"Junkyards have all the best stuff!"

Friday is gallery night and I am so pleased to show the work of a man who has meant a great deal to me through my life.  30 years ago or so I chose and went to a liberal arts college here in Wisconsin called Ripon College.  Liberal Arts means you get a little bit of everything from philosophy to biology to leadership to art.  I found myself in art-specifically in the Ripon College Art Department.  Where I met a skinny, energetic Professor named Gene Kain(he also had a big bushy mustache at the time.)  He took me under his wing and dragged me all around the city of Ripon, it's outskirts and haunts to all the old junk yards.  "Junk yards have the all best stuff for making art," he said.  His influence, guidance, and friendship has spirited me through time and I am quite sure I would not be who I am without his presence during my years at Ripon and even now as a friend in my life.

It is my pleasure this Friday, at my studio to show some of his Polychrome relief sculptures and other work. 5-9pm with refreshments served and also a small project to create in the back of the studio.  All are welcome.

Hope to see you there.

Amy Mietzel

Bare Knuckle Arts
www.bareknucklearts.com


Learn to Crochet-this summer at Bare Knuckle Arts

Looking for a few more to join us at Crochet Camp this summer.

Crochet Camp June 24th-28th 1-3pm This fun camp for children is a great opportunity for kids to begin learning the lifelong skill of crochet, or to expand on their current crocheting abilities. This camp is for all levels of crochet experience, from beginner to advanced. Your child can expect to learn the basics of crochet while making item(s) from our project list, including: shoelaces, a potholder, dishcloth, bracelet, headband, cup cozy, small blanket, scarf, hacky sack, hat, small bag, or donut keychain. More advanced projects will also be available upon request. With so many options, there will be something for everyone! All level 8-14yr olds welcome $125 course fee with crotch needles, yarn needles provided and a Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included. There are additional materials list for this class, one skein of acrylic medium yarn #4 and one skein of cotton medium #4 yarn.

PINBALL Wizard Class Recently Added to our Summer Class Schedule

PINBALL WIZARD Class

Have you got a Do-It-Yourself Teen or Tween? Do they think outside the box? Or Are they a Pinball Wizard?

This is short but fun summer class. We will make our own Pinball Machines with a pre-made kit from Pin Box 3000. Pin Box 3000 has been featured at many Comic-Cons. We can customize our pinball machines with our own obstacles and decoration.

No batteries necessary and we provide all you need.

Ages 10-15 Welcome $90 and a full kit is provided as well as a Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included

Friday July 12th 1-5pm

Gallery Night Friday May 3rd 5-9pm at Bare Knuckle Arts

"We are pleased to show the relief sculptures of retired Ripon College Art Professor Gene Kain.  These steel polychrome reliefs are his personal expression about seeing, curiosity and wonder.” Refreshments served. The studio will be open from 5-9pm come on in, say “Hi”, nosh, talk, and even create a small wood relief of your own.

gene 2 .JPG

About Gallery Night

Gallery Night is a long-time Madison arts tradition that showcases the city’s vibrant arts community. Organized each May and October by MMoCA, Gallery Night offers art lovers and art novices alike an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions, opening receptions, special events, and demonstrations at venues throughout the city. During Gallery Night, dozens of venues open their doors to invite the public in to see and shop for original artwork.

Gallery Night takes place from 5-9 pm on the first Fridays of May and October, though some participating venues set their own hours. All venues participating in Gallery Night are open free of charge, unless otherwise noted.

Altered Cigar Box Workshop on Sunday May 5th 1-3:30pm

Altered Cigar Box Workshop Sunday May 5th 1-3:30pm

Altered Cigar Box Workshop is so simple yet so fun.  Join us on May 5th 1-3:30pm to upcycle, re-use, re-purpose old simple wooden boxes.  We pull out all the supplies in the studio and you can use whatever you want to created a one-of-a-kind box on the inside and out.  We also provide a wide and unique range of wooden boxes.  Ages 5-92 Welcome  $32 per participant

9 More Weeks to Serious

Today a 5th grader announced to me that he had 9 more weeks and then he was going to be a 6th grader, in a middle school and that his parents informed him…”middle school was very serious!”

