Sculptor Florence Bird

making Emma Big Bear

maquette
Emma Big Bear - Ho Chunk basket artist
Touch History
Newsletter of The Friends of the Mississippi River Park
Vol. 1, No. 3 Fall, 2010
Sculptor's Corner
On Wednesday, July 28, I was invited to
a cruise on the Mississippi River courtesy of
Captain Jack Libbey, owner of the Mississippi
Explorer, cruise ship out of Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin. I was so emotionally touched
because the cruise turned out to be a benefit
for me and the Mississippi River Sculpture Park
after so much was lost in the Lochner Building
fire.
I believe nearly 80 people were passengers
who had bought tickets. The MRSP Board
helped to organize it and serve refreshments.
Sue and Tony Rangel provided delicious
snacks, Mike McCoy played the guitar and sang
river songs, Wendy Vanderbilt had collected
prizes from the town merchants and passed
them out during her Trivia quiz about the
sculpture park and river lore. It was a really
fun party! And I was amazed and so encouraged by all of the support from
so many people. This keeps my spirits up and helps guide me as I start to
reconstruct some of the sculpture maquettes lost in the fire.
We still have maquette size bronzes of Emma Big Bear and John
Lawler and cold cast bronzes of Fr. Marquette and the Mastodon Hunter so
In This Issue
Sculptor's Corner
Upcoming River Cruise
Pig II News
Note from the Leamys
Arts in the Park
Editor's Corner
Hidden Treasures
Friends of the Park
Musings & Meanderings
Thank you
Year End Giving
Musings &
Meanderings
It's autumn again
Leaves whisper the sound
of our past...
Andrea Rieck
______________________
we can keep the sculpture park growing as I re-do the others. Once the
molds for the small pieces are made, the foundry and I can go on with the
process of making the life-size statues.
Many people have contributed to the funds for restoring my tools and
supplies. I am so grateful. Right now I am in the process of redoing the
maquette of Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, founder of St. Gabriel's Church here in
Prairie du Chien.
Florence Bird
THIS JUST IN -- RIVER CRUISE NEWS
When fall colors are at their peak on the Mississippi River, the Sculpture
Park will be hosting a two-hour river cruise. The date is Friday, October 8.
We'll board at dockside, at Lawler Park on St. Feriole Island in Prairie du
Chien at 4 p.m. Snacks and drinks are included in your $30 ticket. There
are only 75 seats, so make your reservation early. (Our summer cruise was
a sell-out.) Pete Steele will be on board as our river guide to show us points
of interest and help us spot birds that make their home or flyway on the
Mississippi.
To reserve your space for this one, e-mail Cathie Nelson at
pdcnellie@centurytel.net or call her at 608-326-8602. (Email is best!)
Tickets will be waiting for you at the dock. Checks can be made out to
Mississippi River Sculpture Park for a partial tax deduction. No Show Alert:
If you decide to cancel, we'll need a 24 hour notice, or you'll be billed the
full price. Thanks for considering our budget and our goal of filling the boat
with great people.
Bring a friend and enjoy for this sociable time together of refreshments
and and informal learning on the River during autumn's artful display.
Mississippi River Boat Tours website
Pig II News
July 10th was a beautiful
Saturday in Prairie du Chien. St. Feriole
Island was the site of numerous
activities. The Villa Louis Historic Site
was conducting a re-enactment of the
War of 1812, on the Villa Grounds. At
the Mississippi River Sculpture Park, we
were hosting our second Pig in the Park.
At the south end of the island, a baseball
tournament was being held.
Again this year, 3M Company
donated three large 20' X 40' tents,
tables and chairs for 160 people through
the employee use program. The tents
provided welcome shade.
Mike Valley of Valley Fish Market once again lent us his roasters
