By Kim McDarison
Lake Mills-based Agency Insurance will be hosting an “Artist Talk and Show Opening” featuring the work of local artist Troy Tatlock.
According to Agency Insurance owner and Fort Atkinson resident Janine Fixmer, the show’s opening reception will be held at the insurance company, 114 S. Main St., Lake Mills, Friday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. A “talk” with the artist will begin at 6:35 p.m.
The show is one in a series of several Fixmer has hosted at her place of businesses since purchasing the building in 2019, she said.
Fixmer said she has a passion for both insurance and art.
Soon after purchasing the building, she realized that the space could easily lend itself to offering opportunities to view art and introduce the public to area artists, she said.
The opportunity to bring art and artists to her insurance agency served to bring her closer to two things she most enjoys, she said.
“I have a great office, in a great building, within a great community. I live insurance and I love art. This is a great way for me to ‘decorate,’” Fixmer said, further noting that the opportunity allows an artist to gain some exposure. Work brought to the insurance agency as part of the shows is often for sale, she added.
Fixmer said she developed an interest in both selling insurance and helping area artists after a friend was paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 16. She described her friend as an “incredible artist.”
When searching for work to exhibit, Fixmer said she looks for artists who possess a unique perspective while using their talents to bring “joy.”
Past artists who have exhibited their work at her agency include JJ Jance, Guzzo Pinc, Laura Easley-Jones and Bethann Moran-Handzlik.
To kickoff the exhibits, each artist is offered a reception where they can meet the public and talk about their work, and their individualized creative process, she said.
Fixmer said she provides the space to the artists and helps them with advertising their work at no charge. She does, however, ask them to donate a portion of their sales to “Grants for Gals,” a nonprofit organization that helps women and girls improve their situation by alleviating a financial barrier.
According to the Grant for Gals website, the program offers nontraditional scholarships to women through the Fort Atkinson Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Grant are offered to help area girls and women meet an educational, cultural, leadership or professional advancement need. The grants are administered through the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation.
On his website, Tatlock describes himself as a lifelong artist who became intrigued with the work at a young age.
He writes: “Drew in the crib, drew on my desk, drew on the basement walls…on church bulletins…in study-hall. In fourth grade, to get me to stop drawing on my desk, Mrs. Wilson kept me after school and taught me how to paint….. So I painted on my desk, in study-hall, painted on the basement walls….to get me out of the basement somebody gave me a french field easel…. painted on the porch…in alleys…in bars…next to dams… on dams…in dams…on the big giant slides at State Fair…. I never forgot Mrs. Wilson….The world needs more Mrs. Wilsons…”
To learn more about Tatlock and his work, visit his website: https://www.troytatlock.com.
To learn more about Grants for Gals, visit: https://grantsforgals.org.
A piece titled: “Homecoming Draped in White” by artist Troy Tatlock. Contributed photo.
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