2019 Award Winners
Herb Johnson, in addition to a judge’s honorable mention, earned the 2019 People's Choice Award at the recent Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove. The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by VIVA Gallery Artist Cooperative of Viroqua, is selected each year by festival attendees
2019 Art Festival winners announced
Winds and rain threatened but did not discourage several thousand art lovers and the 78 visual artists who brought a wide variety of works from across the Driftless region. The 15th annual Driftless Area Art Festival, Sept 21 – 22 in Soldiers Grove, had something for everyone and some special awards for both professional and youth artists.
The 2019 award for Best in Show went to Amy Arnold of Viroqua, who creates human and animal figurative wood sculptures. She and her husband Kelsey Sauber Olds, a custom furniture artist, have been collaborating since 2012 in exploring a balance between human and animal; wild and tame; crude and refined; movement and stability; humor and seriousness; adult and child; toy and art object. The award, sponsored by J Gallery Interior Design Studio, La Crosse, recognizes overall excellence in both the art and the artistic presentation.
The panel of judges also gave Merit awards, sponsored by State Street Gallery in La Crosse, to Dan Weimer and Jill Johnson. Weimer, a painter from Red Wing, MN, combines acrylics and watercolor to create unique, stylized landscapes. Johnson, of River Winds Farm and Fiber in Blair Wisconsin, creates colorful hangings with the wool from her Cormo and Bluefaced Leicester sheep.
Earning judges’ honorable mentions were John Craig, Toril Fisher, Wayne Ferra & Mya Madden, and Herb Johnson. John Craig, of Soldiers Grove is known for his whimsical photo montages that focus on historical “happenings” in the Driftless region. Toril Fisher, of La Farge, focuses her acrylic paintings on nature. Maya Madden and Wayne Farra use themes from nature to create one-of-a-kind pieces at their No Rules Jewelry in Lone Rock, WI.
Herb Johnson, in addition to a judge’s honorable mention, also earned the 2019 People's Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by VIVA Gallery Artist Cooperative of Viroqua, is selected each year by festival attendees. A metalsmith from Alma, WI., Johnson builds original handcrafted metal sculptures with nature themes. (photo above)
Young artists won another set of awards, presented in the Youth Art tent. Blue ribbons were won by artists in three categories, grade 1-3, 4-6, and 7-8. The three artists will each receive a $25 check and framed copies of their pieces. The original works will be sold at live auction during the 2020 Festival, with proceeds going to each artist’s school. This year’s live auction netted a record $3,450, to benefit the art programs in the Stoddard and Kickapoo Schools. That brings the total to $15,312 art lovers have contributed to school art programs since 2010.
The 2019 Blue ribbon winners included first grader Flynn Mendygral, of Kickapoo School in Viola. His teacher is Heather Martin. Another blue ribbon went to fifth grader Felicity Mitchell of St. Charles School in Genoa. Her teacher is Meg Buchner. A third blue ribbon went to eighth grader Emma Schmidt of North Crawford School in Gays Mills. Her teacher is Brandie Myhre. In a new category, 3-D Art, Perpetua Mitchell of St. Charles in Genoa won a blue ribbon. Her teacher is Meg Buchner.
High school students also exhibited their works and, from among 30 paintings and drawings, 12th grader Ava Brosinski of De Soto High School won the First place ribbon and a check for $75. A second-place ribbon and a check for $50 went to Gracie Miller of Kickapoo High School in Viola; and Marieke Kuchenbecker, an exchange student from Germany studying at DeSoto High School, won a third-place ribbon and a check for $25. Lindsey Kuennen is the art teacher at De Soto. Heather Martin teaches at Viola Kickapoo High School.
Major funding Partners for the two-day festival include Peoples State Bank, Village of Soldiers Grove and its Community Development Corporation, Crawford County, Go Macro, Community Development Alternatives Inc., and Wisconsin Public Radio. Benefactors include J Company Design Studio, La Crosse Tent and Awning, Organic Valley Family of Farms, Richland Grant Telephone Cooperative, Rooted Spoon Culinary, Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative, Sleepy Hollow Auto, Star Valley Flowers, plus many other sponsors at the Patron and Supporter levels.
