December 21, 2020 at 2:46 p.m.
Spotlighting pandemic-inspired creations: ArtStart, Nicolet and WXPR collect artist responses to challenges of 2020
Spotlighting pandemic-inspired creations: ArtStart, Nicolet and WXPR collect artist responses to challenges of 2020
By Stephanie Kuski-
ArtStart, Nicolet College and WXPR will offer local artists an opportunity to share art created during the pandemic by collecting artist responses to the challenges of 2020.
The initiative is a collaborative effort between ArtStart, Nicolet and WXPR which will result in three different but connected exhibitions featuring local artists through a variety of media.
"The three organizations intentionally met around these different initiatives knowing they would play off of each other," said Melinda Childs, who holds a collaborative position between ArtStart and Nicolet as their community and cultural development director.
She said the programs are meant to both complement each other and connect one another at a time when many of us are apart.
ArtStart - "Quarantine" Free-For-Wall Community Art Exhibition
"Quarantine" is the fitting theme of ArtStart's 2021 Free-For-Wall community art exhibit.
The annual display has been expanded beyond hangable art to include music, performance, writing, videos and all other forms of art created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There are several reasons why we expanded the scope of art for the community exhibition this year," said Ashley McLaughlin, ArtStart's program and operations director. "There has been amazing art created during the pandemic and we really want to showcase it. Also, many musicians and performers haven't had many opportunities to perform and they need a reason to create and share. Now is the perfect time for ArtStart to experiment and try new things to meet the needs of our community."
Submitted artwork will be on display in the galleries and available for the public to enjoy by appointment from Jan. 21 through Feb. 6, 2021.
The Free-For-Wall exhibit will also be captured in a virtual tour that will be available on ArtStart's media platforms.
Those interested in submitting their art to ArtStart's Free-For-Wall exhibition can drop off hangable art labeled with the artist's name and title of the work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 11, 12 or 13 at ArtStart, located on S. Stevens Street in Rhinelander.
Photos or videos of original music, performance art, poetry, writing or other art can be submitted online by visiting artstartrhinelander.org by 5 p.m. on Jan. 13.
For more information, call ArtStart at (715) 362-4328 or email [email protected].
Nicolet Art Gallery - "Pandemic Portraits"
As a spin-off to ArtStart's "Quarantine" Free-For-Wall exhibit, the Nicolet Art Gallery will feature "Pandemic Portraits," a mail-in community art exhibition.
Both exhibits invite artists to share original artwork which reflects on their experiences throughout the pandemic. But the "Pandemic Portraits" differ from the "Quarantine" exhibit in that the former presents artists with a creative challenge: the college invites anyone interested to create art of any kind on the blank side of two pre-addressed, stamped postcards.
One postcard will be mailed back to the college to be hung in the gallery while the other is to be sent to a friend or stranger as a means of creating community connections while practicing social distancing.
The postcards will be hung in the Nicolet gallery as they come in, organically spreading from a single point across the entire length of the gallery wall in a way which mirrors the spread of the virus itself.
Although the Nicolet campus and gallery will remain closed to the public due to COVID-19, the exhibit will be available virtually. Postcards will be photographed and posted on the Nicolet Art Gallery's social media page periodically as art comes in.
Once the show is done, all of the postcards will be also collected in Nicolet's time capsule, which will be reburied in 2021. This way, the artwork will serve as a visual snapshot of the experiences Northwoods residents have endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Pandemic Portraits" runs now through April 24, 2021 and artists can submit their postcards at any time. Art will be accepted until the last day of the show.
Those interested are asked to email Mike Effinger, theatre and performing arts coordinator at Nicolet College, at [email protected] to receive a postcard package along with instructions for participation.
For more information, visit www.nicoletcollege.edu/community/nicolet-art-gallery.
WXPR - Virtual Concert Series
In support of local musicians who are suffering income loss due to the ongoing pandemic, WXPR will also host a series of virtual concerts that will kick off next year.
Local musicians were invited to the Nicolet Live! stage to record audio and video of their performances, which will be broadcasted on WXPR throughout the early months of 2021.
The concert series captures pandemic-inspired compositions by local artists living through the pandemic in the Northwoods. Home audiences are invited to sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of their Northwoods neighbors at a time when live performances are sorely missed.
One song from each artist will also be added to the Northwoods Musicians Compilation CD which will be available to WXPR members. A copy of the CD will also be included in Nicolet's time capsule along with the Pandemic Portraits.
For more information about the virtual concert series, visit wxpr.org.
Stephanie Kuski may be reached at [email protected]
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