Racine Art Guild celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special project that will be auctioned off at Sunday's Starving Artist Fair
By Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times | Posted: Friday, August 3, 2007 12:00 am
Fifty years ago, eight women who wanted to produce art got together to form a club. They called themselves the Racine Art Guild and their goal was "To further creative and original art, to serve as a mutual benefit for the members and to advance the appreciation of art in Racine."
On Sunday, their efforts - and those of many others who have followed in their brush strokes - will be celebrated at the Guild's annual Starving Artist Art Fair. The outdoor fair, which will feature the work of more than 120 regional artists in a variety of media, has been bringing affordable art to the people of Racine County for 38 years. It is just one of many ways in which the RAG has lived out its mission since 1957.
Through the years, the Guild has sponsored many programs in the community, including talks by museum curators, workshops and trips to museums, galleries and studios. It has also given financial support to existing programs such as children's classes at the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts.
The organization, which now has about 125 members, has donated more than $60,000 to various causes at the Wustum through the years, as well as providing scholarships to area college students. One of the RAG's first scholarship recipients, Michael W. Monroe, is now the executive director of the Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington state, and is world reknown for his work with the American Craft Council and the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery.
'Opportunity Knocks'
The Guild's most recent project, done in honor of its 50th anniversary, will be unveiled this weekend at the Starving Artist Fair. Called "Opportunity Knocks," this fundraising event will offer eight antique doors, painted by RAG members, for sale by silent auction. Funds raised will support art education in the community.
The doors, which just a few months ago were sitting idle in a basement, have been transformed into unique works of art - some of which could be used for their original purpose, while others might end up in someone's garden or even on the living room wall.
One of the eight was created by four women artists who met through the Racine Art Guild. These women - Rosemary Curtin, Dee Dee Dumont, Mickie Krueger and Jean Kilby - chose the work of French post-impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as inspiration for their piece.
Together, they took Lautrec's famous poster of Jane Avril dancing and painted their interpretation of it on the door - shown in its traditional colors on one side, and in a reverse image and color palette on the other. Adding some personal touches to the door's design, the artists turned out a piece they are proud to present for the 50th anniversary celebration.
"I think it came out even better than we thought it would," said Kilby. "Rosemary wants to bid on it for her garden."
Curtin, in fact, was the one who came up with the idea for the "Opportunity Knocks" project. She wanted to do something with the doors, all of which were found in her 158-year-old home, that would make a statement for the Guild and its role in the community.
"We are all about raising money for art and education," she said. "I wanted to do something that would follow our mission."
When she told her husband, Wayne, about her idea, he suggested the name, and it stuck.
The call for participants was sent out, area artists submitted designs and by June, work on the doors had begun. Those attending the Starving Artist Fair will get to see the finished products, which will be displayed near the Lincoln statue on the Gateway Technical College grounds. They can also bid on the doors through a raffle ticket system, and the drawing will be done at 3 p.m.
Other artists who painted doors for "Opportunity Knocks" include Tom White, Barbara Lindquist, Carol Madsen, Alice Hazarian, Pat Guttenburg and about 25 members of the Chavez Senior Painters group, who worked together on two of the doors.
Beyond the doors
The "Opportunity Knocks" pieces are just one example of the kinds of art that will be offered at Sunday's fair. This juried exhibit and sale will include the work of painters, graphic designers, sculptors, jewelers, potters, glass artists, photographers, fiber artists, and metal and wood workers, at prices starting around $20.
The fair, which draws anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 people each year, will also feature children's art activities, music and food.
"It is a great way to bring art out to the public and to give people the opportunity to buy original art at affordable prices," said Dumont.
And every year, there are new artists exhibiting, she said.
"Because this is a juried show, it really keeps us on our toes," said Kilby.
"Even before I became a member of the Guild, I made sure I attended this fair each year," said Krueger. "There is so much to see and do. It is like a festival event."
The Art Guild
The Racine Art Guild welcomes new members. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, 2519 Northwestern Ave. Programs begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call James Chaplin at (262) 638-9873 or visit the RAG members' tent at this Sunday's Starving Artist Art Fair.