Sculpture Trail Installation
2024: "Life on the River"
To continue our endeavor of "creating an interest in and appreciation for the arts", we brainstormed what could come after an amazing project like our street murals. It was a tough one to surpass, but with a monthly meeting full of mega-creatives, there were no shortage of ideas circling the room. We settled on the one that stood out the most. Transforming the path along the south-side of the Wolf River was next on our list!
On May 6th, 2022, the first group of people met to mark the beginning of the Sculpture Trail project. With the city's guidance, a theme of "Life on the River" was chosen. The members of the project's group have evolved overtime and, as always, the right people have fallen into place...Sculpture Artists, Welders, Fabricators, and a Landscape Artist to name a few.
![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)
CURRENT DAY, 2024 ~ The group is launching a fundraiser to kick-off the trail. The public can purchase stainless steel fish, to be engraved (with family, group, or company names), as part of our first sculpture trail installation. The fish range from a 60" sturgeon for $1500 to a 5" minnow for $20. People are encouraged to buy as many as they like as purchases will go toward the concrete foundations, landscaping, and signage.
Online ordering is now available! More info can be found in the flyer below:
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:
