Fresh Smiles at the 2023 Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series Finale
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
Community members came to the City Green on Thursday, August 17, to celebrate the final Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert of the season. Opening the concert was alternative rock band Would You Kindly? from Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following them, from Saxapahaw, North Carolina, was pop headliner The Collection. These bands brought passion and energy to the stage, leaving the the music series finale on a strong note.
Meanwhile, in the STUDIO tent, artist Jacob Souik demonstrated the print-making process to the community. Souik is the owner of Thumb Print Press and Design, where he uses nontoxic, water-based ink to create small-batch silk-screen printing art. On an 8.5- by 11-inch paper, Souik made various copies of the same print, which he described as an “orchid,” to use as posters that will end up in the homes of those who receive fresh cooked meals from Fresh Meals on Wheels. To accompany his print, community members who came to the STUDIO tent were instructed to write a word or phrase they say before they eat a meal. Participating members could choose a colorful paper, and then use stamps and markers to decorate their note.
This week’s community partner was Fresh Meals on Wheels. Fresh Meals on Wheels is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that delivers freshly cooked meals to those who struggle to get their daily nutrition or aren’t able to prepare meals themselves. All meals are made fresh in their kitchen, and meal recipients can select from a daily hot meal delivery or a weekly bulk delivery of frozen meals. Meals on Wheels’ volunteer opportunities consist of delivering meals, helping in the kitchen, processing produce, tending in the garden, assisting with events and more. For more information on the benefits and opportunities of Fresh Meals on Wheels, you can go to FreshMealsOnWheels.org.
Please join us in thanking artist Jacob Souik, community partner Fresh Meals on Wheels of Sheboygan County, and everyone who worked to make the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series possible. We hope to see you back next summer!
Silhouette Squares
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
On Thursday, August 10, many came to the City Green to enjoy live music, food trucks, and collaborative art as we near the end of the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series. At 6:00 p.m., Ben Mulwana, an Afro soul rock band from Kenosha, Wisconsin, kicked off the concert with some familiar favorites. Following them at 7:00 p.m. was headliner band QUITAPENAS, a tropical Afro-Latin band based in Los Angeles. Their high-energy beats kept the audience on their feet throughout a full set, plus a multi-song encore Audience members enjoyed the pleasant weather after last week’s unexpected rain.
In the STUDIO tent, artist Amanda Tollefson worked with the community to explore and celebrate our connections and relationships with the people we love. Community members were encouraged to think of a person who has impacted them in a positive way, and then to think of an object or thing that reminds them of this person. They were then instructed to draw the outline, or silhouette, of this object onto the dull side of the black vinyl that JMKAC volunteers handed out. Then, the shape was cut out and given to Tollefson to iron onto a square piece of colorful fabric. The finished products were hung onto a plastic netting by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County, one of this week’s community partners. The finished squares will adventure back with Tollefson to Milwaukee and be stitched together into banners that will eventually hang in the Social STUDIO.
Tollefson is originally from Manitowoc, but has visited JMKAC since 2000 when she would stop in Sheboygan to go thrift shopping.
“I have always really liked the vibe in Sheboygan,” said Tollefson. “I have done a few other projects with JMKAC in the last couple years, including a Social STUDIO virtual residency in 2021 and a collaboration with RCS for the fashion show gala earlier this year.”
Tollefson learned to sew in sixth grade and was always exploring her creativity through crafts with her grandma growing up. Together they made her prom and graduation dresses, as well as revamped different pieces of clothing.
“I never had a lot of money when I was younger, and I was inspired by thrift store materials because they are cheap and colorful,” mentioned Tollefson. “I also like to repurpose them because it is environmentally friendly.”
Tollefson mentioned that one of the qualities of this project she enjoys is that when the banners are hung in windows, the light shines through the fabric, similar to stained glass, and the silhouettes are able to be seen from both sides.
Earlier in the day, Tollefson joined a group of teens at The Club @ the Y location to lead a workshop where they created example squares to hang up at the concert later that evening. Four of the teens then joined to volunteer at the concert assisting with displaying the community’s finished squares and keeping the worktables tidy.
