Main Street Art Works, LLC

gallery hours:   Fridays 1-7   Saturdays/Sundays 11-4
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Living on the Edge of our Common Ground
  Celebrating the Niagara Escarpment

Introduce your family to the history, geology, biology and fragile beauty of the ancient stony ledge just beneath your feet.

Watch for Kid-Friendly Events.
Download our Student Field Trip flyer: [PDF 90KB]

All events are free and open to the public.


OPENING NIGHT
Friday April 21, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Shawn PostellConcert, Hilbert High School
1139 Milwaukee Street, Hilbert
Elements, a musical look at the building blocks of our environment, composed and conducted by Shawn Postell and performed by Hilbert High School students.

Opening ReceptionArt Opening Reception, Immediately following the concert
Main Street Art Works, 627 W Main, Hilbert
Merchant Haus Gallery, 525 W Main, Hilbert
Opening reception for Common Ground Environmental Art Exhibit developed by Francis Hardy Center for the Arts, Ephraim, WI. Also work by local artists on the theme of the Niagara Escarpment.
Gallery is handicap accessible.


Saturday, April 22 - EARTH DAY
Main Street Art Works, 627 W Main, Hilbert
Merchant Haus Gallery, 525 W Main, Hilbert

11:00 a.m. Willow basketry demonstration by Judy Treichel, using natural willow from the wetlands of the escarpment.

12:00 p.m. Clay demonstration by Rick McKinney, Fired Earth Pottery, Appleton, using mud from the earth to extract clay and then pottery.

1:00 p.m. Gallery Talk by juror, Gail Panske, Prof of Art, UW-Oshkosh. Plus other artists from the more than 80 Common Ground exhibitors will discuss their work and their deep connections to "the Ledge".


WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, April 26 to May 24
Science Presentations Series

April 26, Main Street Art Works. 6:00 p.m., Chamomile Nusz, Executive Director of Citizens Energy Cooperative of Wisconsin, presents "Bringing Renewable Energy Home" - Learn how a new renewable energy cooperative is increasing use of inexhaustible, native, non-polluting solar energy around the state. 7:00 p.m., Kathleen Beck, discusses her work as an eggshell artist and some surprising things you can learn about owls by opening their pellets. Other exhibiting artists also talk about the inspriation of the escarpment on their work. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 3, 6:00 p.m. Main Street Art Works. Marcia Bjornerud, Lawrence University Geologist, presents "Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth". There's meaning in what the rocks have to say and she shows us how to listen closely. Guests are encouraged to bring rocks to be identified. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 10, 7:00 p.m. Ledge View Nature Center, Chilton. Rain Gardens presentation by Sarah Johnson of Landmark Landscaping, Sheboygan Falls; an ecological landscape firm. Learn how gardening can help keep our groundwater clean.

May 10, 7:00 p.m. Main Street Art Works, Hilbert. Native American Traditions along the escarpment brought to life by Herman Bender.

May 17, 7:00 p.m. Main Street Art Works, Hilbert. Julie Heuvelman, Calumet County Planning, and Eugene McLeod, Calumet County environmentalist, talk about how land use and water quality are affected by our common ground, the Niagara Escarpment.

May 24, 7:00 p.m. High Cliff State Park Museum. Mindy Ochs and Mike Nast of Western Lime discuss the escarpment's mineral resources, the need to balance what we take out vs. allowing some for the future, and talk about mining reclamation with examples of mines that have been reclaimed.


THURSDAY EVENINGS, April 27 to May 25
Family Science Presentations Series

April 27, 6:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Steve Ugoretz, Wisconsin DNR Office of Energy in Madison, presents issues related to the impacts of wind and other energy sources on our wildlife.

April 27, 7:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Richard Nikolai, Wisconsin DNR, will bring you closer to the wildlife of the Niagara Escarpment. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 4, 7:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Exhibiting artists talk about finding inspiration for their work in the Niagara Escarpment.

May 4, 7:00 p.m., High Cliff State Park. Park superintendent, Joe Hennlich whets your appetitie for recreation in every season here at Wisconsin's third most popular park.

May 11, 7:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Susan Courter, geologist, author, and creator of Everyday Rocks! - a science enrichment program for students, will share rock and mineral specimens used to clean and protect our teeth. Young visitors will want to stick around to concoct their own batch of toothpaste. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 18, 7:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Darcy Kind, Conservation Biologist with WI DNR, alerts us to threatened rare species and natural systems on the Niagara Escarpment. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 25, 7:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Exhibiting artists talk about the influence of the Niagara Escarpment on their work.


FRIDAYS, April 28 to May 26
Art Events for Kids

April 28, 10:00 a.m., repeated 11:00 a.m., Main Street Art Works. Matt Welter, Curator of Education - Neville Public Museum of Brown County leads children in making drawings, making spider movements, learning basics about spiders. Children encouraged to bring a live spider or bug in a jar for identification. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 5, 1:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. The Story Hat with storyteller, teacher and director, Karen Kersten. Stories about our favorite animals brought to life with puppets, audience participation and dramatic style. Kid-Friendly Event!

