A Day at Mineral Point Art Tour

Mineral Point Fall Art Tour is a weekend long art show and a series of live demos from the artists. This year, 46 artists' works were scattered throughout the town in galleries and businesses to be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. It was an easy trip for the Illumination crew, just an hour drive away from Madison.  We were first greeted by the charming blue doors of Artful Apparel, a small shop filled with history. Kathleen, the artisan, walked us through the history of fiber work and how she mentally counts, almost seeing patterns as a rhythm to a song to create beautifully complex color combinations for garments. She has been weaving for over 40 years and has owned the shop for almost 30.  She provided powerful insight into how tour sales are roughly half of her sales each year, and into how the high level of visitor traffic would be too difficult for their small town infrastructure. Most of the galleries are positioned right next to each other, making it easy to meander slowly and be exposed to many different media. Next, we spoke with an interdisciplinary artist who creates metalwork jewelry and wildlife photography. It was interesting to see the different ambience created in the shops holding several other artists' work. My personal favorite had a range from fiber arts, glass mosaics, and iPad still life drawings. Having them all right next to each other allowed me to really process and appreciate each piece for the vision and skill it took.

We took the short 10 minute drive over to the other side of town to finish up with looking at the artist retreat center, which some of the painters we had been talking to previously learned about. It provided a look at the serene nature that surrounds the small town, with fields between the small cottages where artists stay during their time there and the various centers where they can develop skills like blacksmithing.  Talking to all the artists at each stop makes it feel like you are slowly unlocking the town, as at every spot we were told to check out, we found more artists eager to share their favorite places. The tour provides a unique opportunity for folks to expand their knowledge and collections in a casual, inviting setting.