 And welcome to another edition of Senior Connections, the show that is produced by the Senior Activity Center of Sheboygan. My name is Wendy Schmitz. I'm the supervisor of the Senior Center. And today, my guest is Kay Gelinick, who is also a member of the Senior Center, and an advocate of the Sheboygan Visual Artist. And Kay, what I would like to start out asking you is how you came to live in Sheboygan. Well, I lived in Janesville with my husband, and we had two sons. I taught art there for 30 years, as well as art in Monroe and Milton. And was always a producer of art, always created art. Was also a member of Janesville Art League. So I had a very busy artistic life. In 2004, my husband died. And we lived out in the country on 15 and a half acres. For four years, I continued to live there, mowing all the grass and et cetera, and decided that maybe I would like to move up to Sheboygan because I have a son and his wife and a granddaughter here. So five years ago, I made the big move to Sheboygan. During that time, I had a condo built and didn't do art for a short time. But as I was reading the Sheboygan press, I noticed that there was a group called the Sheboygan Visual Artist. And when I first came here, I went to the Kohler Art Center hoping they would have a venue for local artists to exhibit. And then it went through my mind, well, if there isn't a really good venue for that, do I have to come up here and start another art league? But then I noticed the Sheboygan Visual Artists and about three years ago, I joined them. And I was just utterly amazed that they were now up to about 58 artists and 11 or 12 patrons from six. Can I just go back a little bit? So when you made the determination to come to Sheboygan, basically it was because you had family here. Or did you look at Sheboygan and measure it against another community for your involvement in art? Did that play a factor in your choice of where to live? Actually, I was pretty sure that I was coming to Sheboygan because my son had been teaching here a while. And my husband and I used to come up here to see him, of course, and his wife. And I could never leave Sheboygan because I was always drawn to the lake. And I would always have to go by the lake and sit and then pull myself away. I'd also brought Jamesville Art League up here on a trip, on a bus trip. And so I had a fondness for the artistic things that were happening in the community. My other son and his family and four children live in Stillwater. They're very, very, very much into sports. And I hate to say I am not. So as much as I love them, Sheboygan was a good fit for me. So as a single person coming into this community, we often meet people at the senior center. In fact, yesterday, a gentleman in exactly the same circumstances came to the senior center and said, I've recently moved back to Sheboygan for family. How difficult or how easy is that transition as a newly single person to come back into a community or to come here for the first time? Well, I knew pretty much everybody. I knew the doctors, the dentists, the artists, the teachers, my husbands, friends. And I think it was like I had to start all over here. And I'm finally feeling after five years that I know enough people so all those gaps are filled in. I think that happened because I didn't join the senior center at first. But my draw to the senior center is coming for yoga. And that's really important to me. And I can see what a beautiful building it is and how many opportunities there are there. And I see all kinds of people taking advantage of those. And with your trips and everything, it's a very comprehensive, exciting thing. I also represent Sheboygan visual artists at the Chamber deep dive meetings. And so I was coming to your after five celebration through the Chamber and was really impressed with all that you brought together for that. So while I'm currently coming to the senior center, my main emphasis is still the Sheboygan visual artists because I'm friends with 70 people there. Now I remember when you first came to the senior center. And if my memory serves me right, you had already lived in Sheboygan for a few years. And then you very much made a connection with SVA. And since then, like you said, I seem to see you everywhere advocating for them. What was it about that group? And tell us a little bit more about SVA. Well, Frank Juarez is an art teacher at the North High School. And in July on the 23rd in 2007, he got a group of five people together at Urbane. Now, is he still an art teacher? Yes, he's an advocate in the whole state. He's an advocate nationally. For the arts, he's very involved in anything having to do with the visual arts. But back in 2007, he felt a need for getting artists together to socialize and to discuss art. And so there were five of them that met at Urbane and started to become a group. Well, fast forward to now, 2013, six years later. Now instead of six, there are 58 plus 12 patrons and probably more. And we're getting new members often. So now the challenge with SVA is to program and keep up with all the new members, promoting their art, promoting the arts in the community, offering people activities that we draw the community into. And SVA has seven final Fridays. Every final Friday through June, starting in September with a new members show, we have events at EBCO Artworks, which is on 12th and Erie. And there's always an exhibit, music, food. The artists discuss what they want to about the art that they exhibit. But we also have three other things that are really bigger. One is the holiday show and sale. And that has extended gallery hours. Then there's the member show, which is juried, which is another exciting thing. But probably the biggest thing we do and promote is the small works. And small works make it so that everybody can have a piece of original art for a very low price. Can I ask you, how does one become a member? We have an excellent site. It's called shaboygonvisualartists.com. And we also have a Facebook site. And on the shaboygonvisualartists.com, it tells you all about joining and what you need to do. We are a jury group, so you can't just pay your $40, which is the yearly fee. And join. You have to submit 10 works of art on the internet. And sometimes that's hard for some people, so we help them. Richard