Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Registration: 6 PM
Dinner: 6:30 PM

Join the Walworth County Arts Council in encouraging and supporting the arts for young people. At this annual recognition dinner, the outstanding work of our county’s talented high school students will be showcased as we award scholarships in music and visual art, as well as the awards for exceptional writers in prose and poetry.

RESERVATION DEADLINE:  June 3, 2013
Print and Return the Reservation Form, along with your check, to
Walworth County Arts Council
PO Box 446
Delavan, WI 53115

Additional Information >>

Sunday, August 4, 2013, from 2:15 PM-9 PM

Travel with WCAC to Ravinia for their all-Tchaikovsky evening featuring the “1812” Overture with live cannons. Adding firepower to the event is Gil Shaham (long considered one of the violin masters of his generation).

A great show—we will depart from the Elkhorn Park & Ride at 2:15 PM on Sunday, August 4, returning at about 9 PM.  Seating will be at the Pavilion.

RESERVATION DEADLINE:  July 24, 2013
Print the Reservation Form, along with your check, and mail to:
Walworth County Arts Council, PO Box 446, Delavan, WI 53115

Additional Information >>

Photo Courtesy of Ravinia

Maggie Stetter is our May Artist of the Month

Watercolor and mixed media artist Maggie Stetter of Whitewater is the Walworth County Arts Council’s featured artist for the month of May. Stetter’s exhibit is shown in the display case at the Government Center on the Square in Elkhorn.

For ten years the artist was a watercolorist with the Tennessee River Fine Arts League in Paris, Tennessee, before returning to Wisconsin.

The display is dedicated to the artist’s late husband, Roy K. Stetter, who was employed for twenty-five years with the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department. The exhibit includes two portraits of her husband; an oil by the artist’s mother, Mary Fritz; and a watercolor by Stetter. A lover of animals, Stetter is a commissioned artist of people’s pets.

It is not necessary to be a member of the Arts Council to have art work presented in the display case. Walworth County artists interested in having their work presented, contact Arts Council volunteers Al Gruling at 262-642-5281 or Dale Hagan at 414-837-4363.

The Geneva Lake Branch of the American Association of University Women and the Walworth County Arts Council in conjunction with the BIG READ of the University of 
Wisconsin—Whitewater and the Young Auditorium invite you to attend a luncheon event featuring Tappan Wilder, nephew and literary executor for Thornton Wilder and Wilder biographer, Penelope Niven.
WHERE:  Lake Lawn Resort, Delavan, WI
WHEN:  Thursday, April 18, 2013

Advanced reservations required by April 11, 2013.

For additional information and reservation form, click here.

Student exhibitors from Jackson
Elementary School at our 2012 Show.

Attend WCAC’s Elementary and Middle School Art Show. Elementary schools throughout the county are invited to participate in this annual show.

Student artists, their parents and teachers, and WCAC members and guests will gather once again to view this grand display of creativity. Teachers and the artists’ families regard this exhibit as one of the best events of a young artist’s school year.
Join us at 1 PM on Sunday, April 21 at the Elkhorn Middle School (627 Court St, Elkhorn) for an afternoon that supports our youngest artists and refreshments. Please bring guests as this is a great way to introduce people to some of the Council’s wonderful work. Reservations are not necessary.

Teachers Information >>

Sandy Vobain, Our April Artist of the Month

April’s featured artist of the month is Whitewater watercolorist Sandy Volian. Volian’s exhibit is on display throughout the month at the Government Center on the square in Elkhorn.

A retired registered nurse since 2006, Volian says, “I have always enjoyed dabbling in art in one form or another, but in 2009 I discovered the watercolor medium. I find that it brings much joy and serenity to my life.” Learning watercolor is a never ending process according to Volian who says that many of her paintings are “spirit inspired ideas.”

It is not necessary to be a member of the Arts Council to have art work presented in the display case. Walworth County artists interested in having their work presented, contact Arts Council volunteers Al Gruling at 262-642-5281 or Dale Hagan at 414-837-4363.