We enjoyed Tollefson’s creativity this week in the STUDIO tent and hope to see more of her in the Arts Center for years to come.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County is to improve the lives and futures of young people by helping them reach their full potential as hardworking, kind, and responsible citizens. Their Teen After School Program focuses on healthy lifestyles, career preparedness, strong relationships, and new opportunities. For more information, visit ThePositivePlace.com.
Also joining us in spreading positivity was Koke Mailo-Podewils from the Positivity Booth. When told he was faced with a life-threatening health problem, Koke began his recovery journey from substance abuse. Over the past two years, he has made it his life mission to spread positivity here in the Sheboygan community. One of the ways he does this is through the Positivity Booth. Koke brought a mini version of the booth this week bringing out smiles and encouraging community members to spin the Positivity Booth’s prize wheel.
Please join us in thanking artist Amanda Tollefson, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County and The Positivity Booth for encouraging love and kindness in the community. We hope to see you back next week for the final concert of the season!
Half-Portraits and Half a Concert
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
On Thursday, August 3, members of the community gathered at the City Green for another Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert. Unfortunately, the concert ended up being canceled due to the bad weather, but audience members did get to hear a few tunes from opening band Oh Geeez, an Indie Pop band from Sheboygan, before community members were instructed to head inside the Arts Center. Scheduled at 7:00 p.m., was headliner Miles Neilson and the Rusted Hearts, a Rock/Americana band from Rockford, Illinois. We hope to get a chance to hear more from these musicians in the future!
The art-making activity for this week was held in the STUDIO tent, and then was moved inside to the Social STUDIO until 8:00 p.m. Artist Kristopher Pollard invited the public to pick up a pen or pencil and draw a half-faced self-portrait. Pollard brought some of his own half-portrait drawings from home, and community members were instructed to either finish a portrait or start a new one for someone else to finish. This project was a great way of showcasing connection and diversity in the community.
Pollard is an artist and illustrator originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He has lived in Wisconsin for the past 22 years and has had a love for drawing since college. Pollard enjoys celebrating the things and people that he loves most and showcasing his creativity through his expressive drawings.
When asked why he liked the idea of half-portraits, Kristopher responded, “I really enjoy the element of surprise to it. It’s exciting to cover up the other half of the portrait and then uncover it when it’s all finished to see the final result.”
Community partner Leslie Laster also worked with the public to display diversity through visual and audio storytelling through her We are Sheboygan County Project. Leslie encouraged adults in the community to share personal stories about who they are and how they identify to bring awareness to not only what makes them unique, but what makes us alike. These stories will be showcased on a display that encourages the public to talk about biases and stereotypes in a safe space, with the intent of building empathy and community.
We thank Kristopher Pollard and Leslie Laster for encouraging the community to connect and showcase diversity, along with all community members who participated and came inside the Arts Center with us to complete the project. We hope to see you next week for some nicer weather and more collaborative art!
Growing a Community Flower Garden
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
Another Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert was held on Thursday, July 27. At 6:00 p.m., Erin Krebs Quintet, a jazz/blues band from Appleton, opened the concert. Following them, was headliner Grace Kelly, an electro jazz-pop musician from Los Angeles. Kelly amazed the crowd with her beautiful voice and her saxophone skills!
In the STUDIO tent, artist Kim Geiser from Hello Happiness Creativity Center showed community members how they can participate in growing a community flower garden made of ideas, wishes, and creativity.
Hello Happiness is a nonprofit community of learning, connection, support, and renewal through creativity. Geiser started this organization during the pandemic. Its mission is to give access to affordable creative supplies and experiences.
“It’s really an arts and craft supply thrift store,” Geiser mentioned. “Most of our supplies are from donations. Our goal is to give these materials a new life.”
Geiser brought materials from Hello Happiness to the tent for participating community members to use. People were instructed to grab a pencil, a paper leaf, three to five pre-cut paper flower parts, and a “seed packet” from the Community Seed Library—a recent collaborative project in the Social STUDIO. On the outside of each seed packet was an idea that people wished to see more of in the community. Inside each packet were various beads that represented the seeds, which people could incorporate into making their flower.
From June 27 to July 27, the Community Seed Library project encouraged people to think about what they wanted to see grow in the community and what might be needed to nurture that idea. This project grew and metamorphosed into the Community Flower Garden. People were instructed to write on the leaves of their flower what they can do to allow their chosen idea to flourish.