May 12, 1:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Carve a sand sculpture with art teacher Mary O'Leary while learning about weathering effects on rock. Take home your artwork. Kid-Friendly Event!


Special Presentations and Outdoor Events

Saturday, April 29, 9:00 a.m., High Cliff State Park. Annual Arbor Day Tree Planting with Naturalist, Cynthia Mueller. Please pre-register for free lunch by calling the park office at 920-989-1106. This is also High Cliff's Park Cleanup Day - help clean up anytime 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Farm TourSaturday and Sunday April 29 and 30. Tour two environmentally active farms. 9:00 a.m. to noon, visit Holsum Dairy, see how they turn manure into electricity, and other escarpment-friendly practices, N5701 Irish Road, Hilbert, 920-849-1133. Visit Grassway Farm, N600 Plymouth Trail, New Holstein, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., an organic farming operation that raises grass-fed cattle, pigs, turkeys, and free-range chickens. Organic farm store carries their own organic meats and eggs, 920-894-4201. Kid-Friendly Event!

Saturday, May 6, 2:00 p.m., Main Street Art Works. Poetry reading by Ellen Kort, award winning former poet-laureate of the State of Wisconsin, who believes poetry should be visible to all. With music by Dennis Hawk.

Brillion Historical SocietySunday, May 7, noon to 3:00 p.m., Brillion Historical Society, N Francis Street, Brillion, presents a quilt turn. Hear the stories behind stacks of quilts covering a bed frame from an old lime kiln camp. Also exhibit of economic history of lime kilns in Calumet County. 920-756-9294

Saturday, May 13, 11:00 a.m., Main Street Art Works. Dr. Tom Pleger, associate professor of anthropology/archaeology and associate campus dean at University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley presents Prehistoric Site Investigation. How do archaeologists recover information about the past and how do they know how old something is? This presentation examines the science of archaeology and how archaeologists interpret humanity's prehistory.

High Cliff State ParkSaturday, May 13, 1:30 p.m., High Cliff State Park. Paula Rosch leads a walk among the effigy mounds built by ancient people who lived on the ledge. Kid-Friendly Event!

Saturday, May 20, 5:00 p.m., Ledge View Nature Center. Eric Fowle, Executive Director - East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, presents the "Great Arc Initiative", a joint effort between Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada to preserve and protect the Niagara Escarpment. Includes visual tour along the length of the great arc.

LuncheonSaturday, May 20, Village Hearthstone Restaurant, Main Street, Hilbert. Luncheon and Heritage Fashion Show featuring models wearing clothing from the Civil War to the mid-sixties. Narrated by Cynthia Mueller, naturalist, High Cliff State Park, with early 1900s images of the park. After the show, attendees are invited to High Cliff for a tour of the museum. For tickets ($10) and information, call Julie Heuvelman, 920-849-1493 ext 200.

Saturday, May 20, 1:00 p.m., Ledge View Nature Center, Chilton. Tour The Caves of Ledge View with a geologist and cavers from the Wisconsin Speleological Society. Tour begins with a fast-moving 30 min. slide show on caves and caving, followed by a cave tour with globe trotting geologist Roger Kuhns. Once underground, see cave discovery in action as the Wisconsin Speleological Society shows off thier digging prowess. Join in and help uncover more of the secrets of the caves of Ledge View! Gloves, headlamp or flashlight, and a change of clothes are highly recommended. Call 920-849-7094. Kid-Friendly Event!

Brillion Nature CenterSunday, May 21, noon, Brillion Nature Center, Deer View Road, Brillion. Learn why our wetlands are essential to the escarpment environment. Presented by BNC naturalist. Information: 920-756-3591.

Saturday, May 27, 1:00 p.m., Ledge View Nature Center, Chilton. Learn about Wisconsin caves with Calumet County cavers. Then go underground for a tour of the maze of caves under the escarpment at Ledge View Nature Center. Call 920-849-7094. Kid-Friendly Event!

Weekends during the event: Bike ride along the escarpment with Jim Papadopoulus. Dates and times TBA. Check back here for details.


GRAND FINALE

Niagara EscarpmentMultimedia Light Show on the Escarpment
Friday, May 19, Saturday May 20
Friday, May 26, Saturday, May 27

8:30 p.m.
, Ledge View Nature Center, Chilton.

Pamela Vasquez Light ShowGeological history comes to light on a 7-story cliff as projection artist, Pamela Vasquez presents "Behind the Layers," an interpretation of the Niagara Escarpment. Seated in the natural amphitheater of an abandoned quarry, viewers will watch a fossil figure transform from the oldest record of time, narrated by Dr. Joanne Kluessendorf, geologist and director of Weis Earth Science Museum, Menasha. Don't miss this Grand Finale to our celebration. Bring your camp chair.

Ledge View Nature CenterVisitors are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the exhibits in the Ledge View Nature Center. "Beneath the Layers" is free and open to the public. Brats and snacks will be available for purchase.

Information: 920-849-7094. Kid-Friendly Event!




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©2006 Main Street Art Works, LLC