By Kim McDarison
The Whitewater Arts Alliance will be hosting a plethora of exhibitions, solo exhibits and workshops throughout the year in 2023, according to Whitewater Arts Alliance Manager Ashe McDarison.
McDarison said ze sees many of the offerings provided in 2023 as “going outside of the box.”
While the alliance will continue to provide staples that are in keeping with its mission — such as the Whitewater Unified School District Exhibition, which features student artwork and will be presented in the Cultural Art Center’s gallery in April, and the Wisconsin Regional Art Program or WRAP exhibition, which is a juried show featuring the works of nonprofessional Wisconsin artists and will appear in the gallery in May — there also will be several new offering this year, like the solo exhibit on display this month in the gallery featuring the work of professional makeup artist Kim Witte, McDarison said.
“Our mission is to integrate and make art an essential part of our community,” McDarison noted.
Annual staples, which also include such offerings as the Fran Achen Photography Exhibition and Competition, which is planned for July and now in its 14th year, are “in line with our mission,” ze said, adding, “we also wanted to bring something new,” which, ze said, is anticipated to help the gallery “attract new eyes.”
Offerings of all variety are meant to showcase art, while fostering within the Whitewater and surrounding communities an understanding that art is an integral part of growth, ze said.
“Both professional and nonprofessional art in Whitewater and the surrounding communities is important because art is education, it’s therapeutic, it’s invigorating, it’s what makes everyone come together because everyone, even businesses, can find creativity in what they do,” McDarison noted.
An emphasis this year has been placed on building upon art in all its forms, including visual and musical, while still providing a space for watercolors and photography, which are popular topics and have often been the subjects of past workshops and exhibitions.
Staples are important because they bring people back each year, and they can reconnect with other artists they have perviously met, ze said. New art forms showcased through exhibits show art in a new light.
This year, ze said, a longtime alliance member, Dawn Hunter, will have her first solo art exhibit. The event is planned for August.
Said McDarison: “She has never had a solo exhibit with us and last year, at the Members Exhibition, her work was selected as the viewers’ choice. So by showcasing her work, we are showcasing work that the people have chosen themselves.”
Gaining input from the public when developing programming is important to the alliance, McDarison continued.
Also new this year, the alliance will be featuring a quilt show, the date of which is yet to be determined, and during “storytelling month,” which is slated for September, McDarison said: “We will be working with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s geography students to showcase the story of rocks, with some of the rocks coming from the areas around the effigy mounds in Whitewater, so art can also be shown in story form.”
McDarison said the story of rocks offers a visual component because the information can be shared in multiple ways. Some rocks might be painted, while other offerings might include posters, ze said.
Along with exhibitions, the alliance continues to offer workshops.
“Workshops are, in part, to help the Whitewater Arts Alliance to be stable — we need some sort of revenue to keep the doors open — but we also want to bring opportunities to artists, and growing artists, who enjoy these kinds of things. Often we hear that they wish there was a class for watercolors or sewing, so it’s another way of listening to the community, and trying to bring community members things that they are seeking in a visual or other performing arts way,” ze said.
Schedule of events
The following events will be held in 2023 at the Whitewater Arts Alliance Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St., Whitewater, unless otherwise indicated:
• Makeup artist Kim Witte of Witte Artistry LLC solo exhibit: The works of special effects makeup artist Kim Witte will be on display as part of her first solo gallery exhibit until March 26. Witte is a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate who has a passion for making educational and entertainment-based content which she shares across several social media platforms. Her company was founded in 2016, and boasts content that has enjoyed “viral” exposure. Pieces include photographs of the artist after she has transformed herself into a living work of art, with some transformations taking as long as eight hours to complete. Other pieces include acrylic paintings by Witte, and video tutorials showing viewers how she makes her transformations. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
• Whitewater Unified School District Exhibition: Artwork created by students within the Whitewater Unified School District will be displayed in-gallery between April 13 and 30. Along with the exhibition, activities for families and kids, at a date yet to be determined, are planned, including: rock painting, watercolor face painting, and lessons in origami. The exhibition and accompanying events are free and open to the public.
• Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP): The Wisconsin Regional Art Program or WRAP, a juried exhibition, will be available for viewing between May 4 and 28. A public reception will be held May 12, between 1 and 4 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibition features the works of nonprofessional artists from across the region. Winners within regions advance to a competition held in Madison on “State Day,” at which time statewide winners are selected. The WRAP program is administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA). Those looking to enter the show are encouraged to visit the Whitewater Arts Alliance website for details. Registration for the Whitewater WRAP collaboration opens Feb. 23. An entry deadline is April 23.
• Tom Nachreiner En’ Plein Air Workshop: The Tom Nachreiner En’ Plein Air Workshop is a two-day event which will be held May 20 and 21. Nachreiner is a nationally recognized painter and instructor, according to information supplied by the alliance. A cost for the workshop is $200. A registration deadline is April 16. Participants will learn to become better painters, with focus on working with a sunlit outdoor scene. Students attending the class will meet at The Fuzzy Pig, N8660 Clover Valley Rd., Whitewater.
• Public art project: A public art project is planned in 2023. A call for participation begins Feb. 26. All members of the community are invited to participate. Those interested in learning about the project are encouraged to visit the alliance’s website. Works of art made for the project are anticipated to be hung in the Whitewater downtown area by approximately June 1.
• 14th Annual Fran Achen Photography Exhibition and Competition: In its 14th year, the Fran Achen Photography Exhibition will be on display between July 1 and 30. The show will be held both virtually and in person. Details concerning the competition will be made available on the alliance’s website.
• Dynamic Pouring with Laurie Goldstein-Warren: the Dynamic Pouring with Laurie Goldstein-Warren workshop will be held July 7-9. A cost to participate for those who register by March 5 is $285 for alliance members and $350 for members of the general public. A cost for all participants, alliance members and the general public, is $375 after the registration deadline. No refunds will be made available after March 12. The event will be held between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the Cravath Lakefront Center, 341 S. Fremont St., Whitewater. The event features instruction using a pouring technique, with acrylic watercolors and watercolor, using a limited palette. Participants can work on a subject of their choosing, such as portrait, floral, abstract, and still life, among others.
For more information about the alliance and its programs, visit its website: https://www.whitewaterarts.org.
Whitewater Arts Alliance Docent Maddie Adams holds a recent newsletter which details upcoming programming, including exhibitions, contests and workshops, planned by the organization in 2023. The newsletter can be found in hard copy in the gallery and online on the alliance’s website. Visitors to the Cultural Arts Center gallery, which is operated by the alliance, will find a solo exhibit featuring the works of 2016 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate and professional special effects makeup artist Kim Witte. The exhibit includes photographs of Witte posing in full body makeup as various characters, with some transformations taking as long as eight hours to create. Additionally, paintings by Witte are on display, along with video tutorials, showing the process used to create a character with body paint. The exhibit featuring Witte’s work will be on display until March 26. Kim McDarison photo.
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