Photography, furniture and a few good books — that’s what will be on display Oct. 18-20 at the art show and sale at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center in rural Spring Green.
The three-day show and sale, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, features the work of four artists, each of whom brings a unique talent to their works in photography, wood and words.
Brian Kelley of Madison is a Wisconsin native who during his youth lived for a time on an Amish farm. Through his experiences traveling in Italy, Greece and Turkey, Brian learned to appreciate an elemental connection to the natural world and gained an awareness of the influence of civilization. Brian’s focus is in mankind’s functional creations and the chaotic patterns emerging in nature’s inevitable process of transmuting and erasing them. Brian’s photographs are presented on aluminum plate, complementing the industrial subject matter. These include elements of aged, rusted metal signs, structures and machines and urban microcosms, seeking to reveal the beauty and implications in the often-ignored periphery.
Robert Hartmann is from southeastern Wisconsin, but his vintage 1960s prints at Wyoming Valley School are all of structures in and around Iowa County, Spring Green and Richland Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or his students. He has been visiting and photographing Wright sites since childhood. These photos celebrate the enduring beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, Hillside, Wyoming Valley School and A.D. German Warehouse as well as notable works by Wes Peters, Jack Howe, James Dresser, Herb Fritz and others. Some of his photos depict now vanished gems, from a sprite that stood on the Taliesin dam to the oak tree at the tea circle to the Wild Daisy Gift Shop.
Eric Wallner of Dodgeville offers a table and six chair set that is unique, beautiful, elegant and comfortable, available in premium cherry, walnut or maple plywood. He refined the design over 30 years, but most important, says Eric, was the time he spent working on the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Seth Peterson Cottage. “That inspired me to design and build my own home, and this eclectic furniture.” The set remains true to its material — the interaction of plywood planes into furniture that is both practical and artistic.
Doris Green of Spring Green is a writer, editor, Voice of the River Valley columnist and former University of Wisconsin mass communications specialist who has authored three books. “Elsie’s Story” is a memoir and detective tale rolled into one family’s true-crime case. “Underground Wisconsin” is a glove-box guide to the many (400!) caves, tunnels, mines and sinkholes in Wisconsin, some accessible to the public, including a number in the local area. The author will be on hand to sell and autograph copies on Saturday and Sunday.
The historic Wright-designed Wyoming Valley School, constructed in 1957, will be open for tours during all three days of the photography, furniture and book event.
The Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center is 5 miles south of Spring Green and 12 miles north of Dodgeville on State Highway 23, 3 miles south of Taliesin. See http://www.wyomingvalleyschool.net.