Wear ‘Fore’ Art

Dear Friends: In response to growing concerns around COVID-19, the Plymouth Arts Center is suspending all public programs effective March 17th. This includes art receptions, rehearsals, classes, workshops, performances and special events. Our Gallery 110 North will remain open with very limited hours from Noon to 3pm Tues through Sun, until we are directed to do so otherwise. Ticket desk and Gift Shop will be closed. Please call ahead to make sure things haven’t changed.

“Wear ‘Fore’ Art” is a collection of artistic wearable items designed with inspiration from nature, constructed of natural materials, created by 12 Wisconsin artists. Bring your friends to view, enjoy, and purchase one-of-a-kind wearable art including garments, jackets, scarves, bags and jewelry. The show will be on display in Gallery 110 North through May 1st. The exhibition is generously sponsored by Conrad and Barbara Barrows and Franz Backus.

We invite you to take a virtual tour this show by viewing the [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3J3_dWeusM “Wear “Fore” Art Video Exhibit”)…..We are also including the Show Guide link for your review as most of the items are for sale. If an item speaks to you….we could arrange for a sale and shipment at the end of this show. We are extending the ending date of the show. We hope we’ll be able to open to the public in May so that everyone can see the many lovely pieces in this show.

Featured artists in “Wear ‘Fore’ Art,” wearable art show are: Pamela Bronk, Plymouth; Jill Chadek, Two Rivers; Peter and Skye Ciesla, Bailey’s Harbor; Laura Fisher-Bonvallet, Oneida; Barbara Guerink, Eau Claire; Ilze Heider, Grafton; Char TerBeest Kudla and Frank Kudla, Baraboo; Dorothy Schutte, Mukwonago; Mary Ellen Sisulak, Ellison Bay. Also included in the show are illustrations created by the late Gladys Keys, Plymouth.

Pamela Bronk - Using images derived from nature and classic Japanese design allows me to explore different themes and surface techniques on my handbags. Over the years I have incorporated many techniques, from beadwork to airbrushing to hand painting to stamping and embossing. I have some classic shapes I keep returning to, but my surface treatment of these classics continues to subtly evolve and change as I explore. I am constantly finding fresh inspiration in nature, art, and travel. I have been involved in the Midwest crafts circuit for decades and am consistently impressed by the fresh ideas I see around me. I draw from all these forms of inspiration and return to my craft with a strengthened resolve to try new techniques. I create my unique bags and accessories in my studio in the Wisconsin countryside. When creating my handiwork I strive to construct bags that are durable and functional, as well as creative and beautiful.

Jill M. Chadek - Artist Statement: To touch something soft and silky awakens our earliest emotions! The pleasure of the touch of silk, and that long forgotten memory of the satin ribbon that I soothed myself into slumber with as a child started my exploration of silk painting and my fascination with textiles. A few years later I was introduced to felt making, a magical process that transforms wool fibers into cloth using just moisture and friction! Through time, that magical process of felt making has inspired and allowed me to express my passion for color, pattern and texture. I am grateful for the joy that I experience in the creation of each item and trust that wonderful emotions are awakened in the wearer of my garments.

Peter & Skye Ciesla - Peter’s work has always been inspired by the natural world. He has most recently developed an art clothing line integrating his own toxin free, one-of-a-kind, plant-dyed organic textiles. He works with the natural fibers of linen, cotton, silk, hemp, wool, organic when possible. He experiments with local Door County plants, nuts, berries and flowers in his natural dyeing processes. He does botanical printing along with Shibori techniques. He uses his masterful skills to manipulate textiles in a variety of ways, including surface design, texturing, application, quilting and felting techniques. He also creates his own patterns for his signature coats, jackets, and vests. In 2002, with decades of experience as an artist, costume and couture clothing designer, Peter focused his passion and creative attention on jewelry. Bazyli Studio was born. His wife and artist, Skye, has also been playing an important role in the development of Bazyli, bringing to the equation her experience as a lapidary and stone sculptor. The fusion of these two creative minds allowed for a quite diverse body of work to come to fruition. From sculptural, wearable neckpieces to high fashion jewelry, the work is mastered by using embroidery and weaving as primary techniques.

Laura Fisher-Bonvallet is an award-winning weaver. As a designer, she is inspired by the use of complex textures and color combinations and applies these elements in a unique blend of asymmetry and balance in every garment. Each piece is an original design, constructed entirely by hand, one at a time using the finest natural fibers, including silk, cotton, and rayon, as well as subtle metallic threads. Laura’s contemporary handwovens evoke a new sophistication in the tailored realm. She wants her work to be functional and versatile while maintaining a sense of luxury and style.

