The finished artwork has 3 pieces. It is located with the “Holiday Memories” display. You can place a bid for it at the front desk. This is a fundraiser.

Chair City chairs waiting to be recreated into Art Chairs.

I took my chair to UW Milwaukee art studios to look for a composition that would best feature my chair.

The shadow of the chair looked so beautiful to me! I traced it and decided to create a shadow that could talk about the chair’s history.

The shadow shape is constructed with plastic canvas, which I used as a foundation.

Sewing the plastic canvas shadow together.

I generated a list of events that happened at the armory, starting with 1942 when it was dedicated. I used a website, asheboyganarmory.wordpress.com, and I also went to the Sheboygan County Historical Records office in Sheboygan Falls. Then I made labels for each event, color-coding for each decade.

Before weaving the labels, I captured an image from each decade. Yellow labels for the 1940’s…

…the 1960’s were very busy at the Armory. There were so may teen events….

Labels for the final events at the Sheboygan Armory, from 2010 until its demolition.

Weaving the labels to find the best plan.

This is the pattern that I chose to use. I thought it showed enough of the text to revive memories in viewers who had experiences at the armory.

Weaving on the table at home. It was very sticky! Also quite exciting, at a snail’s pace, to see how I could handle the challenges of bringing the loose ends together around the negative spaces.

The finished shadow! I really enjoy this finished part. I think it would be be very nice all by itself, maybe hung on the wall.

This is the painting that I included in my piece. It is framed and ready to hang.

The Sheboygan County Historical Museum threw a Garden Party for the artists this summer. There are 12 chairs all together, and they are each so unique and creative!

Honoring the Sheboygan Armory

“The Host: A Tribute to the Sheboygan Armory”

This 3-part piece was sold by silent auction at the SCM’s “Holiday Memories” display.

A recent project has been my submission to the Sheboygan County Historical Museum’s “Chair City Art Chair” fundraiser. I received an Armory chair, and I created a piece that involved the history of events at the Sheboygan Armory. I titled my piece “The Host: A Tribute to the Sheboygan Armory.” It involves a painting, the chair itself, and a colorful “shadow” that tells about the many events held at the armory. It was enjoyable to research the history of the armory, and to imagine the buzz that has surrounded this particular chair. I color-coded labels for each decade of events and activities held at the armory, then wove them into a shadow shape. You might enjoy looking into this gallery of images if you participated in the armory’s history. Even if you never heard of the place, I hope that you will appreciate the wonderful community spirit that my piece honors.