Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - An upcoming directory of Southwest Wisconsin artists, artisans and craftspeople will feature a variety of entries: from painters who create giant murals to musicians who craft melodies, from poets who work with words to sculptors who whittle rock into fantastic shapes. Entries are being sought for the Arts Build Directory. Artists from Southwest Wisconsin can have their name, contact information and a high-quality photo of their work printed in the directory at no cost.

"The benefit, first and foremost, is the connection to this larger arts community in Southwest Wisconsin. It gives artists and communities the opportunity to connect with each other," said Arts Build Coordinator Heidi Dyas-McBeth. "Our hope is that this is the beginning of something that will become a comprehensive marketing tool for the arts in Southwest Wisconsin."

With the help of a generous funding gift from the Trelay Company, Livingston, the directory will be published later this spring.

Arts Build is an economic development project at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville designed to offer assistance to artists, artisans and craftspeople interested in beginning or expanding an arts related business. The directory will encompass Grant, Lafayette, Iowa, Richland, Green and Crawford counties, and surrounding areas. The directory isn't limited to visual artists either. Songwriters, theater professionals, writers, filmmakers and others are welcome.

Artist Pamela Callahan works in oil paints and mixed media, while her husband John Walte is a non-photographic digital artist. The two, who operate the Otter Creek Arts studios, recently moved to rural Highland and were glad they got involved with Arts Build.

"We're both artists from Chicago but we're new here. What we have benefited from is the networking with other artists, and taking part in some of the art and business related workshops," Callahan said. "We've met a lot of people."

Cindy Schave paints in pastels and operates a studio and custom framing business from her home in Platteville. Also the director of the Rountree Gallery, Platteville, Schave said she will participate in the Arts Build Directory project. She said Arts Build has created "an energy" among artists in the region.

"I see it as something to help build general visibility of the arts, and create good networking among artists and people who are interested in the arts," Schave said.

The Arts Build Directory is being made possible by a gift from the Trelay Company. The funding of the directory is, in part, a way to honor the late Ada Biddick, Trelay Company President Brad Biddick said. Ada was instrumental in the early success of the Livingston-based seed company, founded in 1906. An avid painter herself, Ada was also active in the Southwest Wisconsin arts scene.

"She painted a lot of local things, a lot of rural landscapes, as well as people that were around her," Biddick said. "I think [the directory] is going to be a good piece to just bring more attention to this part of the state, which is an artists dream out here: lots of great landscapes and characters, and just a lot of variety that captures the senses."

Dyas-McBeth said the Arts Build project wouldn't be possible without the support of the UWP Office of Continuing Education, the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center, the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts.

Artists who wish to be listed in the Arts Build Directory, or those who would like more information, may contact Dyas-McBeth at the UWP Office of Continuing Education: by telephone, 608-342-1314; toll-free, 1-888-281-9472; or via e-mail, dyasmc@uwplatt.edu, in order to receive a directory kit forparticipation. Materials for the directory must be returned by Jan. 31.

For those who need assistance in providing a photo for the directory, a photographer will be available at UW-Platteville Saturday, Jan. 29 and Sunday, Jan. 30. The directory will be available at no cost at selected outlets this spring.

Contact: Heidi Dyas-McBeth, coordinator, Arts Build, UWP Office of Continuing Education, 608-342-1314, 1-888-281-9472, dyasmc@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Dan Lehnherr, UWP Public Relations, 608-342-1194, lehnherd@uwplatt.edu