Before they hit that very serious middle school- join us this summer for some serious summer fun!!

We have classes and workshops for all ages. Summer Art Muscle Classes.

Dreamy Little World-Mixed Media Workshop July 21st

ASSEMBLAGE and Mixed Media is just that, lots of objects, maps, paper, and metal pieces. Create an original mixed media piece of work with glue, tape, paint and more. This technique utilizes found objects with new pieces to create a dreamy little world. You decide what it says by the objects you choose-bring your own or use some of ours. We have lots of stuff, metal home cut-outs, beautiful papers, and small shadow box frames will be available. You can paint, glue, rip, construct and more.

Ages 10-Adult Welcome $65 per participant. Sunday July 21st 1-3:30pm

Crocheting Camp with The Bittiest Baubles June 24-28th



This is Justine Gerns the owner of Bittiest Baubles. You’ve seen her work around Madison, especially at the Crafty Fair. It is awesome. We are so excited to have her come to Bare Knuckle Arts this summer and teach Crochet Camp June 24-28th. Learn to Crochet with The Bittiest Baubles. This fun camp for children is a great opportunity for kids to begin learning the lifelong skill of crochet, or to expand on their current crocheting abilities. This camp is for all levels of crochet experience, from beginner to advanced. Your child can expect to learn the basics of crochet while making item(s) from our project list, including: shoelaces, a potholder, dishcloth, bracelet, headband, cup cozy, small blanket, scarf, hacky sack, hat, small bag, or donut keychain. More advanced projects will also be available upon request. With so many options, there will be something for everyone! All level 8-14yr olds welcome

In this class, camp attendees will learn: how to hold a crochet hook and yarn, the slip knot, foundation row, single crochet, double crochet, fastening off, weaving in ends, and how to read a pattern and abbreviations. More intermediate to advanced projects will give the opportunity learn things like: sewing side seams, making a buttonhole, Magic Loop, crocheting in the round, increasing and decreasing, and color changes.

$125 course fee with crotch needles, yarn needles provided and a Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included. There are additional materials list for this class, one skein of acrylic medium yarn #4 and one skein of cotton medium #4 yarn.

In Celebration of Rocks, Sticks, and Mud We Present...WILD at HEART Nature Camp August 12-16th

Wild at Heart Nature Week is for the child who loves and is connected to nature, earth, the wild! In this week long camp we will walk to some of the parks near the studio, talk about nature, the environment, collect, and create art with things from the environment. Projects include collecting some mud from Lake Monona and plaster casting, making an earth loom that is comprised of sticks, flowers, grasses. We will do a bit of plein aire painting by the Yahara as well as focus on animals, insects, birds, and butterflies. Make a small nature mandala and we will try to fit in grapevine crowns, rock painting, and nature collages. Monday August 12th to Friday August 16th Every day from 1-3pm Ages 7-11 Years welcome. Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included in price.

Vial Cap Mural at the Elver Park Neighborhood Center

Teens and children at the Elver Park Neighborhood Center came together and created a drawing that will be made into a 12 foot long vial cap mural. Using a variety of positive images from several different artists a final composition was created. This image was drawn onto MDF panels and then painted with background colors. The vial caps are being added as you read this. Learn More Here

Elver Park sketch for vial cap mural .jpg

Meet the Maker Month-Grandpa Ben and his Garden Gathering Baskets

March is Meet the Maker Month and although I myself am an artist I wanted to share with you a maker that was influential in my life. This is Grandpa Ben. Grandpa Ben was a tall and big man. During his life he had various jobs, working for the railroad, driving truck, digging using an excavator and gardening. He was also renowned for his ability to eat—once he ate a stack of 14 pancakes and it was also rumored that he ate 18 of my mother’s sloppy joe sandwiches in one sitting. He was important to me because he was a maker, a tinker, a whittler, a gardener, and sometimes even at age 85 an axe wielding lumberjack. He loved to make things with wood and bits of stuff laying about. Once he whittled some little red shoes-just like Dorothy’s for a friend of mine who was making a giant puppet for a college class. My most favorite thing he made was Garden Gathering Baskets. A wood basket with a sturdy handle and a screen bottom so that you could place a vegetable in the basket and the dirt would drop off or could be washed off. This June at Bare Knuckle Arts we are going to make a Garden Gathering Basket. While you are waiting for those veggies to grow…Come build your own gathering basket.   Useful for gathering herbs, vegetables, even eggs from the chicks. They also work great as a decorative accent in your home.