Barbara Guerink - Every time my husband would come home from work he would ask, “what’s hot off the loom today, Barb?” One day I realized what a great name for my business that would be, and from that day on it was (21 years ago.) I weave in Wisconsin where there are definite four season shifts in landscape. It has led to many ideas for color combinations that I have been happily exploring for 31 years, since graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Related Art Textiles. Color has always been my main interest and is the first thing you notice about my work. I weave products that are beautiful to look at and touch, professionally finished, hand washable and merits the discriminating buyer. My motto is “weave luxury into everyday.”

Ilze Heider ¬- Leather has been my main medium for over 40 years. Starting with the funky unstructured fringe bags and garments of the late 1960’s, I have strived to create and discover new techniques and styles to keep the look of my pieces fresh and timeless. Handbags have become my main focus. I work mostly with cowhide for the main body of the bag, seeking new colors and color combinations. Each bag is embellished with a unique design. Taking unfinished calfskin, I burn in a basic pattern on the leather, each piece different from the next. The piece is then painted with bright colors, sealed, gold leafed, and sealed again. This piece is then sewn onto the bag, sometimes with fringe and glass and clay or metal beads for added interest. All the bags are lined and have interior pockets added.

Gladys Keys -The late Gladys Evans Richards Keys was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1920. She moved with her parents to Chicago in 1940 and studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Mizen Academy, where she majored in fashion illustration. She became a well-known artist in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas, illustrating for advertising agencies and retail stores like Marshall Fields. She married artist Robert Keys in 1952 and put her career on hold to raise her six children. In 1972 Gladys and Robert moved their family to Plymouth, where she reinvigorated her artistic endeavors through a return to fashion illustration and the creation of an art store and gallery at Country Crafts. Gladys passed away in 2012. She was 92.

Char Terbeest Kudla - I began my artist life by constructing willow baskets, then building boxes and finally designing handbags. I like to make things that hold “stuff.” I’ve been creating and crafting my entire life. My mother, Helen, taught me to sew at age five. I love combining color and texture, along with interesting shapes and good pattern making. All handbags start in my sketchbook, then I draft a pattern, find great fabric, and construct the handbags parts on my 40-year-old Viking sewing machine. I love hand stitching and fashioning subtle details using beads, vintage buttons, linings and fabulous notions. I am the director of The Very Merry Holiday in Baraboo. I am married to Frank Kudla. We live in a 150-year-old brick home in “Old” Baraboo.

Frank Kudla - Why do I make jewelry? Because it’s fun to make things that people love to wear and I am good at it. I started making jewelry in 1968 at Indiana University. Since then, 16,000 pieces and 700 art shows later, I’ve made a lot of people happy. Being formally trained, I work mostly in 14k gold in several colors, often with stones. I do platinum on commission. I work in three methods: casting made from original patterns, forged metal shaped by hammer over anvils and stakes and lastly, assembled jewelry from sheet, rod and wire. I am now doing some work in silver.

Dorothy Schutte of Mukwonago studied clay at the Brooklyn museum Art School, and Jewelry Design and Fabrication at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan, but her real love was fiber. When her family moved to the Wisconsin countryside and started a small farm, she purchased a pair of sheep from a neighbor. Then she purchased a spinning wheel and a small loom. What started as a hobby is now a full-time business. As a fiber artist, she integrates color, design, texture, materials and function to create distinctive handwoven fabrics, which she sews into unique and fashionable garments. She works with wool, mohair, cotton, silks, rayon, and novelty yarns. Her handwoven fabrics reflect her connection to the earth, to the place she lives, and the colors that surround her in rural Wisconsin. Her line of handwoven clothing is designed for lovers of simple elegance and quality

Mary Ellen Sisulak is an artist/craftsperson known for working in diverse materials through her long career in the arts. Her training was at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she earned a BFA in painting with high honors in 1974. The professors who had the most impact upon her were, Thomas Uttech and John Colt. Yearning to live closer to nature, she moved to rural Door County, WI. Her work is influenced by living next to a unique habitat, the Mink River Nature Conservancy. She has maintained a studio/gallery in Door County for 46 years, designing and producing wearable art in leather and fiber. Her leather work is well known for exploring the mechanics of functional handbags and stretching the boundaries of surface design. Design work focuses on other natural materials: wool and silk. Collections of dyed and felted wool accessories and digitally printed and pieced silk wall hangings complement more commercial work in the studio/gallery.

Plymouth Arts Center Executive Director, Donna Hahn, applauds the work of PAC’s Visual Arts Team, especially members, Pam Bronk and Deborah Heberlein, for curating this unique wearable art exhibition showcasing talented Wisconsin artists.