The PROVENANCE PRIZE.

An award presented for the art of imagining the life of antiques. 

The Old as Adam Prize in Letters, or the “Provenance Prize” for short, is an award presented to a writer who captures the imagined history of an object in a creative and compelling way. 

Antiques are more than just old stuff. They hold stories, often untold, about their origins, about where they’ve gone, about the people who made and owned them. Old things hold unknowable secrets, but their mute mystery is not a wall but a door. The creative power of objects decades or centuries old is accessible to anyone, provided they take a few moments to wonder at the presence of the past held in their hand. The Provenance Prize celebrates the untold stories and imaginative pleasures of antiques.

The subject is an object from the collection. The history of the piece is likely lost. Tell that history. Who made it? Who owned it? What has it seen? What does it symbolize for you? You needn’t answer any of these questions, just let the piece guide you. The object may play a principal or minor role. Submissions should (theoretically) take the form or short fiction or poetry, but I won’t place limitations on creative work as long as it involves imagining an object’s past.

First Prize: $100 Old as Adam gift certificate and $40 Portsmouth Book & Bar gift certificate

Second Prize: $50 Old as Adam gift certificate and $25 Portsmouth Book & Bar gift certificate

RULES

• Written submissions should be 500 words or less.
• Submissions may be anonymous.
• Anyone is welcome to write, whether or not they’ve heard of Old as Adam.
• As this is about imagining the life of a physical object, participants are encouraged (but certainly not required) to visit Old as Adam (33 Ceres St., Portsmouth, NH) to see the piece in person.
• Finalists will be judged anonymously by Old as Adam and Portsmouth Book & Bar customers.
• Selected work will be collected and shared publicly after the contest on an ongoing basis.
• Submissions should be sent to adam@oldasadam.com or brought in person to the shop.
• Deadline for the second subject is November 1, 2014.
• Have fun! Whether it be serious, silly, or surreal, all creative work is welcome.

And now, I give you the second subject of the Prize.

Folk art hand-carved wooden magic show, probably first quarter 20th century. The left figure is a ventriloquist with dummy, the center a magician pulling a rabbit out a top hat, the right figure an older-looking woman bent over in a chair. Carved from pine.

Condition: The piece shows darkening from age and elements appear to have been reglued for repairs. Measurements: The piece measures 9 inches long, 3.5 inches wide and 7 inches tall.

An evocative piece of American folk art. $685. Vist the store to see the piece in person.