Fred Smith's Concrete Park Workshop

One thing that makes the John Michael Kohler Arts Center such a great place to work with is that they are constantly providing programming that not only serves the community but connects the people in the community with the art they conserve. As an intern on the exhibitions team, I had the opportunity to help out with a workshop at Fred Smith's Concrete Park in Phillips, Wisconsin. It was absolutely amazing and I think it was a massively successful workshop!

Tracing Perspectives... What's it about?

Welcome to Tracing Perspectives! 

Tracing Perspectives is an extension of my History and Conservation of Folk Art study. It's my last semester at Cardinal Stritch University and I designed this independent study so I could carve out time to pursue one of my passions - art history! 

In the past few years I've become really interested in folk art. Lucky for me, I've been able to visit a few folk art sites around Wisconsin. If you're interested in looking at a few of them, you can check out the Wandering Wisconsin website. 

I'll be working on this project with the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, a not-for-profit art museum in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I'll be collaborating with curation and exhibitions as well, learning about how an exhibit gets from research to gallery. I hope to be featuring pieces of art on here (if the copyright allows) and telling about my exploration into art history and research.

So, why "Tracing Perspectives?" I'll be looking at the world through others' eyes, through their art, through the manifestation of their perspectives and tracing their views in hopes of obtaining a deeper understanding of their art and art in general. 

This is a picture from Fred Smith's Concrete Park, He's a Wisconsin folk artist who made larger-than-life art out of concrete and glass. He even made the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales team! I'll be dedicating a whole post to him, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!
Jenny