June/July 2012 - Coulee Region Women Magazine

The Coulee Region Art Beat
Art for everyone can be found at area festivals and art tours.
BY LeAH cALL
contributed photos
The Coulee Region is rich with talented artists expressing their creativity on canvas, clay,
wood, fiber, glass or metal. Art festivals and fairs around the region offer an opportunity for those
artists to showcase their work. A road trip to any—or all—of the three area art festivals detailed here
is well worth the time and effort. But plan to bring some cash—you won’t leave empty-handed.
AAUW Art Fair on the Green
Date: July 28-29, 2012
Location: UW-La Crosse campus lawns at 16th and State streets
More information: pstaupe@centurytel.net
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend the 54th
annual AAUW Art Fair on the Green, sponsored by the American
Association of University Women. The event has grown from just
seven artists in 1958 to more than 100 juried artists today. Taking
place on the picturesque UW-La Crosse campus behind Morris
Hall, fair attendees can expect top-quality art along with toe-tapping
live music and tummy-tantalizing concessions.
“Attendees can easily spend a good part of the day there, just
enjoying the art and the atmosphere,” says fair organizer Pat Staupe.
The fair is a popular venue for artists from locations throughout
the Midwest and beyond. As part of a juried show, the participating
artists are judged with award presentations taking place on the first
day of the event.
Paintings, jewelry, sculpture, woodworking, fiber art and
more will be on display and available for purchase. In addition to
| DEsigNiNg WomEN |
From left: Art by Phyllis Martino (AAUW Art Fair on the Green), Bernadette Mahfood and Mary Singer, (Bluff Country Studio Art Tour).
professional artists from around the country, student artists from
Logan and Central High Schools will have their own booth, as will
other local arts groups.
“We have such a variety of artists,” says Staupe. “And the whole
gamut of price ranges from very inexpensive to large paintings that
are a bit pricey. About two-thirds of the artists are returning artists;
about a third are new. There is always a variety—and there’s always
something new.”
Admission is $4.00 for adults and free for children under
12. Event proceeds go to local scholarships at area colleges and
universities.
Driftless Area Art festival
Date: September 15-16, 2012
Location: Soldiers Grove, Wis.
More information: www.driftlessareaartfestival.com
Visual artists, musicians and local food artisans come together
annually on the third weekend in September for the Driftless Area
Art Festival. The original organizers of this event, now in its eighth
www.crwmagazine.com JUNE/JULY 2012 15