Winds and rain threatened but did not discourage several thousand art lovers and the 78 visual artists who brought a wide variety of works from across the Driftless region. The 15th annual Driftless Area Art Festival, Sept 21 – 22 in Soldiers Grove, had something for everyone and some special awards for both professional and youth artists.
The 2019 award for Best in Show went to Amy Arnold of Viroqua, who creates human and animal figurative wood sculptures. She and her husband Kelsey Sauber Olds, a custom furniture artist, have been collaborating since 2012 in exploring a balance between human and animal; wild and tame; crude and refined; movement and stability; humor and seriousness; adult and child; toy and art object. The award, sponsored by J Gallery Interior Design Studio, La Crosse, recognizes overall excellence in both the art and the artistic presentation.
The panel of judges also gave Merit awards, sponsored by State Street Gallery in La Crosse, to Dan Weimer and Jill Johnson. Weimer, a painter from Red Wing, MN, combines acrylics and watercolor to create unique, stylized landscapes. Johnson, of River Winds Farm and Fiber in Blair Wisconsin, creates colorful hangings with the wool from her Cormo and Bluefaced Leicester sheep.
Earning judges’ honorable mentions were John Craig, Toril Fisher, Wayne Ferra & Mya Madden, and Herb Johnson. John Craig, of Soldiers Grove is known for his whimsical photo montages that focus on historical “happenings” in the Driftless region. Toril Fisher, of La Farge, focuses her acrylic paintings on nature. Maya Madden and Wayne Farra use themes from nature to create one-of-a-kind pieces at their No Rules Jewelry in Lone Rock, WI.
Herb Johnson, in addition to a judge’s honorable mention, also earned the 2019 People's Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by VIVA Gallery Artist Cooperative of Viroqua, is selected each year by festival attendees. A metalsmith from Alma, WI., Johnson builds original handcrafted metal sculptures with nature themes. (photo above)
Young artists won another set of awards, presented in the Youth Art tent. Blue ribbons were won by artists in three categories, grade 1-3, 4-6, and 7-8. The three artists will each receive a $25 check and framed copies of their pieces. The original works will be sold at live auction during the 2020 Festival, with proceeds going to each artist’s school. This year’s live auction netted a record $3,450, to benefit the art programs in the Stoddard and Kickapoo Schools. That brings the total to $15,312 art lovers have contributed to school art programs since 2010.
The 2019 Blue ribbon winners included first grader Flynn Mendygral, of Kickapoo School in Viola. His teacher is Heather Martin. Another blue ribbon went to fifth grader Felicity Mitchell of St. Charles School in Genoa. Her teacher is Meg Buchner. A third blue ribbon went to eighth grader Emma Schmidt of North Crawford School in Gays Mills. Her teacher is Brandie Myhre. In a new category, 3-D Art, Perpetua Mitchell of St. Charles in Genoa won a blue ribbon. Her teacher is Meg Buchner.
High school students also exhibited their works and, from among 30 paintings and drawings, 12th grader Ava Brosinski of De Soto High School won the First place ribbon and a check for $75. A second-place ribbon and a check for $50 went to Gracie Miller of Kickapoo High School in Viola; and Marieke Kuchenbecker, an exchange student from Germany studying at DeSoto High School, won a third-place ribbon and a check for $25. Lindsey Kuennen is the art teacher at De Soto. Heather Martin teaches at Viola Kickapoo High School.
Major funding Partners for the two-day festival include Peoples State Bank, Village of Soldiers Grove and its Community Development Corporation, Crawford County, Go Macro, Community Development Alternatives Inc., and Wisconsin Public Radio. Benefactors include J Company Design Studio, La Crosse Tent and Awning, Organic Valley Family of Farms, Richland Grant Telephone Cooperative, Rooted Spoon Culinary, Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative, Sleepy Hollow Auto, Star Valley Flowers, plus many other sponsors at the Patron and Supporter levels.
The 2019 award for Best in Show, at the recent Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove, went to Amy Arnold of Viroqua, who creates human and animal figurative wood sculptures. The award, sponsored by J Gallery Interior Design Studio, La Crosse, recognizes overall excellence in both the art and the artistic presentation.
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Perpetua Mitchell of St. Charles in Genoa won a blue ribbon in a new category, 3-D Art, for her sculpture exhibited in the KidsArt Gallery during the recent Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove. Her teacher is Meg Buchner.
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