June 9, 2022 Sheboygan, WI
John Michael Kohler Arts Center Receives
$1 Million Grant from Lenore G. Tawney Foundation
Major Gift Establishes Endowment for New Fellowship Program
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has received a $1 million grant from the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation to establish an endowment funding a fellowship dedicated to the study of the Lenore Tawney Collection at JMKAC and the development of projects based on that study.
The endowment will support the new Lenore G. Tawney Fellowship, to be awarded annually to a scholar, writer, curator, or artist to pursue projects using the Arts Center’s Tawney collection as a basis or inspiration for their work. Fellowships will be open to individuals of all nationalities, at all educational levels, and from all disciplines.
“Through the generosity of the Tawney Foundation, the Arts Center will be able to bring in new voices and diverse perspectives on the collection and the ongoing relevance of Tawney’s life’s work,” said John Michael Kohler Arts Center Director Amy Horst. “We are grateful for the Foundation’s gift and enthusiastic about the opportunities it will provide for new research and new works of art.”
In addition to the endowment grant, the Foundation is providing the Arts Center an operating grant of $50,000 to operate the Fellowship in its first year. The first fellow will be announced in early 2023, with the fellowship beginning in summer of 2023.
“The Foundation is thrilled to partner with the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in establishing this fellowship and looks forward to the Lenore Tawney Collection at the Arts Center’s Art Preserve providing the basis for exciting new research,” said Lenore G. Tawney Foundation Director Kathleen Nugent Mangan.
In 2019 the Arts Center presented Mirror of the Universe, a critically acclaimed series of four exhibitions curated by Karen Patterson that explored Lenore Tawney’s life and the impact of her work, in collaboration with the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation and the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. The accompanying publication, titled Lenore Tawney: Mirror of the Universe, was recognized by the Art Libraries Society of North America for excellence in art publishing.
Since 1984, when the Arts Center first acquired works from the art environment created by self-taught artist Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, it has centered its exhibitions, research, and programs on the conviction that significant, original, and compelling works of art are created everywhere, by people from a broad spectrum of life experiences.
Lenore Tawney’s (1907–2007) innovative interpretations of traditional fiber practices were central to shifting the perception of weaving from a utilitarian craft to fiber art as we know it today. Tawney’s unorthodox sculptural works took weaving beyond the expected flat rectangular format, moving fiber art off the wall and into three-dimensional space. Tawney’s interdisciplinary oeuvre also spanned drawing, collage, and assemblage.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center worked closely with the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation to acquire hundreds of key components from the artist’s last studio environment in 2019, with assistance from Kohler Foundation, Inc. The 486-piece collection includes artwork, collages, assemblages, furniture, and supplies.
An installation of Tawney’s studio environment is on view at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s Art Preserve, which opened in 2021 and provides the public and researchers year-round access to an unparalleled collection of art environments that now includes works by more than 30 artists.
ABOUT THE LENORE G. TAWNEY FOUNDATION
The Lenore G. Tawney Foundation was established in 1989 by pioneer fiber artist Lenore Tawney (1907–2007) for charitable and educational purposes. Tawney endowed the Foundation with her life’s resources—both artistic and financial.
Consistent with her philanthropic interests, the Foundation supports the visual arts with a focus on craft media. It makes its art collection and archive available as resources for exhibitions and scholarly study, awards scholarships and fellowships for professional art education, and supports other special projects as Tawney envisioned. Its broad aim is to increase public access to and knowledge about the visual arts and to assist learning opportunities for emerging artists and scholars.
ABOUT THE JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ARTS CENTER
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC), located north of Milwaukee in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is known for promoting the understanding and appreciation of the work of self-taught and contemporary artists through exhibitions and commissioned works of art. Founded in 1967, JMKAC has preserved, studied, and exhibited artist-built environments, earning a worldwide reputation. Art environments involve an individual significantly transforming their surroundings into an exceptional, multifaceted work of art.
The Arts Center’s downtown Sheboygan facility includes eight galleries, two performance spaces, a café, a museum shop, and a drop-in art-making studio. Among its program offerings are community arts projects; artist residencies; presentations of dance, film, and music; a free weekly summer concert series; classes and workshops; an onsite arts-based preschool; and approximately twelve original exhibitions of the work of self-taught and contemporary artists annually. JMKAC also administers the renowned Arts/Industry residency program, which is hosted by Kohler Co.
ABOUT THE ART PRESERVE
In 2021, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center opened the Art Preserve, the world’s first museum to focus entirely on work from art environments. Located three miles from JMKAC, the 56,000-sq.-ft., three-level building holds more than 25,000 works in the Arts Center’s world-renowned collection, which includes complete and partial environments by more than 30 vernacular, self-taught, and academically trained artists. Visitors experience unprecedented access and insight into the display, preservation, conservation, and interpretation of the Arts Center’s premier collection through tableaux as well as a unique system of curated, visible storage of the works of art.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (608 New York Avenue) and the Art Preserve (3636 Lower Falls Road) are located in Sheboygan, WI. Admission is always free. For information, call (920) 458-6144, or visit jmkac.org, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location
John Michael Kohler Arts Center: 608 New York Avenue, Sheboygan, WI
Art Preserve: 3636 Lower Falls Road, Sheboygan, WI
Free admission at both locations
Contact: Patricia DuChene
Marketing Communications Manager
pduchene@jmkac.org