David Block,
2012 “Friend of the Arts” recipient

David Block of Delavan and the United Church of
Christ—Congregational, also of Delavan, have been named 2012 Friends of the Arts by the Walworth County Arts Council.

Block is being recognized for his leadership of the summer music series at Delavan’s Phoenix Park. Under his leadership the program has grown to provide a wide variety of outdoor concerts by many diverse groups and performers.

The United Church of Christ—Congregational has a long history of leadership in the arts and in sharing its resources with the wider community. Particular recognition is being given to its innovative Fine Arts Day Camp for children each summer.

Each year the Arts Council names an individual and a corporate entity as “Friends of the Arts” for significant contributions in furthering the arts in Walworth County. Past year’s individual awards have gone to Joan Grommes Franzen, Williams Bay artist; Sharon Munson, Delavan music education; and Joanne Hobbs, Williams Bay harpist and music educator. Corporate awards have recognized Music by the Lake, the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, Black Point Historic House and Gardens, and the Allyn Foundation.

Laura Peplin is our March 2013 Artist of the Month.

March’s featured artist of the month is stitchery artist Laura Peplin of Elkhorn. Her work is on display during the month of March in the our display case at the Government Center on the square in Elkhorn.

Laura has created over 100 cross-stitch pictures as well as crocheted afghans, macramé plant hangers, latch hook rugs, embroidery, needlepoint, and canvas needleworks. “In high school home economics we were taught embroidery and knitting,” said Laura, “but once I found cross-stitch I was hooked (no pun intended).” She has been honored often over the past thirty years for her skill and artistry. In 2012, at the Wisconsin State Fair, she was awarded Best of Show for her pieces in addition to winning seven ribbons for seven entries.

It is not necessary to be a member of the Arts Council to have art work presented in the display case. Walworth County artists interested in having their work presented, contact Arts Council volunteers Al Gruling at 262-642-5281 or Dale Hagan at 414-837-4363.

Darlene Jensen is WCAC’s February Artist of the Month.

February’s featured artist of the month is Darlene Jansen of Whitewater. A photographer, she has a passion for taking “macro images.” See her photographs in the WCAC display at the Government Center on the square in Elkhorn.

Jansen’s interest in photography began as a child in rural Whitewater. She was always exploring tiny insects, birds, butterflies, and flowers.

Jansen’s interest in photography peaked in her teen years, but it wasn’t until 2006 when she purchased her first digital camera that her passion for taking “macro images” developed.

Walworth County artists interested in having their work presented should contact Arts Council volunteers Al Gruling at (262) 642-5291 or Dale Hagan at (414) 837-4363.

January’s featured artist of the month is Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack of Whitewater. See her watercolors in the WCAC display at the Government Center on the square in Elkhorn.

Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack of Whitewater is Walworth County Arts Council’s Artist of the Month for January. You can see her work at the Government Center on the square in Elkhorn.

Karolyn says that she loves “to make plain surfaces more colorful.” She has a passion for the excitement of painting with watercolor. “I love to watch the colors move and mix on the paper in a wet application. I enjoy watching colors change as one is glazed over another. The versatility and variety of styles and techniques that can be used continue to intrigue me. I love the challenge of watercolor, and, yes, I even love the problem solving that is sometimes required to bring a painting to completion.”

Karolyn says that painting a landscape, floral, or still life (sometimes in a semi-abstract manner) brings her joy. She draws inspiration from everything she sees, from springtime flowers in her own backyard to the many beautiful places that she has visited in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

Since 2009 Karolyn has been teaching watercolor techniques and sharing her knowledge of painting with adult groups in Whitewater and Janesville.

Last year she wrote and self-published her first book, Watercolor Cookbook—Recipes for Mixing Delicious Color. In addition to instructions for mixing watercolors, the book includes a gallery of over 60 pieces of my artwork. 

Walworth County artists interested in having their work presented should contact Arts Council volunteers Al Gruling at (262) 642-5291 or Dale Hagan at (414) 837-4363.