Through June 1, visitors to downtown Fort Atkinson can walk several blocks of the city’s Main Street while reflecting upon student art.
Several pieces, created by K-12 students in the School District of Fort Atkinson and students attending St. Joseph’s Catholic School, have been selected for viewing and placed within the windows of downtown businesses. The concept was developed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as organizers looked for a community-safe way to continue the traditon of the annual Ernie Pope Art Show, which is in its 30th year.
Organized by School District of Fort Atkinson art educator Angie Szabo and sponsored by Fort Community Credit Union (FCCU), AC Business Media and Nasco, the event will culminate with an awards ceremony to be held in Barrie Park, June 1, at 5:30 p.m.
Visitors to the city’s downtown are invited to view the art and vote for their favorite piece by using QR codes found in the store windows near each art piece. Votes will be tallied and a new recognition, called Popular Choice, will be awarded during the June 1 closing ceremony, along with recogitions given in several other categories. Art recogized in those categories will be selected by a panel of judges.
Awards are secured through a fund donated to the Fort Community Foundation in memory of Ernie Pope, and an award sponsored by Robert Farrell in honor of his mother, June.
Art can also be viewed and Popular Choice votes placed through the school district’s website: 1fortart.com.
Businesses with art in their windows include: Cold Spring Design, Rock River Optical, Piper Mae, Feather Your Nest, Bergey Jewelry, Humphrey Floral and Gifts, Big Bluestem, Tuttles Hallmark, Hometown Pharmacy, Edward Jones, JM Carpet, Bridge/Good2Go, Mike Foester Real Estate, Rogers and Westrick Law Office, Krueger Jeweler, Enlightened Healing, Margraf Collection Agency, Bare’s Fort Tax Service, Inc, Five Star Antiques Mall, and Verlo Mattress of Fort Atkinson.
Who is Ernie Pope?
Ernie Pope was a strong supporter of the arts. The Cygnus Ernie Pope Scholastic Art Awards, which carries Pope’s name, was begun 30 years ago.
Pope worked for Johnson Hill Press and believed that Fort Atkinson students had significant artistic talent and he wanted to encourage it. He approached the art teachers at the time and proposed the scholastic art awards. Sadly, Pope succumbed to cancer, but the show has continued, information shared by show organizers recently with Fort Atkinson Online stated.
Fort Atkinson Online recently toured portions of Main Street. Pictured below is just a sample of art viewable in the city’s downtown.
Kim McDarison photos.
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Really love the art show on Main Street! What a great idea – it makes me smile every time I walk by!