Did you know Monroe County has an amazing art gallery? I only discovered this after a Google search earlier this year. The search led me to the Antique Mall in Tomah, Wisconsin. Inside its walls lie a treasure trove of collectibles, but I was specifically searching for an art gallery located on the second floor.
My first visit was a bit confusing as the building didn't appear to have a second floor; I wondered if I was in the wrong place. As it turned out, I was! The gallery is actually located on the other side of the Antique Mall building; I would have known had I been reading the signs. Regardless, I enjoyed my stroll through the Antique Mall and admired some vintage GI Joe toys I desperately wanted as a child—truth be told, I still lingered over them, considering making a purchase. I came around a corner and discovered the Gift Shop below the art gallery. The gift shop features an eclectic collection of craft items and collectibles. After seeing several items I wanted to take home, I found the stairs leading to a fantastic collection of talented regional artists' works.
The Wildes Art Gallery boasts over 3,000 square feet of artwork by more than 40 regional artists. Here, you will find art from both amateurs and award-winning professionals, with pieces created in various mediums, including clay, watercolor, oils, acrylics, photography, and sculpture. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of artworks I encountered that day. Expect to spend at least an hour exploring and admiring the pieces. I made several laps of the gallery, discovering something new with each round. There is something for everyone—wildlife, landscapes, Americana, pottery, florals, woodcarving, photography, and mixed media. You will find something to buy here, I did.
During my most recent visit to the gallery, I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Sheitler, the general manager of The Antique Mall, and Beatrice Seely, the art gallery manager. They were gracious enough to chat and give me a gallery tour. Lisa mentioned that she believes the gallery is Monroe County's best-kept secret. Given its proximity to the interstate, many repeat customers traveling to northern Wisconsin frequent the Antique Mall, yet she often encounters locals unaware of its existence. I want to help change that; we are lucky to have a business like it here.
As we walked around the gallery, Lisa and Beatrice shared some of their favorite and noteworthy works with me. Lisa pointed out her favorite, the horse hair pottery by award-winning potter Kevin Mathews. I quickly agreed with her, as my wife and I loved this pottery when we visited. During the firing process, the pottery is removed from the kiln, and horse hair is placed upon it while it is still hot. The horsehair burns away, leaving dark carbon marks behind. It has what I can only describe as a lightning-like appearance across the surface of the pottery. It was unlike anything I had seen before, and I went home with one of Mr Mathews's works during this visit.
Michael Klafke is another noteworthy artist known for his remarkable wildlife paintings. His award-winning piece, "Drifters," portrays bison and prairie dogs interacting. Another shows a buck standing in a field with corn stalks in its horns—an image that made me smile, thinking about how the deer fell into this predicament. That work and others have appeared in magazines. Mr. Klafke is a very talented painter, and his work has a certain whimsy and humor that I enjoy.
Mary Singleton was a Tomah native whose folk art Americana paintings show scenes she remembered from her life. She has some Images of downtown Tomah, one showing horse-drawn circus wagons, which I can imagine were the Ringling Brothers Circus visiting from Baraboo. Unfortunately, Mary has passed away, but her works, like many artists' works, leave a memory of a time forgotten. This work gives us a glimpse of the Tomah Mary grew up in. I enjoyed looking at her art and finding all the details she gave us with her painted memories.
Jim Lynes is a Juneau County artist whose wood carvings are arranged throughout the gallery. An intricately carved bust of a Native American sits at one end of the gallery, and small wooden buildings can be found hanging on the walls around the gallery. The buildings trigger my imagination of the small creatures that may live there, overlooking and possibly protecting the art. They remind me of the tiny porcelain fairy houses my wife purchased at an art fair in The Walker Art Center Garden in Minneapolis last summer. I enjoy pieces that want to provoke the imagination. I have tried woodcarving and know its difficulty, so I greatly appreciate this work.
The gallery sells artwork on consignment, providing an excellent opportunity for local artists to showcase their work. The gallery does seek new artists who would like to sell their artwork, especially young artists. As Beatrice explained, many artists often believe their work needs to be better to showcase in a gallery, but that may not be true. It is worth a visit and speaking with Lisa or Beatrice to see if your work fits the gallery. While styles do not matter, they prefer to avoid works with darker themes. They are particularly looking for art that depicts the local area and are smaller, affordable pieces. Lisa told me wildlife paintings are less popular than ten years ago. People are more interested in landscapes and floral works. Subjects and styles of any kind will sell to the right person. Depending on your subject matter, it may be a while before that person enters the gallery. Beatrice suggests artists rotate their work regularly to provide different options to potential buyers and freshen the look of the gallery. If you want to sell your work here, call Beatrice and arrange an appointment to review your work and discuss your options.
I would like to see more people buying art for gifts. Before you run off to a department store or Amazon to purchase overpriced items for wedding or birthday gifts, consider buying artwork from a local artist. Lisa and I spoke about how meaningful an artwork can be over a stand mixer that will likely sit unused in a cupboard. Art can be a more personal gift, holding a deeper significance that you and your loved one share. Finding the right piece of art is more meaningful than grabbing a box off a shelf or clicking a button on your mobile device. I recommend visiting the Wildes Art Gallery with a loved one and paying attention to the pieces that attract them. You can return and buy a gift they will cherish forever and possibly pass down to future generations.
https://www.antiquemalloftomah.com/art-gallery/
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