and the use of his commercial clean up area for our needs.
Dale Klemme. of Community Development Alternatives, our 501
(c)(3) non-profit partner, cooked pig roasts. Two of our board members,
Cathie Nelson and Marlene Helgerson, made baked beans and dressing. We
purchased cole slaw and buns. Pop, water, and ice cream from Schwan's
rounded out our menu.
Butch Boland sold tickets for a 50:50 raffle.
Music was once again provided by Suzanne Shaw and Shane
Hazen, keeping many at the tables until the songs ended..
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept 11 - 12: Villa Louis
Carriage Classic Weekend
and Emma Big Bear
portrait raffle drawing.
Raffle tickets now
available.
Sept 18 - 19: Driftless
Area Art Festival. Meet
and chat with Florence
Bird.
October 8: Sculpture Park
Fall Colors Mississippi
River Cruise. Tickets now
available.
______________________
LEARN ABOUT THE ARTS
IN OUR ECONOMY
To learn more about the
arts and economic
prosperity, check out
the report by Americans
for the Arts.
______________________
DAY TRIPPING, ART
COLLECTING, HISTORY
BUFFING
Are you planning an
autumn day trip to Prairie
du Chien or the other side
of the river, Marquette and
McGregor? Visitors are
welcome year round at the
Sculpture Park. And, while
you are in the
neighborhood, check out
our next door neighbor,
Villa Louis, and our
neighbor across the River,
the Effigy Mounds National
Monument. If your travel
tastes include learning
more about regional art,
be sure to visit the
Marquette-McGregor
Center for the Arts and, on
the Wisconsin side, don't
miss the Driftless Area Art
Festival, coming up
September 18 & 19 in
Soldiers Grove, where you
can meet Florence Bird
and many other great
regional artists. Further
afield, the Dubuque
Museum of Art collects,
curates and exhibits both
regional and national
artists. (You may want to
turn your day trip into an
overnight!)
A note from donors
After we sold our business in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved back to
Prairie du Chien, we wanted to do something for the area where we grew
up. The Mississippi River Sculpture Park seemed that it would be a nice
addition to an already beautiful and historic area.
After our names were put on two plaques, we decided to donate the
Victorian Lady in our daughter's name, and Dr. Beaumont in honor of our
two grandsons. Although none of them ever lived in Prairie du Chien, they
all have visited often, and have many pleasant memories of those times.
Those of you who haven't visited the park, or if it's been a while,
please come and bring any children in your family. Kids really seem to
enjoy the sculptures because they can touch them and crawl on them. I've
even seen children looking into the faces of the sculptures, and talking to
them. What a wonderful way to teach children history, and also to
appreciate art!
If you enjoy the park, any donations would be much appreciated, no
matter the amount. Anything helps. As an example, in the 1950's, Woodruff,
Wisconsin was able to build a much-needed medical clinic just by asking
people to donate their pennies.
There is a very dedicated group of people working to keep the MRSP
growing. Let's all keep the vision alive.
Janet and Pattick Leamy
Kenny Salwey
Delicious Fallout from Arts in the Park
Arts in the Park is one of the programs members of the board have
designed to introduce the Mississippi River Sculpture Park to people who
haven't experienced it before.
A potluck brat feed for Friends of the Park preceded the first evening's
performance, "Night of the Living Statues, with Michael Douglass sharing the
history of the area, concentrating on the voyageurs. Although heavy rain
forced the cancellation of the third of the four evenings, on the last night,
the crowd enjoyed the tales of Kenny Salwey, and, at least as much, the
Cowboy Cookies he brought along. Here's the recipe -- it comes highly
recommended by everyone in attendance.
Kenny Salwey's Cowboy Cookies

