Community comes together at Hodag Park event

Long one of Rhinelander’s most well-loved structures, the Beach House at Hodag Park has been transformed into a sanctuary for those seeking connection.

Thanks to the creative talents of artists Witt Siasoco and Norma Dycus Pennycuff, the Beach House is now the home of an interactive bench-style art installation called Together “created in response to the recent tragic losses of young people and adults in the Rhinelander area to suicide.”

The piece, a mirrored tile concrete bench, was was unveiled as part of the Push Against Loneliness Community Day on Saturday, July 27.

The event was part of a larger national campaign called Arts for EveryBody.

Across the country, in 17 other cities and counties, thousands gathered to take part in large-scale participatory art projects.

Prior to the dedication of the bench sculpture, approximately 50 people participated in a “Walk Against Social Isolation” along the Hodag Park walking path to the Beach House.

As Siasoco explained, the sculpture project was inspired by members of Over It, the youth group that has advocated for the addition of a permanent skate park in Rhinelander. 

“This group came together because of a tragic loss of their friend and really turned what could have been a negative situation into a real positive situation,” Siasoco explained, adding that one of the reasons the group decided to approach the city council about constructing a skate park was a sense of a lack of belonging.

Soon, ArtStart got involved with the skate park project and discussions continued on the city level related to the connection between the arts and mental health. Then, Rhinelander was chosen as one of 18 communities to participate in the One Nation One Project, an arts and wellness initiative bringing together artists, local governments, and community health partners to “activate the power of the arts and strengthen the social fabric of our nation and support communities across America.”

According to Siasoco, the Beach House was the perfect home for the bench sculpture.

“Our thing is how do we bring people together? How do we remember people? And, like, when we sat here first, we just knew that this would be a great place of remembrance, this would be a great place for contemplation and this would be a great place to bring people together,” he told the assembled crowd.

Built in the late 1930s, the fieldstone Beach House building has a timeless quality. In contrast, the new addition — the bench sculpture — has a futuristic vibe, thanks to its mirrored tiles and the bone conduction technology units embedded in it. 

According to Siasoco, part of art making is making it memorable.

“I think for me and Norma, it was important to create a spectacle,” he said.

As for the embedded technology, Siasoco said “it’s a lot like your AirPod technology.” 

There are four points on the bench where people can lean back, rest their heads, cup their ears and hear audio of local residents responding to this prompt: “What would you say to someone that you have lost connection to?”

Surrounding the bench are acrylic signs with the same phrases — “I miss your face,” “I will always love you” and many more.

“When you sit on the bench, you’re hearing local people say the phrase that they wrote,” Pennycuff added.

Ashley McLaughlin of ArtStart and city council president Carrie Mikalauski also spoke during the sculpture dedication. 

“This has been a tremendous, tremendous opportunity for us,” Mikalauski said, noting that Mayor Kris Hanus proclaimed Saturday Arts and Health Day in Rhinelander in recognition of the event. “The fact that Rhinelander was chosen out of one of 18 cities throughout the nation, it says something for our little town.”

“Being here today means you are part of something big and bold,” McLaughlin noted. “In cities across the country, celebrations, festivals, health fairs, just like this one, are bringing together communities.”

“One thing we want to make sure everyone here knows is that participating in the arts is as good for you as weekly exercise,” she added. “So dance, sing, paint, create, watch, and laugh. Find your joy in art. Here in Rhinelander, we have focused on social isolation and how bringing people together around art making supports community building. Our project was inspired by the youth of our community advocating for a skate park after identifying the need for more community spaces. Merging their efforts with Arts for Everybody has been a great way to draw the connections between art and health and what can happen when our community comes together.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].