Sculpture Trail Installation
2024: "Life on the River"
The Wolf River Art League was formed in 1970 by a group of educators and visionaries for the purpose of promoting local participation and appreciation of art and crafts in the New London area.
To continue the effort of our predecessors, we brainstormed about what could follow the amazing street murals we created in 2020-22. It was a tough one to surpass, but with monthly meetings full of mega-creatives, there were no shortage of ideas!
On May 6, 2022, a small group of Art Leaguers met at Riverside Trail to mark the beginning of the Sculpture Trail project. With the city's guidance, a theme of "Life on the River" was chosen. The Park and Rec would partner with us to develop this already established trail into a sculpture trail.
![FB_IMG_1705926152863[1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/579412_664abf69b4d54edeb388db293005ce25~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_85,y_0,w_995,h_486/fill/w_553,h_270,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/FB_IMG_1705926152863%5B1%5D.jpg)
In February of 2023, the group launched a “School of Fish” fundraiser at our annual art show to introduce the idea to the public. We received many nods of approval and fish orders!
The public can still purchase stainless steel fish, to be engraved (with family, group, or company names), and be included in our first sculpture trail installation. The fish range from a 60" sturgeon for $1500 to a 5" minnow for $20, making it affordable to the entire community! People are encouraged to buy as many as they like, as purchases will go toward the concrete foundations, landscaping, and signage for the trail.
Members of the project's group have evolved over the past three years, and, as always, the right people have fallen into place…welders, fabricators, and a landscape architect to name a few.
Currently, in 2025: New London Metal Fab is cutting out stainless steel fish, Art League members are engraving them with your names, and Waupaca Metal Fab has created the frame to hold them. Installation of the frame took place in June, behind Community First Credit Union. Fabricators and welders are working their magic on the fish panels at Weld-All in New London.
All we need now are more fish orders to complete this one-of-a-kind New London “School of Fish” sculpture. Click the blue button below or or stop by the Chamber of Commerce for an order form. Get your name on a fish. Be cool! Be part of our school!
Street Murals: Hortonville
2024: Spilling Our Artwork Into The Next Town
10/2024 UPDATE: This project is currently POSTPONED until downtown Hortonville plans are finished. The Wolf River Art League will address with the village and businesses if they should ask for assistance.
Picnic Tables 2.0
2022: Adult's Picnic Table Project
In 2022, the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce chose to hold its popular Fox Cities night market, Bazaar After Dark, in New London. For each event, the Bazaar After Dark arranges for live art demonstrations to be a part of the evening. With the walls of New London already covered in murals from our 2019 StART Mural Project, we were running low on public spaces to paint during the event. But alas, there were more picnic tables that needed beautifying!
The league collectively chose to paint a majority of the tables with a "vintage tablecloth" theme.
Picnic Tables
2021: Kid's Picnic Table Project
In 2021, it was the kids' turn at creating some artwork for the public to enjoy. We invited kids from the community to paint picnic tables for the New London Parks & Recreation. Together in groups of 2 or more, they each came up with fun and colorful designs to enjoy for years to come.
START MURAL PROJECT
2019: Enter Season and Kelly Polsin...
In 2019, after 49-years of hosting art shows and other art-related events, and with only a handful of active artists, Wolf River Art League (WRAL) members were asking hard questions about pulling off yet another art show. They were seriously considering disbanding.
Enter Season and Kelly Polsin, lifelong residents of New London. The Polsin family travels quite a bit and discovered that Fort Collins, Colorado was literally blanketed with murals. Season was in awe. She immediately felt the need for this to happen in her home town. When they returned to New London, Season started pounding the streets to drum up interest.
With a lot of leg work, dozens of meetings with businesses, city administrators, the New London Area Chamber of Commerce, and the WRAL, the vision was born. It began with a community fundraiser, raising nearly $15,000 to start the project! During that time, the league grew from just 8-active members to over 40! The enthusiasm of the project was contagious and after 50+ murals later, the Wolf River Art League was back!
You can view an interactive Google Map of our murals HERE:
