October 8, 2022
Laura called last night asking what my plans were for Saturday. Hair at 11:00 a.m. and grocery shopping afterwards. How would I like to do an overnight near Madison and tour some art in surrounding farmlands? That sounded like fun.
After my hair I picked up a prescription and did some grocery shopping. I had most of my packing done, just to put everything in order. I was waiting outside when Jay and Laura drove up at about 3:30 p.m. We had a nice drive towards Madison on a bright, crisp, sunny day. We arrived at Staybridge Suites in Fitchburg and checked into two rooms. We noshed on cheese, crackers and apples with wine until it was time to leave for our 6:30 reservation at the Stone House Restaurant. quiveysgrove.com.
We were seated on the lower level next to a table with about ten young ladies engaged in enthusiastic conversation. Jay asked for a different table and one in an upstairs room suited us perfectly.
Each of us enjoyed our meals; however, our waiter was less than attentive. When we said we were not served bread, he brought a basket of bread when we were finishing our meal.
I have a king size bed that should provide a good night sleep, ready for tomorrow's adventure.
Sunday, October 9.
After a hotel breakfast, we were on our way to the Farm/Art DTour that began in Sauk City. On the way we stopped at a roadside market and bought some produce and fall decorations.
This is the ninth year of the Farm/Art DTour that features works by artists from around the county creating pieces that explore timeless connections between land and people.
We followed a map that directed us to art and information along a 50-mile route.
The Tippy Top of Under by Denise Rolland Troyer, of Zionsville, IN, uses ceramic pieces to show how the fungi world beneath our feet teems with energy and communication, intermittently gracing us with its presence above ground.
We stopped at the CarbonEra Cafe where we picked up menus with suggested topics that we could discuss with other visitors. I joined Laurel and her mother to discuss how we can support our farmlands.
We walked through and around Baraboo by Rosalyn Gingerich of Chicago, IL, an experiential architectural inflatable that playfully builds rapport with the landscape while expanding perception of the large world around us.
This group is called Earthtones Listening Station with an interesting planting in a canoe.
We found some picnic benches near this Seed Mosaic and had our lunch while listening to a fiddle and accordion player. Laura and I also bought some summer sausage.
This chalk art explains fermentation. An ARK OVEN created by Tory Tepp and Whitey Flagg was built from clay dug from the Enges' Farms and with kenza straw from last year's harvest. We stepped inside Our Lady of Loretto Church Museum. Jay is beside this work by Scott Trimble of Seattle, WA, called "CURIOUS ERRATIC OF THE DRIFTLESS", a mythical structure made of telescopic concentric shapes that mimics the growing of plants and structures of nature. Now, Jay is atop hay bales listening to Christopher Lutter-Gardella of Minneapolis, MN, explain how his artwork, The Giant Farmer of Plain is a tribute to local farmers and builders. Inspired by agriculture and construction, this 20-foot marionette was built by local carpenters and fabricators.
Sarah Savage of Seattle, WA, and her crew braided this immersive woven grass installation in-situ to create an imaginative nurturing space to gather and daydream and calls it Garden of Water & Wind.
Children today can hardly relate to this one-room schoolhouse.
It's no optical illusion, but these chairs in the work STUHLE (U has an umlaut) by Hartmut Ringel of Wisconsin Dells, WI, are really moving (they are suspended by wires).
Understructure - Norden Loam created by Bill Mitchell of Lancaster, WI, invites visitors to walk underneath and experience the web from below, recreating the living systems in the ground. This work gives the sense of the 'sod' being lifted and peeled back from the land.
Some art was drive-by, other stops were informational signs. like marking the site where the circus set up its quarters, or a statement by Aldo Leopold.
Because the tour covered a large area, there was no crowding or difficulty finding a place to park. The day was mild, with a lot of sunshine. There was a short interval of sprinkles, but not enough to diminish the enjoyment of this event.
A take-out order at Lucky Liu's was ready when we got back to Saint Rita Square at 5:30 p.m. We had time to unwind and savor the experience.
