“Luscious” Art Calendar to be Unveiled at 10-Year Retrospective Show

November 07, 2008
Karen Crossley, Director, 266-5915

The Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission will unveil the tenth edition of its iconic art calendar on November 10 during the opening reception for a unique show featuring reproductions of artwork from all ten desktop calendars. The exhibition, entitled Tenth Anniversary Art Calendar Retrospective, features the more than 50 professional artists and 130 reproduced artworks that have graced the calendars over the recent decade. The collection will be on display for three months in Madison at the Overture Center for the Arts’ Lower Level (in The Playhouse Lobby), beginning November 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009. “This beautiful retrospective showcases the beauty and talent we have in Dane County,” County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “These wonderful works of art will add so much to people’s Overture experience over the holidays.” Included in the show is the just-released 2009 calendar, titled and themed Luscious Landscapes. The calendar once again serves as a gift to Dane County citizens, highlighting arts, culture and beauty of the region. Just 9,000 limited-edition 2009 calendars are available to area residents and visitors at municipal halls throughout the county, designated retail locations in Madison, and the Cultural Affairs Commission office. The first edition 2000 Millennium Calendar, which featured artworks by notable Wisconsin artists, was produced by Lynne Watrous Eich, former director of the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission. Ms. Eich’s original intent was for the calendar to celebrate the local artists who had been featured the Commission’s signature art posters. She chose a diverse collection from throughout the years and compiled them in the 2000 Millennium Calendar. The gorgeous inaugural piece was so well received that the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission has produced a new calendar showcasing original art created by local artists every year since. The Commission’s name now is inextricably linked to the annual desktop art calendar, one of the Commission’s signature products. “I’m so pleased to continue this beloved annual tradition,” commented Karen Crossley, Cultural Affairs Commission director and successor to Ms. Eich. “The art calendar is a tangible reminder throughout the whole year of the vitality of Dane County’s landscapes and abundant talent of local artists.” The 2009 desktop art calendar again features fourteen works—one per month, plus a title page and flashy cover—by notable Wisconsin artists, many of whom were educated and reside in Dane County: Mark Arnold (Lodi, WI), Sarah Aslakson (Argyle, WI), Georgene Pomplun (Mount Horeb, WI), Linda Koenig (Black Earth, WI), John Sayers (Milwaukee, WI), Lee Weiss (Madison, WI), Jonathan Wilde (Belleville, WI), Doug Hatch (Monona, WI), S.V. Medaris (Mount Horeb, WI), Patrick Farrell (Milwaukee, WI), Leslie DeMuth (Lake Mills, WI), Dagny Quisling Myrah (Middleton, WI), and Larry Welo (Blue Mounds, WI). “I look forward to the art calendar every year,” said Madison resident Matt Wachter. “It is a Dane County icon.” Luscious Landscapes was produced by the commission with financial sponsorship from Alliant Energy and Madison Community Foundation; and it was designed by Phil Hamilton, emeritus professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Calendars, typically a popular holiday gift, may be purchased during weekday work hours at the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission Office, Room 421, City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Madison, 608-266-5915, www.culturalaffairscommission.com. In Madison, the following locations also have calendars available for sale: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin Academy’s Watrous Gallery, Wisconsin Historical Museum, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, Absolutely Art, Orange Tree Imports, Century House, Savoir Faire, Pucci’s Gallery, Fromagination, Prairie Café & Bakery, Manna Café & Bakery, and The Kitchen Gallery. Calendars are also available while the supply lasts at many city, village and town-halls county-wide. # # #