The flowers were made by layering various flower cut-outs, buttons, or pom-poms and then using a straight pin to stick the pieces to the eraser of a pencil. After cutting out the leaf, it would be wrapped around the pencil, or the “stem” of the flower, and glued together. These flowers were put into two boxes in which the pencils were stuck into styrofoam to stay in place.
The flowers will be used as centerpieces for Chowdown, Big Brothers Big Sisters WI Shoreline’s annual culinary event being held at the Plymouth Arts Center on September 9. Visit their upcoming events page to purchase your tickets for the event. Big Brothers Big Sisters creates and supports one-to-one plus mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Their quality programs include a community-based program where Bigs and Littles spend weekly time together to connect children to personal growth and development, along with school-based programs that include a focus on social and future academic opportunities.
Providing Access to Healing (PATH) and Lakeshore Community Health Center joined us in the tent as well. These programs are designed to bring more stability and awareness to mental health. PATH, a United Way initiative, is a school-based mental health program that assists in creating increased access to services for youth by removing various financial and geographical barriers. Lakeshore Community Health Center’s mission is to eliminate disparities among the underserved through providing access to comprehensive and integrated healthcare, regardless of financial disparities. They offer medical, behavioral health, dental care, an in-house pharmacy, and support services.
Please join us in thanking the Hello Happiness Creativity Center, community partners Big Brothers Big Sisters Shoreline, PATH, and Lakeshore Community Health Center for helping the community flourish. Join us next week for more fun crafts and activities!
How Does Music Move You?
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
On Thursday, July 20, people came to the City Green to enjoy another Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert. The opening band was Cedarwell, an indie rock duo from Sheboygan. Headlining was the Julian Taylor Band, based in Toronto. These musicians brought the community together with their compelling live music.
At the STUDIO tent, artist Eileen Madden worked with the community to discover how music moves the people of Sheboygan. Having had a long history with printing-making, Madden brought to the tent a hand-printed poster that she designed in response to last year’s Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series. With this print, participating community members learned how to fold the poster into a zine—a mini eight-page book. Inside of the booklet, people were instructed to answer the question, “How does music move you?”
Throughout the concert, community members shared how music moves them. Here are a few examples of what people shared,
“Music is reciprocal. Music is generosity. Music goes back and forth”
“Music inspires me. Music connects me to my memories. I love being in a room of strangers that all know the words to the same song. Music, especially live music, is a magical connector of people.”
“Music makes me think. Music is like weather…always changing.”
“Music is fun and makes me feel good. Music makes me happy!”
“Play. Dance. Love. Sing.”
“Music makes me feel alive! It makes me feel better when I’m blue and gives me an extra charge when I’m happy! Music makes us human – and is a universal language – uniting us all!”
The finished zines were placed on a shelf in the tent, which were then moved into the Social STUDIO following the concert.
When asked about what got her into printmaking, Madden noted her continuous love for everything to do with books and paper. She shared that she used to take bookbinding classes in a studio next to a print studio, but soon wanted to create something to put on the pages.
“We have so much text in front of us all the time, both electronic and on paper, and I love the chance to make something that hopefully gets the viewer/reader to slow down and think about not only what’s on the page, but how it got there,” Madden shared.
However, what inspired Madden to create this project was the interactive aspect. There are many different takes that can be showcased throughout a zine to make it unique.
“It’s nice to see something I made turn in to so many different, and personal, things,” Madden voiced.
Madden asked the community through her print, “How does music move you?” To her own inquiry, she responded “I’ve heard that our sense of smell is the strongest sense memory we have, but I don’t know if music isn’t a more powerful one for me. A song can take me right back to an event, a place, a relationship … Music is kind of a time machine for me. There are so many songs that just transport me. How people working together can bring a song into the world. It’s magical.”
Madden also collaborated with community partner Dementia Care Network to share the powerful impacts that music creates. Dementia Care Network also spread information about the SPARK! program, an engagement-focused activityprogram for those with memory loss offered by JMKAC.
We thank Eileen Madden and community partner Dementia Care Network for creating awareness and spreading the importance of music to the community, as well as Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers and Ampersand Supply Co. here in Sheboygan for supporting the printing and for the modern creation of one of the printing blocks. We hope to see you again next week!
Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 – The Remember Love Recovery Project
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
At the 53rd annual Midsummer Festival of the Arts July 15 and 16, friends and families gathered to partake in live music, food trucks, and many displays of art. More than 100 juried artist booths offered original works of art for sale, and the crowd enjoyed roaming performers, art-making activities, and free live concerts.
As part of the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series, singer/songwriter KAT HIL, originally from Sheboygan, opened the concert on Saturday, July 15. Following HIL was headliner Wheatus, a rock band from New York City, known for their early 2000s hit song “Teenage Dirtbag”. On Sunday, July 16, opening band Fox Menagerie, a “pop reimagined” group from Fox Valley, Wisconsin, kicked off the concert with some popular covers. And at 2:00 p.m., headliner De La Buena, from Milwaukee, entertained the audience with Afro Cuban/Latin jazz tunes.
At the STUDIO tent, artist Patty Bode connected with the community to spread awareness about addiction disorder recovery. Bode created the Remember Love Recovery Project in remembrance of her son, Ryan Bode Moriarty, who died of an accidental heroin overdose in 2018. She shared that Ryan was an artist, musician, and T-shirt designer who created the Remember Love design, which could be seen on the stickers and pins that were offered to the community. Participating community members were encouraged to design a recovery flag with the focus of love, hope, gratitude, and forgiveness. Materials such as paint, fabric, and markers were set out for participants to use. People of all ages participated in the Remember Love Recovery Project, emphasizing the idea that human connection is essential to recovery.
Prior to the weekend, Bode joined JKMAC on Thursday and Friday offering Recovery Flag workshops at Mental Health America Lakeshore, Lighthouse Recovery Community Center, and Rogers Behavioral Health. Resources from these places were then shared over the weekend. Flags from these workshops were hung amongst those who participated over the weekend. Koke Mailo-Podewils joined us on Sunday to capture footage of the event and spread positive vibes. Check out one of his videos!
Bode said that her goal with the Remember Love Recovery Project is to destigmatize addiction disorder. She shared, “To remember love affirms the full humanity of those with addiction disorder and the people who care about them. To remember love removes associations of shame or disgrace.”
Above all, Bode said, she wants the community to be left with the message that her son, Ryan, left with us. “Remember Love.”
For those who donated theirs to Bode’s cause, the flags were hung on each side of the tent with twine and clothespins. Bode said that she plans on taking these flags to Washington, D.C. to spread awareness about addiction recovery.
We thank Patty Bode, Mental Health America, Lighthouse Recovery Community Center, Rogers Behavioral Health, and all those who took time to learn about the project and create a Recovery Flag. Join us again on Thursday, July 20, for more live music and enlightening art!
Animal Inspired Collaging
Written by JMKAC volunteer, Lana Burling
The third Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert of the season was held on Thursday, July 6. From Nashville, Tennessee, opening band Adrian + Meredith , a Polka inspired folk/swing duo, and headliner Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway , a Grammy Award-wining bluegrass band, had the crowd on their feet dancing to the upbeat music.
Meanwhile in the STUDIO tent, the community was welcomed to participate once again in a collaborative art piece aiming to explore their kinship with the land, with other creatures, and with each other. Artist Sara Willadsenand community partner Humane Society of Sheboygan County collaborated to engage the community in exploring their relationships with animals. JMKAC staff and volunteers helped in setting up the tent space by hanging a plastic netting where finished pieces would later be displayed. In front of net, participating community members were provided a base to work on and instructed to create an animal-inspired collage. There were images of pet’s people submitted beforehand, recycled pages from animal books and magazines, and a variety of colorful paper organized in white bins. The collages were then returned and hung up on the plastic netting and showcased to the community throughout the run of the concert.
When making the collages, Willadsen encouraged participants to reflect on the animal’s features and characteristics, and how it made them feel. Community members were also invited to write down a specific memory that they had with an animal and place it in the box provided. With three cats herself, Willadsen said she truly values animals and aims to encourage others to find that value, as well.
Willadsen said she turned to collages because of how simple and easily-accessible they are. She mentioned how they are fun and easy for all ages.
“Anyone can make a collage,” Willadsen said. “I find it very inspiring to see all the different visions and creativity behind each collage.”
