Milwaukee (March 20, 2023) – Every other year, Wisconsin Craft, a nonprofit member organization dedicated to supporting Wisconsin artists by celebrating and promoting their craft, stages a large-scale exhibit of work created by some of the state’s most notable artists. In 2023, the organization’s biennial exhibition titled “Regeneration” features more than 70 pieces by 58 talented Wisconsin-based artists.
“Regeneration” will be on display at The Center for Visual Arts, 427 N. 4th Street, Wausau, March 24 – May 27 and highlights the changes that artists have gone through both professionally and personally the past few years. Admission to the museum and Wisconsin Craft exhibit is free.
The pieces on exhibit include sculpture, ceramics, fiber, jewelry, wood, metal, glass, mixed media, photography, printmaking and painting.
“Partnering with The Center for Visual Arts gives us the opportunity to expand our reach throughout the state and share our members’ work more broadly in central and northern Wisconsin,” says Jean Wells, president of Wisconsin Craft. “We choose the ‘Regeneration’ theme because, like so many others, artists, their artwork and their business have evolved and changed since spring of 2020.”
From Small Towns to Big Cities
Artists often say art and artmaking can happen all sorts of ways and in all sorts of places. Case in point, artists juried into “Regeneration” come from small communities like Amherst Junction (population 384), Arena (population 848) and Baileys Harbor (population 1,035) to larger areas like Madison, Oshkosh and Milwaukee.
Many artists also have an interesting path to finding their career having pursued other livelihoods before realizing art is their true calling and passion.
A selection of Wisconsin artists who are part of “Regeneration” follows.
Construction Engineer Turned Quilter
Rachelle Craig, Wonewoc
RachelleHandmade.com
Craig is a former construction engineer turned designer pursuing her long-time dream of designing quilt patterns. One summer as a bored teenager, she taught herself how to quilt using library books and has not looked back since. Craig lives in rural, western Wisconsin with her husband, two cats and a herd of cows.
Craig has two quilts in the exhibition: “Sunshine and Shadow” and “Be like the Birches”
Former Marine & Bamboo Bike Maker
Philip Ankney, Milwaukee
PhilipSilver.me/integrate
Ankney grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania where making things work with what’s on hand was the norm. After two tours with the Marine Corps that took him to six countries, he spent time living in southern California and Washington, D.C., pursuing a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors, from real estate to bamboo bike building. He eventually moved to Milwaukee where he does custom woodworking and green building.
Ankney has one piece in the exhibition: “Integrate”
Dedicated High School Art Teacher
Kate Marotz, Marshfield
MarotzCeramics.com
Marotz attended UW-Stout where she earned a BFA with an emphasis in Ceramics and a BS in Art Education. She has been teaching high school art since 2015 while switching from throwing to hand building techniques and from porcelain to stoneware. Marotz creates hand-pinched
stoneware objects that combine sculptural qualities with functional ware. The organic forms are inspired by chrysalis, shells, seedpods and other vessels created by nature.
Marotz has two pieces in the exhibition: “Petal Pink Pitcher” and “Ochre Yellow Double Vase”
Wildlife Conservation Degree to Jewelry Artist
Jan Raven, Wausau
JanRaven.com
Raven earned a B.A. in Biology from Carleton College and an M.S. in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Minnesota – neither of which she’s used professionally.
Interestingly, Raven went directly from graduate school into construction since it offered many things that she wanted for her life: physical labor, working with her hands, problem solving, learning about new things constantly, being able to see the results of her work in a tangible way and an easy way to be self-employed. Ultimately, she became a licensed remodeling contractor.
Her artistic side began to be exercised when she learned to knit in 2000. That activity evolved into braiding and weaving with wire and by 2007 Raven had left the construction industry and was working full-time as an artist.
Raven has two pieces in the exhibition: “Soumak Weave Centerpiece Necklace” and “Woven Ellipse Earrings”
Wicker Woman
Cathryn Peters, Hudson
WickerWoman.com
Peters’ journey to become a professional wicker furniture specialist and antler basket maker began in 1975 when her son was just an infant with encouragement from her mother-in-law.
“My mother-in-law was right. I loved the antique chairs that I worked on and thanks to her have enjoyed years in the field of arts and crafts with a special emphasis on wicker repair and chair seat weaving,” says Peters.
Peters has two pieces in the exhibition: “Antler on the Mossy Path #274/73” and “Antler Jewel on the Forest Floor #270/73”
As part of its focus on supporting artists, each year Wisconsin Craft presents two signature events – Morning Glory Art Fair and MKE Studio Tour. The organization also offers an online boutique at WisconsinCraft.org so buyers can easily order signature items from more than 75 artists.
For more information, visit WisconsinCraft.org.
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About Wisconsin Craft
Wisconsin Craft traces its roots to 1916 when the Wisconsin Society of Applied Arts was established. In fact, Wisconsin Craft is the second oldest craft organization in the country after the Boston-based Society of Arts and Crafts. Over the years, the organization evolved and in 2021 formally changed its name to Wisconsin Craft after nearly 40 years as the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council. The name change allowed Wisconsin Craft to apply for and secure its 501c3 status.
The organization currently has members who range in age from their early 20s to 90-plus years and represent a variety of media – ceramics, fiber, enamel, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, photography, wood, sculpture, handmade paper, painting and mixed media.
About The Center for the Visual Arts
The Center for the Visual Arts (CVA) is one of the leading cultural institutions in Central Wisconsin, with four professional gallery spaces featuring eighteen free exhibits annually, a reputable school of art, and a juried gallery shop. The CVA was founded and incorporated in 1982 by a group of community members and artists who wanted to promote creativity and enhance the education and appreciation of the visual arts in Wausau.
