Between Fences Sites
These six sites in Wisconsin were selected for the Between Fences 2007-2008 tour.
For a map of the tour sites and dates click here.
Waupaca - September 15 - October 27, 2007
Waupaca is a city of 5,500 people in central Wisconsin and is the economic hub of another 10,000 people in neighboring townships and villages. The beautiful Chain O'Lakes natural area and the historic Wisconsin Veterans Home draw tourists to the area. The Waupaca Area Public Library and several community organizations will host the Between Fences exhibition in their newly remodeled Exhibit Room in the lower level of the library. Waupaca is celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2007 and will incorporate the exhibition into their celebration. Area artists are creating works with a fence theme, third grade students will participate in a photo essay project, a film series will be held at the library, and a community reads project is planned. Additionally, Winchester Academy will host a lecture series about the invisible fences communities create.
Hales Corners - November 3 - December 15, 2007
Hales Corners is a close-knit community of almost 8,000 in southeastern Wisconsin. The Stahl-Conrad Homestead, a historical society, will host the exhibition in their restored farmhouse and barn, original examples of typical nineteenth-century rural structures. The Homestead's mission focuses on restoration of the land as well as the buildings, which will become a museum. Homestead partners include the Village of Hales Corners, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, Hales Corners Historical Society, Hales Corners Chamber of Commerce, Whitnall Area Public Schools, Hales Corners Lutheran School, and Hales Corners Library, which will collaborate with the Homestead to present programs and exhibits. They will explore the land as it was before settlement, the impact of the rapid transit on commerce in the village, the "border wars" that account for incorporation of the village as a separate municipality, and the impact of roads--past, current, and proposed--on village lives and businesses.
La Farge - January 11 - February 16, 2008
La Farge is a small village located in the beautiful Kickapoo Valley in west-central Wisconsin. It is the home to Organic Valley Family of Farms, America's largest organic food cooperative. The Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR), located just north of La Farge, is comprised of nearly 8,600 acres of land that was purchased in the 1960s and '70s for a federal flood control project. That land now is used for educational and recreational activities by the thousands who visit the Reserve each year. The KVR Visitor Center, with a scenic view of the river, hosts many educational and cultural events in the valley. The Friends of the Reserve plan to highlight the unique stories of the people who were moved from their land for the flood control project in conjunction with the Between Fences exhibition. "The People Remember" project, which includes a collection of oral histories, a book published from those interviews, and the ongoing collection of photos from the former homesteads, will be part of the Between Fences exhibition at the Reserve.
Sauk Prairie - February 23 - April 5, 2008
Sauk City, population 3,229, and Prairie du Sac, population 3,310, are sister villages settled by Europeans in the 1830s and 40s. Together, they hug the western shore of the Wisconsin River. Boundaries and all they symbolize were important to the early culture of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, as they continue to be today in the community commonly referred to as Sauk Prairie. The River Arts Center, the primary venue for the exhibit, will use the Center's 500 seat theatre and large gallery space, as well as an exhibition space at the nearby Badger Army Ammunition Plant, to explore local issues of boundary, space and place. River Arts, Inc. River Arts Inc has developed a six-week exposition around the Between Fences exhibition that includes performances, films, art and historical exhibits, interactive educational exhibits, poetry slams, forums and Badger Ordnance tours.
Clear Lake - April 12 - May 24, 2008
Clear Lake is a village of 1,000 people located in Polk County in Western Wisconsin and named for the spring fed lake within its village limits. Clear Lake was founded in 1875 with the coming of the railroad and the expansion of timber logging. It is the home of Gaylor Nelson, founder of Earth Day and, thereby, has a longstanding dedication to land conservation and environmental concerns. The Clear Lake Area Community Center will host the Between Fences exhibition. The Center, a historic structure originally built for the Union Free High School, is now a community hub for educational, recreational, cultural, spiritual, and social activities. In hosting this exhibition, the Center will collaborate with the Clear Lake Public Library and the Clear Lake Museum to produce programs and activities that highlight local traditions of cooperation through work and recreation. A local photographic history project is being developed to mirror the Between Fences exhibition and depict changes in land use, economy, and sociology of the region over time. Activities planned include an opening Barn Dance, musical theatrical performance of Oklahoma, quilt show, book discussions, and photography and art displays.
