MONROE - Artwork by dozens of Monroe and southern Wisconsin artists will be on display at Monroe Clinic starting Thursday and until October.
The gallery - called Inspirations Unleashed! - is a collaboration between the Clinic, the Monroe Arts Center and the Driftless Area Artists, a collective of professional artists from around the Driftless region of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
"We're not just painters," said Driftless president Joan Stackpole. "There are sculptors, mosaic artists, acrylics, people who specialize in watercolors or acrylics or oils or pastels or graphite, we have a cartoonist, photographers, fabric artists and more."
Stackpole said each of the 33 members of Driftless submitted two pieces of artwork to be displayed at the Clinic. The exhibition spreads throughout the facility, across four different floors, she said, and some exhibits will be for sale.
Driftless, Stackpole said, has been an affiliate of MAC for several years, and the two organizations have collaborated frequently in the past. MAC has often displayed Driftless galleries while Driftless organizes art studios for aspiring artists at MAC.
"Our goals are nurturing the artistic growth and development of artists in the community," Stackpole said.
Driftless was founded 20 years ago as an informal group of approximately half a dozen professional artists who wanted a way to meet other artists and improve their own work through peer critique. While the association was very loosely defined for most of its existence, Stackpole - a painter who joined the group nine years ago - created the group's first set of bylaws in 2015.
"Artists are opinionated and vocal," Stackpole said. "Getting them to agree on anything is like herding cats."
Since then, Stackpole was appointed the newest president of the group in September of 2016 and started working on making the group more visible to the community.
To that end, Driftless has held several events throughout the area: art showings in Monticello and New Glarus libraries, public art critiques each month at MAC, and various art studios for community members. Stackpole said a Driftless gallery just finished showing at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator last month, where artists were able to sell seven pieces of Driftless artwork.
Stackpole said that, although several members of Driftless are professional artists, the group is willing to accept any member with the willingness to learn, regardless of skill level. Stackpole said she began painting in 2003 after retiring as a teacher, and improved tremendously thanks to the group's feedback.
Inspirations Unleashed! will have an opening reception Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Monroe Clinic. The art will remain free for public viewing at the Clinic through the first week of October.
Artists interested in joining Driftless can find a membership form at driftlessareaartists.org.
The gallery - called Inspirations Unleashed! - is a collaboration between the Clinic, the Monroe Arts Center and the Driftless Area Artists, a collective of professional artists from around the Driftless region of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
"We're not just painters," said Driftless president Joan Stackpole. "There are sculptors, mosaic artists, acrylics, people who specialize in watercolors or acrylics or oils or pastels or graphite, we have a cartoonist, photographers, fabric artists and more."
Stackpole said each of the 33 members of Driftless submitted two pieces of artwork to be displayed at the Clinic. The exhibition spreads throughout the facility, across four different floors, she said, and some exhibits will be for sale.
Driftless, Stackpole said, has been an affiliate of MAC for several years, and the two organizations have collaborated frequently in the past. MAC has often displayed Driftless galleries while Driftless organizes art studios for aspiring artists at MAC.
"Our goals are nurturing the artistic growth and development of artists in the community," Stackpole said.
Driftless was founded 20 years ago as an informal group of approximately half a dozen professional artists who wanted a way to meet other artists and improve their own work through peer critique. While the association was very loosely defined for most of its existence, Stackpole - a painter who joined the group nine years ago - created the group's first set of bylaws in 2015.
"Artists are opinionated and vocal," Stackpole said. "Getting them to agree on anything is like herding cats."
Since then, Stackpole was appointed the newest president of the group in September of 2016 and started working on making the group more visible to the community.
To that end, Driftless has held several events throughout the area: art showings in Monticello and New Glarus libraries, public art critiques each month at MAC, and various art studios for community members. Stackpole said a Driftless gallery just finished showing at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator last month, where artists were able to sell seven pieces of Driftless artwork.
Stackpole said that, although several members of Driftless are professional artists, the group is willing to accept any member with the willingness to learn, regardless of skill level. Stackpole said she began painting in 2003 after retiring as a teacher, and improved tremendously thanks to the group's feedback.
Inspirations Unleashed! will have an opening reception Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Monroe Clinic. The art will remain free for public viewing at the Clinic through the first week of October.
Artists interested in joining Driftless can find a membership form at driftlessareaartists.org.