General Rules
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
The following rules apply to each folk-art Catagory.
Call the museum at (563) 382-9681 with questions.
ENTRY DATES: June 2 through June 27, 2008. Paperwork must be received by June 20 for pieces arriving between June 21 and 27. No entry arriving after 5:00 p.m. on June 27 will be considered for judging or exhibition.
WHO MAY ENTER: Any artist who has been a resident of the U.S. or Canada for the past five years and who has not been awarded a Vesterheim Gold Medal may compete for ribbons in the exhibition. Gold Medal winners may compete with regular entrants for Best of Show Award.
ENTRIES: There is a limit of two entries per person in each category (rosemaling, weaving, woodworking, knifemaking). Entries must have been completed in the last three years and not entered in any previous Vesterheim exhibition. No items may be sent as “not judged.” Vesterheim reserves the right to withhold from judging and exhibition artworks that do not sufficiently relate to a Norwegian tradition.
ENTRY FEES: $10 for each judged piece. There is no fee for Gold Medal Winners submitting pieces for Best of Show Award.
AWARDS: In each category, judges award red, blue, and white ribbons accompanied by a cash award and a corresponding number of points.
Points can accumulate over successive exhibitions toward a Gold
Medal:
A Blue Ribbon — $60 and 3 points
A Red Ribbon — $40 and 2 points
A White Ribbon — $25 and 1 point
Judges may award more than one ribbon
of each color, but they are not required to award any ribbons if submitted
work does not meet exhibition
standards. An artist who accumulates 8 points earns a Gold Medal. Gold
Medal winners cannot compete for ribbons in subsequent regular exhibitions,
but may submit entries for Best of Show. Gold Medal winners are also eligible
to win a People’s Choice Award.
•
Best of Show Award. One Best of Show Award is given by the judges to the
single most exceptional piece of folk art in each judged category (rosemaling,
weaving, woodworking, knifemaking).
•
People’s Choice Award. Visitors to the exhibition may vote for their
favorite folk-art piece in each category (rosemaling, weaving, woodworking,
knifemaking). The vote is tallied at the end of the final day of exhibition.
The winner receives a ribbon. This award carries no points toward a Gold
Medal.
JUDGING: For each category there will be two or three judges, including specialists in each area of folk art from Norway and/or America. Prize money and/or comments from judges will be mailed about three weeks after the exhibition.
SALES:If you so indicate on the registration form, your exhibition piece(s) may be sold. Vesterheim Museum retains 20% of the sale price. The remaining 80% will be mailed to you about three weeks after the exhibition. Iowa sales tax will be collected from the buyer and paid by Vesterheim to the state. Sales will be in the form of a silent auction. The price you indicate on the registration form will be the starting bid amount. Bids must be made in person, and will be accepted on pieces from 9:00 a.m. Thurs., July 24, until 4:00 p.m. Sat., July 26. Any entries that were marked “for sale” but did not receive any bids can be purchased for the starting bid amount from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Sun., July 27. Very important: If you indicate that an entry is not for sale (NFS) you still must declare a value on the entry form for insurance purposes.
RETURN OF OBJECTS: No entry may be removed from the exhibition before 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 26. Objects may be picked up by the artist between 5:00-7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 26, or 9:00-11:00 a.m. Sunday, July 27, in the exhibition area in the Westby-Torgerson Education Center, or during the following week between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Westby-Torgerson Education Center. If you want your entry to be shipped back to you, you must include funds for insured return shipping with the entry. Exhibited objects that are not picked up and for which no return funds are included, will be returned by UPS or other appropriate service and you will be billed for shipping and insurance costs. For pieces that are sold, the purchaser will be responsible for picking up the object or arranging for shipment.
HOW TO ENTER: Completely fill out a registration form and identification label for each entry. Write a check for entry fees, and add sufficient funds for shipping and insurance if you wish the object to be shipped back to you after the exhibition. Pack carefully — UPS guidelines suggest two-inch non-slip packing materials in all directions between object and box. The identification label must be attached to the object. In the case of textile pieces, the label must be lightly sewn to the back (no pins or staples please). Please mark your shipping box “Folk-Art Exhibition.”
Send entries with forms and check for entry fee and
return shipping, to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum —
Mailing address: P.O. Box 379, 523 W. Water St., Decorah, IA 52101.
UPS address: 502 W. Water St., Decorah, IA 52101.
Or deliver your entries in person between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m daily
to the
Westby-Torgerson Education Center.
PLACE OF EXHIBITION:The exhibition is in Vesterheim’s Westby-Torgerson Education Center at 502 W. Water St., and open 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 19 - Saturday, July 26. Ribbons will be placed next to winning entries on Thursday, July 24, at 9:00 a.m.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum reserves the right to photograph for educational, promotional, or commercial use any object submitted to the competition. Photography of exhibition entries by the public is permitted for personal, noncommercial use only. Artists have the right to take legal action against any unauthorized commercial use.