By Kim McDarison
The Whitewater Arts Alliance has announced that its public art project, featuring “barn quilts” can be viewed along Main Street in Whitewater’s downtown.
The annual public art project was sponsored this year in tandem with the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, according to information released by the alliance.
The project features a collection of colorfully painted plywood boards, all of which creatively embrace the concept of barn quilts, a form of folk art which uses quilting patterns to create squares that are traditionally found on barns. In Whitewater the squares have been hung from the community’s downtown lampposts.
Some barn quilts are 2- by 4-feet while others are 2- by 2-feet, according to alliance manager Ashe McDarison.
Information found on the alliance’s website notes that the barn quilts are located along both sides of Main Street, between the intersections of Main and W. North streets, near the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main Street, and Main and W. Whitewater streets.
The boards will remain available for viewing until the end of September, McDarison said.
A partial list of individuals and community organizations responsible for creating the quilts, include the Discover Whitewater group, Culver’s Restaurant, Sandy MacDonald, Ellen Penwell, Riley Buckett, Linda Saumer, Tricia Borchardt, Studio 84, Candace Jacobs, Lynn Weilbrenner, Jill Gerber, Donn Lahaie, Carol Haas, and Sherry Stanek.
Other artists have chosen to remain anonymous, McDarison said.
In addition, throughout June, quilts made of fabric are on display in the gallery at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center.
To learn more about the Whitewater Arts Alliance, its programming or the barn quilt public art project, visit the alliance’s website: https://www.whitewaterarts.org.
For those looking for a more expansive viewing of barn quilts, Jefferson County offers a countywide, self-guided tour. According to the Jefferson County tourism website, the tour features more than 40 barn quilts mounted on buildings throughout the county. To learn more, visit: https://enjoyjeffersoncounty.com/barn-quilt-tour/.
Five photos above: Barn quilts adorn lampposts along Main Street in Whitewater. The plywood quilts will remain available for viewing until September. Kim McDarison photos.
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