The Arts Continue to Grow in the Kenosha Area

Kenosha, WI  (September 30, 2011) –  As National Arts and Humanities Month is celebrated this October, it’s an appropriate time to celebrate all that’s new this year in Kenosha’s rich arts community. Located in Southeast Wisconsin on the Lake Michigan shore, there are expanding cultural opportunities to experience in the Kenosha Area, including a sprawling new regional arts center and a new outdoor sculpture walk.
 
New Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities
The final touches are being made to the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities, where world-class theatre, music and art will be presented at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The new center, which has been a dream for over two decades, has added 72,000 square feet to an already existing 107,000 square foot building. The newest and largest facility of this type in the area houses: a new 340 seat music recital hall, named the Frances Bedford Concert Hall; a 120 seat “black box” studio theatre for smaller theatre productions; galleries for both professional and student art exhibitions; instructional studios for music, theatre arts and 2-D art programs; and expanded and upgraded general classrooms. A12 month "Year of the Arts" celebration in 2012 is currently being planned to celebrate the center’s opening. The $35 million expansion and renovation project transforms the former Communication Arts Building into a new state-of-the-art hub for enhancing creativity, community, and commerce in the region, according to Dean Yohnk, Ph.D., Professor and Dean, UW-Parkside College of Arts and Sciences. The first major event in the new concert hall, the December 4 Arts Alive performance of Handel's Messiah has already sold out, with a second show added on December 5. It has been promised that the hall will provide the finest small venue acoustics between Milwaukee and Chicago. (www.uwp.edu)

Kenosha Sculpture Walk Unveiled
A diverse collection of public art sculptures has sprung up in HarborPark along its Lake Michigan promenade. Funded through private donations, the Kenosha Sculpture Walk is being touted as the largest outdoor public art project in Kenosha's history. It was organized by the Arts Fund Committee of the Kenosha Community Foundation. Artist submissions were received from around the nation, including Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The chosen works came from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa artists. The eight featured works will be on display for two years, and then will be replaced by new works. The Kenosha Sculpture Walk joins several other public art pieces already in the lakefront area, including a Christopher Columbus fountain. Drive, walk, or bike along 54th Street, east of Sixth Avenue, to view the new art. (www.kenoshafoundation.org)

Lemon Street Gallery Expands
Lemon Street Gallery, at 4601 Sheridan Road, opened in 1999 with 13 artists. Now the non-profit visual arts organization has grown into a visual arts center with 65 artist-members. A recent expansion added 100 linear feet of wall space, allowing even more work to be on display. The new 6" x 6" Art Wall is a 7' wall dedicated to 6" x 6" art pieces. More than 60 of these small works (each available to purchase for $25) can be displayed at a time. The classroom area remains open, without walls, so visitors can watch and be part of the art making process. A new Collaboration Wall continually changes and displays collaborative works, by three or more artists. Another fairly recent addition to the gallery is Clayground. Here, open studio time in the clay studio is offered each week for visitors to work on clay projects. (www.lemonstreetgallery.org)
 
The Secret Garden Café and Gallery Opens
The Secret Garden Café and Gallery, located near historic Library Park in Downtown Kenosha, has re-opened under the new ownership of Sue Markko and Tom Bushery. No longer just a café, the Garden is now also an art gallery, exhibiting work from more than twenty local artists. The exhibit changes each month and the café’s hours have also been expanded to include breakfast. The new Secret Garden has quickly become known for its frittata, strata, and Grow Your Own Secret Garden Salad. During Downtown’s Second Saturdays events, the café is open for art show receptions, art and culinary demonstrations and live music. Whether enjoying coffee or dining with friends, Secret Garden is not unlike another downtown café that features artwork. Lemon Street Gallery installs quarterly art exhibits at Harborside Common Grounds (5159 6th Ave.). Secret Garden, no longer a secret, can be found across from the Abe Lincoln statue in Library Park, at 5925 6th Ave. A. (www.secretgardenkenosha.com)
 
Coming Soon: Alpaca Art Pottery Painting Expansion
Sisters Brenda Brady and Becky Sterba own Alpaca Art Pottery Painting at 5813 6th Ave. in Downtown Kenosha. The business, which they describe as a “relaxing, hands-on activity for kids and adults” moved downtown in 2009. This November its expansion will be completed, providing 1,000 additional square feet of space for a new party area, class activities, and overflow. No artistic experience is necessary at this paint-your-own pottery studio. Visitors may choose from the wide selection of bisque pieces – such as dishes, platters, bowls, banks, boxes, picture frames, vases, and figurines  – and paint away. A typical paint session averages two hours. Once the customer completes the piece, it’s left behind to be glazed and fired in the on-site kiln. Customers then pick their work up about a week later and out of town visitors can have their pieces shipped to them. In addition to open hours, many special events are offered each month, including family activity nights, Wine Night and Ladies Night Out events.  (www.alpacapottery.com)
 
For more information about the arts and more to experience in the Kenosha Area, as well as a 2011 Kenosha Area Visitors Guide, log on to www.KenoshaCVB.com or call the Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at (262) 654-7307 or (800) 654-7309. The Visitors Guide is also available by visiting a Kenosha Area Visitor Information Center. The I-94 location is at I-94 & Hwy. 165 East Exit 347, while the Downtown Kenosha location is at 812 - 56th St. Follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook to receive updates about events, specials, and more.
 
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