Blend together:
1 cup butter
1 cups brown sugar
cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons Vanilla

Sift together and add to the creamed mixture:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon salt

Stir in:
2 cups old-fashioned (non-instant) oatmeal
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut

Mix well. Drop onto lightly greased baking sheet, 2 tablespoons at a time.
Speaking of art collecting
(while you travel, you plan
to collect fine art, right?),
contact us to purchase
your raffle tickets for
Bird's gorgeous oil portrait
of Emma Big Bear. The
drawing is coming up
September 11 during the
Villa Louis Carriage Classic
weekend. If you love
sports, horses and history,
this is the place to be
September 11-12. A
raffle's not a horse race,
but why not combine the
thrill of both? To buy your
raffle tickets (6/$5.00 or
$1 for 1), call Florence at
608 852 5255 or Sara at
608 576 2195, or try these
other convenient ways of
contacting us.
If you win but lack a wall
at home or office to
display it, think about
making Emma's portrait a
gift to one of the many
institutions that fill their
corridors and lobbies with
regional art. Possible
recipients: schools,
libraries, hospitals, senior
centers, hospice care
centers. Your win could be
a win for one of your
favorite charities.
Emma Big Bear
wearing traditional
regalia
_____________________
Next Issue: "A Brief
Education on
Contemporary Figurative
Sculpture" by Sara Burr.
Links of Interest
Wisconsin Historical
Society
Flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10minutes. Remove from
pan after about a minute of cooling.
Dr. Beaumont and son Israel say goodby to a friend.
Editor's corner
As he left Pig II with his mother, the little boy caught sight of Dr.
Beaumont and, especially, the doctor's son, Israel, who was just his size.
He detoured, stroked the bronze boy's hair, and was just about to pet the
frog in Israel's hand when his impatient mother demanded, loudly, that he
join her at their car. Disappointed, he reluctantly dragged himself away.
It's scenes like these that make the MRSP so special to me, and the fact
that opportunities like the little boy's will be ongoing. Bronze, after all, is a
long-lasting material. I only wish that there were more statues to attract a
child's attention, and teach him or her something about the history of our
area -- teach a parent, too.
We're halfway to adding Emma Big Bear and one of her baskets to the
park -- she's the lady at the top of the newsletter. Two of her actual
baskets were stored in the Lochner Building, so they were also destroyed
by the fire at the beginning of June. The bronze basket will remain. But
only if donations succeed in bringing it to the park.
There are so many ways to contribute to the Park. Perhaps the easiest
way for our readers and visitors is to become a Friend of the Mississippi
River Park. We welcome your friendship.
Marilyn Leys
Editor
Those white dots in front of and behind
the sand bar are just a few of the
thousands of tundra swans that
congregate on the Mississippi in
November.
Hidden Treasures -- Pike's Peak
Thousands of migrating birds flock to the confluence of the Mississippi
and Wisconsin rivers every fall -- white pelicans in September, tundra
Crawford Co Historical and
Genealogical Societies
Arts Wisconsin
Wisconsin Arts Board
Iowa Artist Directory
History through the Arts
at the Iowa Historical
Museum
A THANK YOU NOTE
As Florence reported in
her "Sculptor's Corner"
above, your generous
response after the Lochner
Building fire kept us
moving forward this
summer. Many individuals,
businesses and
organizations stepped up
with direct donations and
in-kind help with our
activities and fund-raisers.
Captain Jack Libbey and
the MRSP Board get the
metaphorical prize for
putting the "fun" in
"fundraising" by hosting
our wonderful evening on
the Mississippi River
Benefit Cruise.
During the cruise, board
member Wendy Vanderbilt
asked almost 30 trivia
questions because local
donors -- Culvers,
Subway, Hardees, Pizza
Hut, McDonalds, Pete's
Hamburgers and Fort
Mulligan's -- had donated
so many prizes. She
asked several questions
about the bronzes in the
park, questions about how
many visitors each year to
the neighboring State
Historical Society site, Villa
Louis, and the Fort
Crawford Museum and
many other local historical
questions. Thanks to
Captain Jack for
generously hosting our
cruise and to all the prize-
givers who helped make
the cruise fun.
Year End Giving
swans in November. One of the best places near the Sculpture Park to
watch them is the Iowa state park that overlooks the meeting place of the
waters.
To get to Pike's Peak State Park, cross the bridge over the Mississippi,
then make a left onto Highway 76 South. At the stop sign, turn right on
Highway 76, driving along the river. Head straight ahead on Main St.
through McGregor to the T-intersection in front of the Catholic Church.