Beaman is in charge of membership right now. He's also in charge of small works. And so is Jay Parsons. But going back to membership, if you go online, you can see what's needed. And the site includes places for all the artists to display their work individually. It tells about upcoming shows. It tells about anything that people, like as an artist for SBA, I go on. I have a special code I can put in. And then I can get access to the members' personal emails and whatever I need to do that way. Now, we're a city of 49,000 people. It seems like we have a lot of art in this community. Is that unusual to have that many people? Or are we unique in this area? Well, I'm still a member of Janesville Art League. And that group started in the late 1800s and has a big collection. But that group is quite different from the Cheboygan visual artists. For one thing, there's about a 50-50 balance of men and women and Cheboygan visual artists. And I have to preface this by saying, don't take this wrong. But we have men who are totally dedicated to producing art, as well as women. But to see so many people that really make art a priority is really exciting. And that's just part of it, because there's the Kohler Art Center, there's the Plymouth Art Center, there are galleries, there's Milwaukee nearby. I mean, it is so heavily loaded with art that it's amazing. If you're an artist and you love art, there are so many opportunities. And another opportunity is when people are members of the senior center, there are arts-related things there. And maybe you can tell us a little bit about that. I feel like I'm being interviewed. Yes, of course. We have art classes that are available. And even though our art coordinator is actually retiring, we are going to have local artists, such as yourself, coming into the center and teaching classes. So I think we have a piece of work from Michelle Guterres, the Blue Jay. And she is going to be teaching a basic class. Oh, I'm sorry. That's Jay's. No, it isn't. No, this is Michelle's. Right, Jay's is the one in front. Michelle and Jay are both artists who belong to the senior center. And Michelle is teaching a class. And we're encouraging local artists to come in and share their expertise. So we're looking forward to that. We also have an example here of some of the small works that have been produced from the senior center. Can you explain a little bit about the Small Works Project? And then I can explain how some of our people got involved in that. Well, excuse me, Small Works was started a few years ago. I think it's three years ago. Richard Beeman and Jay Parsons are co-chairs. It's been a very, very successful fundraising event for Shiboy and visual artists because some of the proceeds from this go to support art in the gardens at the Bookworm Gardens. And so SVA artists put in a proposal to Richard. And then there are free workshops at the gardens during the summer. And I personally have gone to several and been a participant because it's open to adults and children. And there have been some really exciting ones. Patty Acker did some silk painting. I know last year they were doing some printing-type things. I've seen tie-dying shirts, oil painting with Dale Kanak, just all kinds of fun things. And we're in the process now. Richard and Jay are in the process of getting the artists to sign up. And many, many artists from the community, as well as SVA artists, do Small Works. And one of them is Carrie. And you have to help me with. Carrie Kautza, the director of the show that we're on right now. And Carrie's pieces are a really lovely addition to Small Works. And when you think you want to be a part of this, you can do a couple of things. One is SVA gives you a small canvas or more. And you can paint on it. You can put a collage on it. You can do a photograph. We have a lot of photographers that put photographs on. Then there are people that contribute glass or pottery, things that aren't on a canvas. And then the public and SVA artists can buy claim tickets. Prior to the event, which is held on Friday, August 23rd at EBCO from 4 to 8, you can buy tickets at the community bank and trust places or at Bookworm Gardens or at EBCO when there are events or any SVA members. The night of the finale, you bring in your claim ticket and you pick out a number from a basket. That number relates to one of the Small Works that's on the wall of about 300 pieces or more. If you pick a number and you love the work and want to keep it, you keep it. If you have your eye on something else and you want to go into the main gallery to the trading wall, you can wait until something shows up that you want to replace it with. And that's where the fund starts in. And some people are there from 4 to 8. And you've been there, I guess. So you know all about that part of it. It's a pretty intense, fun night. Unfortunately, and fortunately for me, the couple of times, I think two years now, I have purchased my claim ticket. And I've liked both pieces that I got first time. So I've never had the thrill of going to the wall and finding something else. I've gone to the wall and looked at the other pieces. But I've always liked the ones that we were given straight off the bat. You're lucky. I know, I know. And the last year, we purchased one for a grandson. And he just loved it. It was a bird. So we're going back again this year to get another piece for another grandson. So it's really exciting for us to be able to have this original art in our home and to start the children getting them. But what I'm most excited about is the fact that so many of the seniors are participating in this project now. When we first started this with Richard, he came and said, do you think you'd be interested? And it was like, oh yeah, I think we might be able to get some people. And for example, Mary Fritz was one of the artists who got involved. And maybe she did one piece that year. And she was a beginning artist at that time. And three years later, she's producing a number of pieces. And to me, her work has improved significantly. And this is just a small sampling of what we've done this year. We have a painters group that meets on a Thursday. They kind of inspired everybody. But this has been going on now for months that we've had this box of canvases. And they just keep