Ages 12 to Adult on your own but families with younger children can work together on one. $65 per basket.

Saturday June 22nd 9am-12pm

Painting, Painting, Painting Camp for Elementary August 5-9th

Painting, Painting, Painting Camp for Elementary is a week long camp from August 5th-9th 9-11am. EVERY day we paint-so painting clothes are encouraged. We learn about watercolors, acrylic, and spray paint. Looking at contemporary artists like Yayoi Kusami, Chuck Close, Banksy, Jackson Pollock, and more. We will paint on paper, canvas board, and unframed canvas. $125 per participant Ages 6-10 Welcome and a Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included.

Curly Fries With Ketchup in Saturday Morning Art Classes in April for the 5-8 Year Olds!

Join us for a 4 session April Saturday morning class for 5-8 year olds or purchase one or two sessions you can attend.

Saturday April 6th 10-11am Marbling Paper with Shaving Cream/Watercolor and Positive Messages

Saturday April 13th 10-11am Wire Sculpture Animals with wood bases

Saturday April 20th 10-11am Upcycled Spinning Tops with Markers

Saturday April 27th 10-11am Caterpillar, Butterfly, Dragon Sculpture

Ages 5-8 years old welcome

$48 for the full session or email if interested in just one or two sessions.

Crochet Camp at Bare Knuckle Arts this Summer!

Learn to Crochet with The Bittiest Baubles. This fun camp for children is a great opportunity for kids to begin learning the lifelong skill of crochet, or to expand on their current crocheting abilities. This camp is for all levels of crochet experience, from beginner to advanced. Your child can expect to learn the basics of crochet while making item(s) from our project list, including: shoelaces, a potholder, dishcloth, bracelet, headband, cup cozy, small blanket, scarf, hacky sack, hat, small bag, or donut keychain. More advanced projects will also be available upon request. With so many options, there will be something for everyone! All level 8-14yr olds welcome

In this class, camp attendees will learn: how to hold a crochet hook and yarn, the slip knot, foundation row, single crochet, double crochet, fastening off, weaving in ends, and how to read a pattern and abbreviations. More intermediate to advanced projects will give the opportunity learn things like: sewing side seams, making a buttonhole, Magic Loop, crocheting in the round, increasing and decreasing, and color changes.

$125 course fee with crotch needles, yarn needles provided and a Bare Knuckle Arts t-shirt included. There are additional materials list for this class, one skein of acrylic medium yarn #4 and one skein of cotton medium #4 yarn.

Dreaming about Summer--Start Exploring our Summer Camp Options for Children

If you are dreaming about summer or at least daydreaming about some warmer weather in Wisconsin, why not start exploring some of our terrific summer options for children. We call our line up-Summer Art Muscle Classes, with options like Design your Own Skateboard Deck, Crocheting Camp, Sewing Sweets Workshop, Graphic Novels, Painting, Inventing, Sculpting, and a Family Fun Week.

Dreaming is great but Hustling that Art Muscle is just as awesome!

One, Two, Three or All April Saturdays

One, Two Three or All Saturdays are open!

April Saturday mornings class for 5-8 year olds

Saturday April 6th 10-11am Marbling Paper with Shaving Cream/Watercolor and Positive Messages

Saturday April 13th 10-11am Wire Sculpture Animals with wood bases

Saturday April 20th 10-11am Upcycled Spinning Tops with Markers

Saturday April 27th 10-11am Caterpillar, Butterfly, Dragon Sculpture

Ages 5-8 years old welcome

$48 for the full session or email if interested in just one or two sessions. $12 a session