Geraldine and I spent three days in Cedarburg, WI last week. It is an amazing historic town founded in 1885. Its early days were as a mill town along Cedar Creek. It maintains the character of a small mill town and is full of life, arts, music, and fun. Geraldine’s brother and wife settled there over thirty years ago and raised two outdoor loving and artistic daughters. 

A few weeks ago, I shared some reflections on a trip to Miami Beach which nurtured me with alone time and sunshine. This trip also fed my soul in seeing family and friends together with soon-to-be parents expecting their first child in a few weeks.  

Our visit included meals with Geraldine’s family, a hike to see the gorges surrounding Lake Michigan, a lovely party, and time to enjoy the spirit of Cedarburg. We also visited two museums. I’d like to share what we saw at the museums, and how that experience expanded my point of view in several ways. 

Our first stop was the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts, located in Cedarburg. As a writer and story teller, I find quilts a great source of narratives. You may recall my post about the book A Quilt of Soul by Phyllis Biffle Elmore. 

Many of the quilts I have seen up until this trip were by African-American quilters – at a Black History exhibit in a town near us, and at the Renwick Art Gallery which is part of the Smithsonian Institute located near the White House.

Quilts at the Wisconsin Museum were the same and different. They were similar in that each quilt was a story of the quilter and what their spirit led them to create.  They were different in that the life experiences were different as were their ways of depicting them. 

Among the quilters who were exhibiting during our visit was Heidi Parks. Her quilts were presented under the title “Soft Magic”. Heidi views quilt making as having a magical quality. She uses various shapes and objects and textures to tell her life story. 

This exhibit also contains quilts by others who influenced Heidi Parks. While most of the quilts represented an individual’s work, there were also quilts by collaborators. There was a quilt by a male and a female which vividly portrays two different world views and styles. It was both shocking and moving at the same time. 

It’s hard to put into words how these Wisconsin quilters, mostly white, expressed themselves in ways different than the African-American quilters I had seen before. The stories of the African-American quilters were often stories of overcoming bigotry and hatred, and then the subsequent healing. The stories, while painful, are quite understandable and powerful. 

The stories we saw in Cedarburg represented a wider range of situations and perhaps the more privileged status of the quilters. There are quilts on nature, the rise and fall of relationships, and varied events. Perhaps what is different is my point of view as a white male looking at the divergent experiences that are made manifest in their art. 

Our visit to the Cedarburg Art Museum reinforced this perspective. Their exhibit Now You See Me: Self Portraits by Wisconsin Artists was fascinating in the wide range of artists’ representations.  One had an animal nose to remind us we are all human animals. Another had half a face to symbolize the self-portrait of a mom who had lost her son.  Another painted a picture of her mom and herself.  In the written description, she described how she had to let go of childhood differences in order to love and cherish her mom.

Another exhibit there – A Creative Place: The History of Wisconsin Art – organized the expression of art in periods beginning with the Native Presence, followed by Encounters and Settlement between white settlers and Indigenous Natives . The Great Cultural Expansion (1870-1918) was then followed by Transitioning from European Ideals to America’s regional Interests (1918-1945). 

This simple summary of art history reminded me of the complexity of the American story.  Without honoring all these stories, we become divided.  Art can nurture and inspire us to be our better selves.