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Art in the Fox Cities is something we take pride in here at FOX CITIES Magazine, and it has really evolved beyond just your average gallery or museum. From Mile of Music to The Artery, local creators are using their art to celebrate Midwestern culture in contemporary styles. I’m excited to be featuring recent art events happening now in the Fox Cities for both our locals and our visitors. I hope to inspire our readers by encouraging support for local artists and highlighting some unique twists we are currently seeing at different art events.

Let It Flow – Art Exhibit

To kick this series off, this Friday, January 20 is the last day to visit Let It Flow, an art exhibit hosted by Take Me to The River, where the lines between visual art and music are blurred to create a unique experience for visitors. Edison Center’s Rock Garden Studio provided the perfect venue for the exhibit with visual art being displayed in a recording studio. I had the chance to visit during the opening night celebration which featured live model body painting by Dave Gauthier Art and improvisational music by Floozy. The improvisational music provided an uncommon backdrop to the event. Floozy’s new-wave style was both mystical yet eerie, which matched the style of featured visual artists’ work. It provided an ambiance that did not distract from the art, but rather complimented it well.

Treble Stigen’s latest series Songs and Squares further fuses the visual and the vocal. “As I listened to these artists’ songs, my mind would connect. With the artist’s approval, I have chosen some lyrics from their art and added them to mine,” says Stigen. While Songs is inspired by the music of artists who recorded or performed at Rock Garden Studio Squares is inspired by their album art. At Let It Flow, Stigen paired her photographs with lyrics from songs that you can listen to while observing her work. She likes to have visitors try to guess which photo goes with which song, so listen carefully!

Attendees can also expect more interactivity at Let It Flow whether it be editing a poem hung on the wall, submitting a secret in FOX CITIES Magazine’s Secrets Box, or going into the Isolation Room. Behind the closed doors of the Isolation Room, you can observe eerie aluminum prints by Matt Lombard while hymnal music plays in the background. While the music itself was actually quite relaxing, pairing it with Lombard’s prints made the experience all the more uncanny – an ideal end to my Friday the 13th.

One of my favorite works displayed at Let It Flow, was Che Correa’s photography. “I am so happy to be a part of such an amazing roster for artists in such an amazing place like Rock Garden,” says Correa. “Creativity is constantly being harnessed in this place, and I’m happy that we are bringing visual arts as a part of it.” Winner of an ADDY award, the Appleton-based photographer’s work was undone in a very feminine way. It emanated a sort of effortless-chic that is trending in beauty and fashion at the moment.

Let It Flow’s closing night will feature live music by Miss Molly as well as craft beer and refreshments. Leif Larson will also be in the studio finishing his live painting. The exhibit is free, while donations are appreciated, and will be open on Friday from 12-9 p.m. with closing celebrations starting at 6 p.m.