Of course, not only are collages an activity that anyone can partake in, but they benefit the environment simultaneously. Many of the elements in the collages were scraps from a trash bin in an art classroom, or leftover pieces from an ongoing art project. Such elements can really be gathered from anywhere, she said, and by putting them into a collage, the community was able to recycle the pieces by creating something meaningful.
The collaborative artwork showcased many different perspectives about our relationships with animals.
Please join us in thanking Sara Willadsen and Humane Society of Sheboygan County for encouraging us to reflect on our experiences and relationships with animals in nature. We hope to see you next week for more delicious food, live music, and engaging art!
Exploring Our Surroundings Through Cyanotype Prints
At the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concerts on June 29, the audience jammed out to the 2023 Get the Gig Winner, Sheboygan-based alternative band the Chapped Lips, along with headliner Delgres, a blues/folk trio from Paris, France.
While the music played, the community was invited to explore their kinship with the land in the STUDIO Tent. There, Chicago-based artist Sarah Rose led a series of art-making activities showcasing creative uses for cyanotype prints, also known as sun prints. Cyanotype is a 170-year-old monochrome photographic printing process which results in a cyan-blue print.
Rose and a small group of staff and interns from JMKAC and the Glacial Lakes Conservancy visited Willow Creek Preserve earlier in the morning, where they made cyanotype prints using grasses and other flora found on the property. These prints formed the basis of the activities during the concert. There, JMKAC staff and interns assisted the community to create buttons and hand-stitch sketchbook covers using the prints. They also demonstrated the process of making cyanotypes and encouraged the community to make field notes about their surroundings to include in the sketchbooks.
Rose, who is one of five artists featured in our current exhibition Regional Responses to the Art Preserve, said that the STUDIO tent project was influenced by her individual practice as a research-based environmental artist. Her work is “informed by local flora handbooks, scientific journals, and her Midwest surroundings,” according to her website. She said she was also inspired by Anna Atkins, an English botanical artist who was the first person to illustrate a book with photographic images, titled Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, published in 1843.
While the community created objects using the prints, Glacial Lakes Conservancy representatives shared more about their organization, focusing on Land Trust Days, a series of events hosted by land trusts July through September. These events are presented by Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s alliance of more than 40 land trusts, which promote the protection of vital land and water resources.
Please join us in thanking Sarah Rose and Glacial Lakes Conservancy for helping us explore our environments and capturing them in the STUDIO tent. Stay tuned for more thought-provoking art-making opportunities in the weeks to come!
Love Yourself, Love Others
Written by JMKAC Volunteer, Lana Burling
Friends and families gathered at the City Green on Thursday, June 22 to enjoy live music, food trucks, and engaging art at the first Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series concert of the season. The Periodicals, a rock, R&B, and soul band from Madison, Wisconsin, opened at the concert, livening the audience with some vibrant tunes. Following them was the headline act, artist Tami Neilson, a country and soul singer from New Zealand. Audience members of all ages enjoyed dancing along to Neilson’s lively songs and powerful voice.
Not only did the community enjoy free live music, they also contributed to a collaborative art-making project that tied in with the Arts Center’s current theme, Considering Kin, exploring the concept of kinship with the land, with other creatures, and with each other.
In the Social Studio tent, Milwaukee artist Nehemiah Edwards and community organization Sheboygan Outreach Collective worked with the community to create a collaborative piece titled United in Love. The artwork is composed of two wooden hearts covered in thick textured paint, hanging from metal chains. Participating community members painted one heart blue to represent kindness to oneself, and the other heart red to represent outward kindness. This concept was created by Edwards, who wanted to display love and kindness within this piece, as he believes that such values are key to solving problems.
When asked why he chose the colors red and blue, Edwards responded, “Blood that is the color blue has yet to be exposed,—this blood is still inside of us. But when blood is the color red, it has now been exposed to the outside. This would represent that idea of inward and outward kindness.”
Edwards also noted that he feels the color red is bold and fierce, whereas blue is more peaceful and calm. People were also encouraged to take a paper heart and write a letter of kindness to oneself or to someone else. Many even made these hearts into necklaces and wore them for the duration of the concert.
The artwork displayed was especially engaging and captivated many with its message. We hope you’ll come to the next concert to engage with more artists, community organizations, and each other.