And summer is officially here! Ok, I know that it technically starts on the 21st, but it is here, isn’t it? School is out and the farmers market has been outside for over a month. We even had the first Concert last night. Today is our summer kickoff event. While there are so many things to appreciate about living in Wisconsin year-round, there is something about it that really comes to life in all its glory in the summer. Summer, by itself even, has a never-ending list of things to appreciate. If you were to ask a group, the answers would possibly be similar on the surface and then ever nuanced and expanding as the discussion continued.
Late nights, sunny days, road trips through the countryside, seeing barn quilts, being on the lake with views of the capitol, live outdoor music, seeing friends at your neighborhood bar, fresh picked strawberries, hiking state parks. All pretty wonderful things, right?
With this year’s summer theme, we hope to capture a little bit of that magic and make it a bit more present on the square. Actually, it is the square and three blocks off. For the past 12 years, art in downtown Monroe is not just inside or on the buildings. We have taken it to the streets. From zoo animals to musical chairs, local artists have carved and painted pieces to place on the sidewalks. Creative leaps to connect disparate things, bring smiles to faces, a season long event for anyone and everyone to attend at any time.
This year’s theme is our cheesiest yet: “Cheese, Glorious Cheese.” Artists — from those living two blocks off the square to a tattoo artist in Madison — have painted 5-foot-tall, 2-foot-deep wedges featuring scenes and elements iconic to Wisconsin. This theme, of course, coincides with Green County Cheese Days. There is perhaps nothing so symbolic as cheese for Wisconsin. Like our previous themes, we never want to take it too seriously. It is for the young and the young at heart. But this year, it feels like it is hitting differently.
There are 23 pieces total: 20 wedges and three carvings from Zoli. Each a unique piece of art. Zoli’s are his take on roadside attractions. Any guesses on the inspiration for the giant penny on the east side of the square? Like last year, we also have over two dozen sidewalk stickers. They were designed by Tracy Hamilton (Heartland Graphics) and printed locally (Paw Prints) on material made in Ohio. All these stickers have cheese related trivia questions, which, again, can be perused at any time and by the young and old. Photos do not quite do justice to any of it.
It is cheesy, but in such an almost literal sense that the artwork is something more. And that is why it hits differently. The scenes and elements iconic to Wisconsin are personal to the artists, but we are betting they are also universal. Inspiration for the pieces includes childhood memories of being up north with grandparents, artistic style that could only be done by one of Monroe’s celebrated artists, explosions of wildflowers in a field, the Wisconsin Badgers, and so much more. All similar on the surface and in shape, but full of nuance and expression and details to recognize and capture.
We hope you enjoy each and every piece this year, that you find something new to appreciate with each new glance, and that they transport you. Perhaps they transport you somewhere not too far downtown from where you are standing. No matter where, we hope it is to happy memories, and that they excite you with thoughts of plans for this summer, and a bit of pride for all the glorious things about Wisconsin and about what is right in front of you.
— 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.
