If you have heard “Green County is the luckiest place you can be without needing a passport” recently, it is because it’s the tagline for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. The parade is once again being organized by the Hamilton and Bruce families, who have been leading the charge for the past 20 years. Coming off the holidays, it felt like there was plenty of time. I imagined using that statement in at least a couple of videos: asking shop owners and people downtown why they believed it.
Like so many things, there ended up not being time to interview anyone. The parade is this Tuesday, along the usual route, and starts at 5:17pm. But the sentiment remains and I am taking it a bit more personally. One of the best parts about my job is getting to work with so many different creative people. For the past decade, it has been inspiring and humbling.
Tina Duemler, who recently opened Color & Light Art Gallery on the south side of the square, is one of those people always creating and making.
Hooked on art by Monet, she has a Master of Fine Arts in art from the University of Wisconsin — Madison. She has taught art locally, has served as art juror, and exhibited throughout the Midwest. She is an artist in every sense of the word. Her gallery, located at what was once Miller’s at 1604 11th Street, is a bright and airy space.
Since opening in November, she has featured other artists by invitation, offered a watercolor series, and will be offering a drawing refresher class. Her space is a proper gallery, and it feels like the space we did not even know we were missing. I feel lucky that Tina has chosen to open in Monroe.
In keeping with St. Patrick’s Day and Green County being the luckiest place to be without needing a passport, I am anxiously sharing that next Saturday, March 21st, I will have an art exhibit at Tina’s gallery. Fifteen or so of my photos will be displayed. Tina was surprised to learn that nearly all the non-event photos shared by Main Street Monroe are taken by me.
I cannot say that I have any pretense or delusions of even being Monroe’s own poor man version of Richard Avedon. I am questioning whether I should even say I am an amateur photographer. Amateur in training perhaps? But now and in the past, photography has been many things to and for me.
Tina is allowing me an opportunity to share something that has been partially an obligation and partially a passion. I may never feel more positive than when a new perspective catches my eye and I try to capture it in a photo.
Photos never do justice to what you see in real time, but sometimes they come close. It is like chasing perfection. But what I also love about photography is that it captures moments in time.
If you are reading this, I hope that you will consider stopping down to Color & Light Art Gallery on Saturday, March 21st. I will be there from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and all the photos will be displayed through the following weekend. Color & Light is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
I cannot promise you breathtaking photos, but they will be my favorites, many taken downtown. For someone who never saw himself as an artist, I feel pretty damn lucky for this opportunity.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
