight out of Des Moines. Christy was so elated to visit that it definitely turned this gloomy day around!

In other news, UNI Professor Roy Behrens will be presenting “Looking Closer at Grant Wood: What Did He Do, and How Did He Do It?” on Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 pm at the Eldon Library Hall. The attention given to Wood’s most famous painting, American Gothic, often prevents us from focusing on his other accomplishments. How was he trained? What influenced him? Who in turn did he influence? What did he achieve in his life? This talk will include rare photographs of Wood, his students, and his contemporaries, accompanied by eyewitness stories about his creative process, his methods, his failings, his sense of humor, and the growth of his basic beliefs about art.

Funding for this presentation is provided by Humanities Iowa, a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A cultural resource for Iowans since 1971, Humanities Iowa offers many cultural and historical programs and grants to Iowa’s communities.

Holly Berg

Administrator
American Gothic House Center
theamericangothichouse@gmail.com

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenue, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will be used to match the Iowa Cultural Trust Endowment Challenge Grant and will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!