Fine Arts Foundation of the Westby Area
Woodcarvings Donated to WAPAC
Fine Arts Foundation of the Westby Area
On Thursday, April 20th, several members of the Board of Directors of the Fine Arts Foundation of the Westby Area and Westby Area School District Superintendent Steve Michaels welcomed Tilford “Tip” Bagstad to the Westby Area Performing Arts Center. Tip arrived with his daughter, Bonnie, and very generously delivered two identical acanthus woodcarvings that he was donating in memory of his wife, Eleanor, to the WAPAC. The carvings will be displayed above the inside entry doors of the Performing Arts Center.
FAFWA and the school district are extremely grateful for the donation of this very unique art form that will enhance the mission and aesthetics of the WAPAC. Google defines acanthus carving as a “popular form of relief woodcarving with a long history in Europe, especially Norway, where the style is known as a folk art. Learning to carve the acanthus leaf is, for carvers, like a pianist learning Chopin or a young oil painter studying the genius of Rembrandt.”
As a Westby native who grew up in Timber Coulee, the grandson of Norwegian immigrants, Tip is very proud of his Norwegian heritage. In 1990, Tip got the idea he might like to try acanthus woodcarving. He signed up for a class at Norskedalen and spent the next 5 years taking more classes both here in the United States and in Norway, honing his skills, and creating some exceptional pieces of this Norwegian folk art. 1995 was his first try when he entered a serving tray into the Vesterheim woodcarving competition and won a white ribbon. As a winner of three more white ribbons and a blue ribbon for his acanthus carvings over the next several years, Tip became a Vesterheim Gold Medal winner in 2000. One of Tip’s carvings that he donated to the WAPAC won his blue ribbon.
Tip completed these two special carvings in 1995 and 1996. Each is about twelve inches tall and four feet long. Tip shared that it took many months of dedicated work to finish each piece. He and Eleanor, along with Beatrice Olson, were founders of the Norskedalen Trio, a group that was invited to participate in a folk music festival at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC in 1998. Tip and Eleanor’s blend of visual and musical talents exemplifies the FAFWA mission “to support artistic excellence for the City of Westby as well as Coon Valley, Chaseburg, Viroqua, and other Driftless communities.” FAFWA could not be more proud to have these carvings and to share them with the community.
Please check the FAFWA Facebook page and watch the Westby School District page for announcements of upcoming concerts at the Westby Area Performing Arts Center. The Westby City Band will be performing on Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m., the Westby High School Concert is scheduled for Saturday, May 20 at 7:00 pm and the Middle School concert will be on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. You can get tickets to all of these wonderful concerts at wapac.ludus.com.
Fine Arts Foundation of the Westby Area
On Thursday, April 20th, several members of the Board of Directors of the Fine Arts Foundation of the Westby Area and Westby Area School District Superintendent Steve Michaels welcomed Tilford “Tip” Bagstad to the Westby Area Performing Arts Center. Tip arrived with his daughter, Bonnie, and very generously delivered two identical acanthus woodcarvings that he was donating in memory of his wife, Eleanor, to the WAPAC. The carvings will be displayed above the inside entry doors of the Performing Arts Center.
FAFWA and the school district are extremely grateful for the donation of this very unique art form that will enhance the mission and aesthetics of the WAPAC. Google defines acanthus carving as a “popular form of relief woodcarving with a long history in Europe, especially Norway, where the style is known as a folk art. Learning to carve the acanthus leaf is, for carvers, like a pianist learning Chopin or a young oil painter studying the genius of Rembrandt.”
As a Westby native who grew up in Timber Coulee, the grandson of Norwegian immigrants, Tip is very proud of his Norwegian heritage. In 1990, Tip got the idea he might like to try acanthus woodcarving. He signed up for a class at Norskedalen and spent the next 5 years taking more classes both here in the United States and in Norway, honing his skills, and creating some exceptional pieces of this Norwegian folk art. 1995 was his first try when he entered a serving tray into the Vesterheim woodcarving competition and won a white ribbon. As a winner of three more white ribbons and a blue ribbon for his acanthus carvings over the next several years, Tip became a Vesterheim Gold Medal winner in 2000. One of Tip’s carvings that he donated to the WAPAC won his blue ribbon.
Tip completed these two special carvings in 1995 and 1996. Each is about twelve inches tall and four feet long. Tip shared that it took many months of dedicated work to finish each piece. He and Eleanor, along with Beatrice Olson, were founders of the Norskedalen Trio, a group that was invited to participate in a folk music festival at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC in 1998. Tip and Eleanor’s blend of visual and musical talents exemplifies the FAFWA mission “to support artistic excellence for the City of Westby as well as Coon Valley, Chaseburg, Viroqua, and other Driftless communities.” FAFWA could not be more proud to have these carvings and to share them with the community.
Please check the FAFWA Facebook page and watch the Westby School District page for announcements of upcoming concerts at the Westby Area Performing Arts Center. The Westby City Band will be performing on Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m., the Westby High School Concert is scheduled for Saturday, May 20 at 7:00 pm and the Middle School concert will be on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. You can get tickets to all of these wonderful concerts at wapac.ludus.com.
Thank you to all of our generous 2022 donors!
To see a list of donors from 2022 and previous years, please click on the "Supporters" link below.
Supporters
For Schedule and Tickets to any event being held in the Westby Area Performing Arts Center click the tickets link below!