Take a left , then an immediate right at the brown State Park sign, following
highway X56 to the top of the hill. Shortly after you reach the top of the
hill, turn left at the brown Pike's Peak State Park sign, then park and walk
to the overlook.
If the name of the park sounds familiar, that's because it's named for
the same Lt. Zebulon Pike as the mountain in Colorado. Pike was searching
for better places for army forts. He suggested the overlook, but the army
stuck with the traditional meeting place, the often-flooded site in Prairie du
Chien where the Villa Louis now stands.
If you would like to share a hidden treasure near the Sculpture Park with
other newsletter readers, e-mail your suggestion to marl@centurytel.net.
Enjoying the food and the River
during the summer 2010 cruise
Friends of the Mississippi River Sculpture Park
WELCOME NEW FRIENDS
We're very happy to welcome new members to the Friends: Inga Berg
(Madison), Erica Esser (Spring Green), Wendy Dunagan (Spring Green),
Hannah Lee (Spring Green), Joe Renville and Sara Burr (Middleton), William
and Helen Birkemeir (Spring Green).
Join us! If you haven't sent in your membership application, don't forget to
sign up before December 31 to lock in your lifetime annual dues rate of
$15/family. We've added a page to our website describing these early days
of organizing the Friends. Friends help build and care for the Sculpture Park
for the enjoyment of their families and friends and for future generations.
Learn about volunteer opportunities and upcoming events, and meet new
friends.
Grants and Proposals
We have identified about 50 small and large foundations around the country
to contact for potential funding. Next step: narrow this list. In September
we'll send letters of inquiry and make phone calls, searching among these
grant-makers for those excited to match the magnificent investment by the
Leamys and other donors who have brought the Park into being. Don't
hesitate to let Sara, our grant writer, knowif you are aware of grant-making
organizations you think would be thrilled to help realize our remarkable
public art project.
We are also preparing an application to the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA) in Washington DC. Our request is for funds to match 100% the
community contributions already raised for the Emma Big Bear sculpture.
We will tell the story of the Park's coming into being through the effort of
volunteers, private donors, the Chamber of Commerce and the City of
Prairie du Chien, of the artist and of the dynamic vision of time, place, and
cultures depicted by her sculptures. We welcome advice from our readers
Entrance to Mississippi
River Sculpture Park
It's not too early to plan
your year-end charitable
giving. Summer in the
Sculpture Park is our gift
to you, and we hope
you've had a lot of fun at
our free family events this
year (and continue to visit
in fall and winter too).
With the help of generous
donors we are halfway
towards our goal for
Emma Big Bear and can't
wait to bring her to the
Park. You can help. We'll
make the most of your gift
when you remember the
Sculpture Park as part of
your holiday giving. The
Board has kept its eye on
the prize, keeping
administrative expenses
bare bone, while engaging
volunteers, donors and
sponsors to support our
events so earnings are
banked for the Park.
Click here for information
about how to donate. Your
gift of public art will be a
treasure for generations to
come: life-size bronze
statues interpreting the
many cultures at the
confluence in a park
where we can touch
history through art.
Gifts to the Sculpture Park
are tax deductible to the
extent the law provides
under IRS section 501(c)
(3).
Thank you for keeping the
Sculpture Park in mind this
holiday season.
who have experience working with NEA. We will be reaching out to Friends
of the park to build momentum for this proposal, which is due March 2011.
We'll update you on our progress in the next issue of Touch History.
We wish you a wonderful fall season of gorgeous colors, great walks and
day trips, moments of serenity in the Sculpture Park, and bountiful autumn
harvest tables shared gratefully with family and friends.
Contact Information
Click here to find all the ways to contact us.
http://mississippiriversculpturepark.com/contact.php
Or, just email us.
$15
for
the
whole
family
Join the Friends of the Mississippi River Sculpture Park and enjoy inf lation proof lif etime annual dues
f or the whole f amily of only $15 annually if you sign up by December 31, 2010. Why join? Have f un
at the Park with all your new f riends. Make history by helping realize the Park's artistic vision
depicting our conf luence of many cultures. Learn about bronze casting, modern f igurative art,
historical f un f acts, geocacheing, and enjoy summertime art in the park events f or the rest of your
lif e!.

Offer Expires: December 31, 2010
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