The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is an independent,

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

contemporary

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. A ...

and performing arts complex located in

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populatio ...

, United States.John Michael Kohler Arts Center
, Retrieved July 25, 2007 The center preserves and exhibits artist-built environments and contemporary art. In 2021, the center opened the Art Preserve, a satellite museum space dedicated to art environments.

History

The Arts Center was founded in 1967 by the Sheboygan Arts Foundation, Inc., which was renamed as the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Inc. The Sheboygan Arts Foundation, Inc. was created in 1959, and its first board included Mrs. Walter J. Kohler III. The house that originally comprised the Arts Center, built by

John Michael Kohler John Michael Kohler II (November 3, 1844 – November 5, 1900) was member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin and was a prosperous industrialist and mayor of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Kohler founded what later became known as the Kohler Company, a lar ...

, is the genesis of the Arts Center's name. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the '' John Michael Kohler House''. The Arts Center also operates the Art Preserve, a museum focused on the presentation and preservation of artist-built environments, which opened in June 2021. In 1966, the

Kohler Foundation The Kohler Foundation, Inc., is a philanthropic organization that works in the areas of art preservation, grants, scholarships, and performing arts. History Kohler Foundation was founded in 1940 by Evangeline Kohler, Marie Christine Kohler, Lilli ...

donated the Kohler family homestead to the Sheboygan Arts Foundation, Inc. for use as an arts center. The center was established the following year and has been expanded twice to now comprise including eight galleries, classrooms, studio spaces, two performance spaces, a shop, and a café. The second expansion of the center took place under the leadership of Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, who also founded the Arts/Industry and Connecting Communities programs. 160,000 people visit each year, and an estimated 4 million since its inception. The center curates up to 30 exhibitions per year, and operates the country's first arts-based

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

. The center also has an adjunct shop called ARTspace at the Shops at Woodlake, which is an exhibition space and shop in the nearby village of

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

. Programming at the center includes art exhibitions, dance performances, festivals, concerts, theatrical performances, classes, demonstrations, lectures, and tours.John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Retrieved July 25, 2007 In 1997 a program called Connecting Communities began at the center, connecting artists-in-residence to underserved communities and the general public in collaborative projects. The program has created sculptures, dance works, and public art installations through community engagement.

Art and exhibitions

The center is known for its dedication to contemporary and self-taught artists who use commonplace materials, and in particular artists from Wisconsin. The center holds the largest collection of Wisconsin-born artist

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was an American self-taught artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the course of fifty years, from the 1930s until his death in 1983, Von Bruenchenhein produced an expansive oeuvre of poetry, photography, pain ...

's work in its collection. Bruenchenhein was a prolific self-taught artist who did not receive much recognition until his death in 1983 and the subsequent exhibition of his work at the Arts Center. The museum currently holds over 14,000 pieces by Bruenchenhein, which is the majority of his estate. In 2012 the

Mary Nohl Art Environment The Mary Nohl Art Environment (also called the Fox Point Art Yard, Fox Point Witch's house and Mary Nohl's house) is a residence in the Milwaukee suburb of Fox Point, Wisconsin. The property, which is filled with folk art created by artist Mary No ...

was gifted to the center, and much of her work at her home in Fox Point was preserved. The environment is one of the few known art environments crafted by a woman artist. The Arts Center presents originally curated exhibitions that change over the course of the calendar year. They include commissioned works, new works, and contemporary art, with multiple galleries devoted to a common theme. Past exhibitions have featured the work of artists such as

Ebony Patterson Ebony G. Patterson (born 1981, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born visual artist and educator. She is known for her large and colorful tapestries created out of various materials such as, glitter, sequins, fabric, toys, beads, faux flowers, j ...

Lenore Tawney Lenore Tawney (born Leonora Agnes Gallagher; May 10, 1907 – September 24, 2007) was an American artist known for her drawings, personal collages, and sculptural assemblages, who became an influential figure in the development of fiber art. Ea ...

Ray Yoshida Raymond "Ray" Kakuo Yoshida (October 3, 1930 – January 10, 2009) was an American artist known for his paintings and collages, and for his contributions as a teacher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1959 to 2005. He was an import ...

Emery Blagdon Emery O. Blagdon (July 25, 1907 – June 1, 1986) was an American artist. Biography Blagdon was self-taught and did not receive formal art training. From the late 1950s until his death in 1986, Blagdon created a constantly changing installat ...

Nek Chand Nek Chand Saini (15 December 1924 – 12 June 2015) was a self-taught Indian artist, known for building the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, an eighteen-acre sculpture garden in the city of Chandigarh. Early life and background Nek Chand hailed fro ...

Saya Woolfalk Saya Woolfalk (born 1979, Gifu City, Japan) is an American artist known for her multimedia exploration of hybridity, science, race and sex. Woolfalk uses science fiction and fantasy to reimagine the world in multiple dimensions. Currently repre ...

, Albert Zahn, Lee Godie,

Eddie Owens Martin Pasaquan is a compound near Buena Vista, Georgia. It was created by an eccentric folk artist named Eddie Owens Martin (1908–1986), who called himself St. EOM. An internationally renowned art site, it consists of six major structures including ...

, Charlie Willeto, Loy Allen Bowlin ("The Original Rhinestone Cowboy"), Dr. Charles Smith, Bill Daniel, Faythe Levine, Bernard Langlais, and Beth Katleman.

Arts/Industry Residency Program

A key component of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is the Arts/Industry residency program, founded by Ruth DeYoung Kohler II and her brother Herbert in 1974. Artists have the opportunity to spend three months creating works of art utilizing materials and equipment from within the industrial pottery, brass, and iron foundries, and enamel shops of the

Kohler Co. Kohler Co., founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, is an American manufacturing company based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and g ...

's factory in Kohler, Wisconsin. The center is internationally recognized for its artist-created public washrooms, designed through the Arts/Industry residency which cultural historian

Barbara Penner Barbara Penner (born 1970) is an architectural historian and Professor of Architectural Humanities at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

uses as the introduction to her 2013 book ''Bathroom''.The Urinals of John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Retrieved July 25, 2007. They were designed by Ann Agee, Cynthia Consentino, Carter Kustera, Casey O’Connor, Merrill Mason, and Matt Nolen. Almost 500 artists have participated in the residency program to date. Four additional artist-designed washrooms are included at the Art Preserve of the Arts Center, created by

Michelle Grabner Michelle Grabner (born 1962 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin) is an artist, curator, and critic based in Wisconsin. She is the Crown Family Professor of Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she has taught since 1996. She has curated sever ...

Beth Lipman Beth Lipman (born 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a contemporary artist working in glass. She is best known for her glass still-life compositions which reference the work of 16th- and 17th-century European painters. Biography Beth Lipman ...

, and the collaborative team of Joy Feasley and Paul Swenbeck.

Performing arts

The performing arts program began with small concerts, and grew with the inception of the Youth Symphony in 1970. In the summer of 1970, the Arts Center produced the inaugural Summer Theatre season. Artists featured in the center's various performing arts productions have included Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company,

Sean Dorsey Sean Dorsey is a transgender and queer choreographer, dancer, writer and trans rights activist. He is widely recognized as the United States' first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer. Dorsey founded his San Francisco-based dance comp ...

Dance,

John McGivern John McGivern (born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor and writer, known for playing Bruce McIntosh in the Disney film ''The Princess Diaries'' and many commercials for companies such as Kohl's department store, Sears, and Philadelphia ...

, Dasha Kelly Hamilton,

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spalding be ...

, Noche Flamenca, Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company, Black Umfolosi and Basso Bongo.

References

External links