News & Events

The city Parks & Recreation Department once again sponsored a concert series at the Cravath Lakefront Park. Four out of five scheduled concerts were held; Ladies Must Swing was canceled on August 15 due to weather. Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

Madison Brass Band – July 25

Bonzo Squad – August 1

Palmyra-Eagle Community Band directed by Jim Neist – August 8

Piper Road Spring Band – August 22

Reflect on the connections between sound, digital art, computer programming, and AI technology at Roberta’s Art Gallery with “Resonate: An Audiovisual Interactive Experience” by artist and UW-Whitewater Media Arts & Game Development Associate Professor Nick Hwang. This exhibit challenges the relationship between sound and response to physical movement with interactive cubes that alter audio and a large digital display over time. Hwang’s exhibit will be open from Sept. 25 to Oct. 22. 

“Resonate” highlights the fusion of dynamic audio, visuals, and the art of an ever-evolving presence. This exhibit features three transformational rotation-aware boxes made of birch wood and electronic components programmed to connect movement and sound frequencies. By design, Hwang’s innovative cubes and digital display will evolve as the exhibition continues, promising its audience a collaborative and interactive, ever-changing AI experience. Hwang says “I hope that this exhibit will invite exploration amongst the Warhawk community in hopes that everyone who experiences my exhibit will be inspired to push themselves to create more innovative art.”

Hwang is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, specializing in multi-user interactive experiences. Hwang says, “This exhibit extends the work I practice and teach. I am excited to share that if Warhawks are interested in immersive audio and visual technology, they can look into the Media Arts & Game Development program at UWW, where they can discover an immense array of tools and materials to help explore curiosity.” 

The exhibit reception will be held on Oct. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m., with an artist talk and an audience Q&A from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by an open house with refreshments from 7 to 8 p.m. Additionally, there will be a “Design Your Own Light Box” workshop in collaboration with UC Live in the Warhawk Connection Center from 7 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 8. 

Roberta’s Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the James R. Connor University Center at 190 Hamilton Green Way, Whitewater, Wis. The gallery collaborates with campus departments, student organizations, and community artists to coordinate and sponsor exhibits. Our hours are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

At Roberta’s Art Gallery, we pride ourselves in providing free and open exhibits to the public, and attending certain events can earn students class credit. If you are interested in being featured in the gallery, please contact us for a proposal request. Reach us at ucart@uww.edu or 262-472-3193. Visit our website for any questions or inquiries, and follow our Instagram @uww_rag. For more information about Hwang’s work, see his website https://nickhwang.com/. 

Editor’s Note:  The following was written by Marjorie Stoneman about Studio 84’s Dance Program.
Update: Photos from the Studio 84’s performance at the Multicultural Heritage Showcase are added to the bottom of the article.

Joy and laughter dances at Studio 84.  Many know Studio 84 as a place for people of all abilities to come to paint, draw, and work with clay and ceramics.  A new program offered is dance. 

And what a wonderful dance it is.  An incredibly talented dancer herself, Margaret Wheeler donates her time each week to bring joy, laughter and dance to Whitewater’s Studio 84 at 121 West Center Street. Stuart Nagy and Steven Paprocki benefit from her talents each week.  They are regular dancers and artists at Studio 84.  Each Tuesday they travel from Hales Corners to spend the day creating art and dancing.

Margaret Wheeler brings an enthusiasm that brightens the studio and makes everyone happy, including visitors.

Dancers Stuart and Steven are definitely joyful as they dance choreographed pieces that are meaningful and fun.  One of the recent performances was danced to “Invisible” by Hunter Hayes.  The anti-bullying theme was powerfully put into dance and featured each dancer’s personal experiences.  Margaret asked each of the dancers to take what could be considered a negative and turn it into a positive.  They danced and used posters to share their messages.  For Stuart, “Hiding” was converted to “Being Seen.”  For Steven, “Shy” was converted to “Quiet Confidence.”  One of the other students created “Autism is Amazing.” 

People with all abilities are invited on Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. to join the dance class.  Each dancer pays $15 per hour to participate and all proceeds are donated by Margaret to Studio 84.  More information and sign-up information can be found at:  www.studio84inc.org.

“We pick songs that feature fun, positive, non-bullying, and even awe-inspiring themes,” said Margaret.

The class begins with warm-up stretches and then they proceed to choreographed dance segments.

Margaret said, “I love the people, the atmosphere, to be there with all of the art.  The people I meet are so creative…and dance adds to that.”

Margaret Wheeler earned a Master’s Degree in Dance from Mills College, Oakland, CA and has taught and choreographed since the 1980’s.  She has a Certificate of Adaptive Dance from the Boston Ballet and from the American Dance Festival. Previously, she was Director of the Dance Program at Fisk University, Nashville, TN and she created the Parabolic Dance Company in Helena, MT in which all proceeds from concerts were donated to nonprofit organizations.

When she isn’t donating her time dancing, she spends her time as an International Employment and Immigration Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Her dance class has performed at the Multicultural Event through the Whitewater Unified School District and is available for other venues.   Anyone interested in having a performance at their location or event should contact Studio 84 at info@studio84inc.org.

Margaret said, “Being in this space makes me happy – but mostly the people.  People can do anything.”

