The following article was written by Diana Bolander, Assistant Director/Curator at the Rahr-West Art Museum
The Rahr-West Art Museum prides itself on our excellent collection of art, a portion which is always on view, for free, in our building at 610 N. 8th Street. As we are a department of the City of Manitowoc, this art collection belongs to the citizens of Manitowoc. However, not everyone makes it inside the museum, so a few years ago the Museum started a Public Arts Committee to integrate visual art into the daily lives of Manitowoc residents by celebrating and building upon the city’s creative culture and history. The committee has accomplished some important projects such as the banner murals that were installed at the Mirro property on Washington Street and partnering with the city’s community development department on the Ruth West Mural at N. 8th Street and Maritime Drive in 2020.
One of the committee’s current projects is a partnership with Manitowoc Public Utility to decorate utility boxes in the downtown area with designs inspired by works in the collection of the Museum. Greg Vadney, Director of the Rahr-West Art Museum, is excited for the project, stating, “it allows for the collection of the Rahr-West Art Museum to have more exposure in our downtown and provides opportunities for local artists to decorate public spaces while getting paid.” Manitowoc Public Utility Distribution Operations Manager Steve Bacalzo is “enthused with the purpose of this project.”
As part of the process, the committee is asking amateur and professional artists (or teams) to apply with their ideas and sketches, due July 23, 2021. Vadney believes “this is a fabulous opportunity for people who might be on the fence about creating public artwork to ‘dip their toes into the water.’” The Museum’s Public Art Committee will be providing support and materials to create a positive experience for both experienced public artists and newbies.
The Public Arts Committee will be selecting ten different designs inspired by artwork held within the permanent collection of the Rahr-West Art Museum for ten utility boxes. This project is an expansion of the utility box across from the Manitowoc Public Library painted by artist Erin LaBonte in 2019 with a design inspired by a piece in the Rahr-West Art Museum’s Collection by Wisconsin artist Ruth Grotenrath.
The Committee hopes these works of art around downtown will not only increase awareness of the Rahr-West Art Museum, but also provide an affordable and accessible art experience for people of all ages, enhance the quality of life for citizens, and make Manitowoc even more of a cultural destination for visitors and artists. Due to generous funding by the City of Manitowoc’s Room Tax Commission and the Wisconsin Arts Board, artists will be paid an honorarium of $500 if selected. Hallman Lindsay Paint will also support the project with a supply donation.
Those interested in applying can find more information and the application at https://www.manitowoc.org/2363/Public-Arts. Assistant Director/Curator Diana Bolander encourages interested parties to contact her for help to find which work they are inspired by from the Museum’s collection. “I can search the collection by keyword, style, or artist to find something that appeals to your aesthetic. With almost 3,000 works of art in our collection, we usually can find someone for everyone’s tastes, from naturalism to abstraction.” She is excited to see how the work inspires participants. “This is an opportunity to take what an established artist has done and change it up a bit into something you think the community will really treasure. We are not looking for artists to just copy the works,” she notes.
Look for artists to begin transforming green boxes to colorful works of art in August, 2021.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Art Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Image Credit: A utility box near the Manitowoc Public Library that Erin LaBonte designed in inspired by a Ruth Grotenrath lithograph in the Rahr-West Art Museum Collection.
