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Historic Cedarburg: Then and now commemorates aspects of our city's well-preserved past that find meaningful, new uses in the 21st century. Mills, homes, and other historic landmarks are not relics but buildings repurposed with new uses in Cedarburg. Three jurors independently scored artist submissions resulting in this competitive exhibition of 31 works. 

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Many of the artworks in the “Historic Cedarburg” exhibition illustrate historic buildings and places that still serve the community in re-purposed ways.  However, one building that continues in its original use is illustrated in a mixed media work by Julianne Hunter, “If These Walls Could Talk.” The Mequon artist imagines all the conversations that have taken place since 1886 in the iconic barber shop on Washington Avenue.  The artist’s text illustrates conversations of mundane and then-current events that are well integrated with an acrylic painting that also has a three-dimensional surprise element. This artwork garnered the Best of Show award from the jurors for its originality, technical execution, and apt illustration of the exhibition theme.  

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West Bend artist Doug Witz’s small sculptural environment takes a building from Cedarburg’s recent past, the Cedarburg General Store Museum, and re-creates a scene from the corner of Spring Street and Washington Avenue with his miniature polymer clay figures and backdrop. His figures are life-like with their whimsical quirks. Witz’s sculptural work earned a second place award.

 

A watercolor with photographic qualities by Neenah artist Kathryn Wedge highlights an everyday, utilitarian object from Cedarburg’s main street.  Her “City of Cedarburg” painting in muted tones recreates a detailed view of the sidewalk grates surrounding the urban tree plantings on Washington Avenue and earned a third place award.

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The Paul and Philia Hayes Fund also provided three honorable mention awards, each for $50 gift certificates to Blick Art Materials. Honorable Mention designees are Patti Doughman, Cedarburg; Karla Fuller, Oconomowoc; and Jerry Steingraeber, Mequon.  

Patti Doughman’s nostalgic mixed media sculptural work incorporates an antique Ritter’s Soda Beverages bottle morphing into a soda jerk presenting a carbonated beverage ice cream drink in a simplified soda shop environment.  Fuller’s encaustic collage work integrates a vintage photo of a historic Cedarburg store front along with a Cedarburg postmark and more into a unified statement. Steingraeber merges a present day historical marker of Cedarburg’s interurban bridge with the historic commuter rail car crossing through the bridge by transitioning vibrant colors for present-day to ghosted tones for the historic portion.

Most all the works in “Historic Cedarburg: Then & Now” are for sale with the exhibition running through December 23.

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Exhibition and awards made possible with generous support from the Paul and Philia Hayes Fund.

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Artists featured in this exhibition: Nancee Ariagno, Chris Behrs, Lori Beringer, Diane Boer-Henke, Erin Callahan Blum, Patrick Doughman, Patti Doughman, Tom Ferguson, Karla Fuller, Judith Gahn Murphy, Susan Hale, Julianne Hunter, Bruce Hustad, Martin Keey, Les Leffingwell, Christine Miller, Mary Ellen Mueller, Hal Rammel, Vicki Reed, Lynn Rix, Deb Rolfs, Lynne Ruehl, Pamela Ruschman, Michelle Savas Thompson, Jenny Kyle Smith, Jerry Steingraeber, Fred Thorne, Clary Wamhoff, Kathryn Wedge, Doug Witz, Peggy Wright