Dance is just one of the arts featured at Studio 84.  Stuart can often be found at the Whitewater City Market selling his pottery to help raise funds for Studio 84.  He has been involved in Studio 84 for about seven years and said, “I just love doing the arts.” And of dance he said, “It’s fun.  And it gets me energized.”

Benjamin Kelly, a director at Studio 84, said, “I would like to see the studio continue and expand – reaching more people.”  Studio 84 services much of Southern Wisconsin.

Volunteers like Margaret are crucial to the group to sit with artists as they create, help with administration, and assist with other tasks.  Donations also keep the doors open, help with supplies, and more.  Funds are welcome and so are art supplies. 

Their website says, “Studio 84 is a nonprofit art studio, gallery and store.  We specialize in the creative and vocational development of people with disabilities including those with Autism, Down Syndrome, physical disabilities, cognition delays and mental illness.  We believe in creating an environment of inclusion. Open to all ages and all abilities.”

Margaret is also working with the City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Department to offer evening classes at the Whitewater Armory. More information about Studio 84 and the dance programs can be found at www.studio84inc.org or by calling 262-473-9845.

Studio 84 will be exhibiting art at the Whitewater Arts Alliance Gallery in downtown Whitewater through October 27.  There will be an opening reception on Saturday, October 12, Noon to 4 p.m. with a brief gallery program introducing the exhibit at 1 p.m.  The exhibit can be viewed during the following open gallery hours as well: Thursday-Sundays, Noon to 4 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 W Main St. Whitewater. 

Update: Photos below from Studio 84’s performance at the Multilingual Heritage Showcase on May 11 are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

Whitewater High School Alumni Association Annual Meeting
Date: Saturday, October 19 @ 12:00 pm
Location: Jessica’s Restaurant, 140 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190

The primary purpose of the Alumni Association is to raise funds for the distribution of scholarships to Whitewater High School graduating seniors.

All Whitewater High School Alumni and guests are welcome to attend.
Jessica’s standard menu will be available for purchase by attendees.

RSVP Sonja Jacobson by October 15 at 920-253-8831 (please leave a detailed message)

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Sonja Jacobson.

Wisconsin Makers will host its second annual aluminum pour on Saturday, Oct. 12. The public is invited to this family-friendly event at the regional makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater. It will be similar to the past cast
iron pours, except organizers will be pouring aluminum, which has very different properties. It melts at a lower temperature, is lighter, is silver in color and does not rust.

Spectators are welcome to watch the “pour team” — led by Teresa “Tree” Lind, a former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater lecturer of art and design — melt aluminum in an outdoor furnace and then fill sand scratch molds with the liquid metal. The team will start melting aluminum at 9 a.m. By noon, it will have reached 1,200 degrees and be ready to pour into the sand scratch molds participants have carved. After being cooled and cleaned, the castings will be ready to take home by mid-afternoon. The cost is $25 per scratch mold. Participation is on a first- come, first-served basis.

Grilled brats, chips, water and soda will be available for purchase during the pour.

Make your casting

Members of the public wishing to make their own casting may buy a scratch mold square to personalize with their design that day, starting at 9 a.m. They must be completed by 11:30 a.m. Those who would like to get a head start on their design may attend a scratch mold workshop at the makerspace Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. Volunteers
will be on hand to provide tools and advice. In addition, persons who would rather to do their artwork at home may buy scratch molds beforehand at Binning and Dickens Insurance, 319 W. Center St., Whitewater, during weekday business hours. They also may be purchased by contacting Wisconsin Makers President Al Jewer at wisconsinmakersinc@gmail.com or (630) 430-9498 and setting a meet-up time.

“We are very excited to be hosting our second fall aluminum pour,” said Jewer. “We have held spring cast-iron
pours for many years and last year added the aluminum pour. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Wisconsin Makers is a nonprofit regional makerspace (community workshop) offering an affordable, collaborative and
educational environment that inspires people of all ages to become innovators by unlocking their skills through continual experimentation and training. Work areas/equipment include: 3-D printing, laser engraving, machining, welding/fabrication, electronics, blacksmithing, woodworking, ceramics/pottery, jewelry making, arts/crafts,
quilting/fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

For more information on the iron pour or scratch mold workshop, or to learn about the makerspace or memberships,
visit Wisconsin Makers’ Facebook page at @wisconsinmakers. A brief video showing the capabilities and resources
available at the makerspace may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqa9N8p1Fqw.

Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer our first 2024 Snowmobile Safety Education Course on November 5, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., and November 9, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, 200 East U.S. Highway 14, Janesville, WI 53545. Students must attend both sessions to graduate.

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1985, is required to complete a Snowmobile Safety Education Course to legally operate a snowmobile in areas open to the public within Wisconsin. Students should be at least 12 years of age or turn 12 shortly after the class.

Snowmobile Safety Education Course
Session 1: November 5, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Session 2: November 9, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office

Registration is now open. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat.
https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/snowmobile-education
Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the registration form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with course information.

The course fee of $10 per student will be collected at the first session. If the student is under 18 years old, a parent/guardian will need to attend the first session with the student. Students will receive course materials at the first session. Please direct any questions to Deputy Trevor Lund at trevor.lund@co.rock.wi.us.

Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by the Rock County Sheriff’s Department, which has previously confirmed to The Whitewater Banner that Rock County residency is not required in order to register in their classes.