painting and painting. And I think what's really nice is it gives the senior artists a sense of purpose that they're producing for this particular fundraiser. Do you get that sense that the people who come to the painters group and the artists who take classes at the senior center obviously love art and they love to work? But this has given it a particular direction, I think. Well, the people that come are so proud. They come and want to show off their piece. And that's exciting. And so we know they're taking ownership. Susan Baumgart is one of the ones from the senior center who's very active. But she's a new member of SVA and very active with us too, as is Mary came in and she said, I really want to be involved in Sheboygan Visual Artists. So right now she's signed up as a patron, which doesn't mean she can't move into the artist's category. But patrons don't pay the $40 fee. They do some kind of work for SVA, a greeter, a helper with food, helping at workshops, whatever they choose to do. What's really lovely about this particular fundraising project is that you're passing on, as seniors, we're mentoring those children, and I'm guessing, passing on the passion for art, which I think is really exciting. I love this particular piece. I do too. Because it's a nice mix of fabric and paint. And then this one here is Dorothy really enjoys a collage. Last year she did a knitted prechal that was a miniature prechal. And then the poem on the side, I love that piece too. But that had already gone by the time I got my claim ticket. Otherwise I would have loved it. You're right about passion for art for children. I taught art kindergarten through adults. And one of the things in the summer, the Jainsville Public Schools offered a lot of art classes for kids. And I taught in those classes. And some of the children would start with painting, and then they'd go to sculpture with me, and then they'd stay for fibers. So I think over the years I saw such intensity and love for the arts. And I continue to see it. I mean, people sometimes walk in off the street to one of our SVA events. And they say they're looking for places where they can be involved in the arts. And that's important to me because I didn't have art in elementary school or high school at all. So the first contact, I mean, I did art because my dad had a supermarket. And there were boxes and reams of paper and all. And we did a lot. There were five of us in our family. But my first contact with real art was going to college at the Turbo College in La Crosse. And then I went on to get my master's at UWs and have done more credits beyond that. But for a person who didn't have art in the schools and suddenly found out how important art is in my life, it's very important for me to advocate for the visual arts because they can offer, all of the arts can offer everybody so much. And you don't have to say, well, I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler because that has nothing to do with art. But it's just such an enjoyable way to fill your life with art and with people and to hear what other people are thinking and doing. And that's very stimulating. What I think is one of the most exciting things that I've learned since starting to work at the senior center, which has given me a real sense of hope in my own personal life, is that some people walk in as newly retired people. And as I'm doing a tour, they laugh when we get to the art and craft room. They go, yeah, I've never been able to do art. And one of the best things that Jeannie has ever done is to teach me through these tours that so many of us come in, unfortunately, from bad experiences at school. And she encourages us that it's never too late to start. And I really do look forward to having the time to be able to pursue some of those opportunities. I have a brother and sister who are both artists. And I wonder why it missed me and the family. But it truly has shown me when I look at Mary, she's inspired me that I can look forward to the future and think that when I retire, I have those opportunities. And this is all around us. And there's so many people to help you. But Jeannie is extremely helpful, as is Michelle, as is Susan. And they just constantly say, this is the place to come and to feel safe. And I love that, a safe place to make mistakes, a safe place to learn. And I think SVA sounds like that continues that process. Well, to me, the word mistake was a really good word because I preach almost that the main thing people have to get used to is not being afraid to make mistakes because you learn from mistakes. And I had an art professor in one of my painting classes. He said, the reason you and a friend of mine, Cathy Belling, who passed away, but the reason you two make so much progress is because you're not afraid to make mistakes. And I think too often we put the emphasis on the outcome, not on the experience of creating. And the experience of creating, if you let it, can be very rewarding. And at the elementary level, even, it wasn't the finished product that was so important. It was what went through the child's mind or the process of getting to that. Of course, we all want to have something that's a good product. But to me, that's not the main thing. And there's another thing too. Not all people have to create art because there's also an art to enjoying what you see. And as an artist and pretty prolific and having a lot of my own art and having some in exhibits too, I still buy a lot of people's art. And it isn't that I need art on my wall because it's covered. And I have more than I can put up at one time, so I rotate it. But it's that I'm buying a piece of that person's vision. And I'm promoting that person because I'm buying a piece of art which encourages him or her to continue to do art. And that's really important to me. Well, I would just like to wrap up by saying that if people know somebody from SVA and we can certainly help out at the Senior Center, you can buy your own piece of personal art for $20 if you do it ahead of time. Otherwise, the evening of August 23rd will be $25 for one of these pieces or many others. And I'd like to thank you, Kay, for not only being a member of the Senior Center, but for being on our show today. It's been really interesting. Thank you so much. I enjoyed it. You're welcome.