There’s more to art than crayons and paper. There’s more to work than just a job. At Madison’s local studio complex, ArtWorking, artists work to make art. They use a variety of media from clay to yarn to computer generated imagery.
The modest setting with its aging concrete floor and shop-type overhead lighting is busy five days a week. The artists at this magical place all have one thing in common: they are assisted and guided by staff and volunteers because of the challenges that go along with a physical and/or developmental disability.
Artists share their stories
Northside potter Richard Berkholz lost his sight following a motor vehicle accident. Always creative and artistic, he had once sculpted with metal. Now he works in clay where his sense of style is outshone only by his sense of fun. He has made countless mugs featuring 3-dimensional faces with ears, bulging eyes, big noses, full lips, moustaches, eye brows and maybe a wart or two. Close your eyes and you’ll see them with your fingers. His collection of jars and vases features a “schnozz vaz.”
Berkholz serves on the board of directors at ArtWorking. His enthusiasm for life and for the workshop is evident in his smile and his compliment to the staff, “They treat me really well here.”
Northside printmaker Rose Menyon Heflin is a Kentucky-born nature lover. She studied environmental science at Beloit College and agroecology at UW-Madison. Heflin came to ArtWorking and found a space where impulses of her chronic OCD are kept at bay by concentration on creating beauty. She can turn plant life into paper. Her love of the natural world has led her to incorporate images of area flora into her prints. She can turn concepts like beginning, wishing, reaching, freedom into exquisite images in silver on shades of blue.
Origins
ArtWorking was founded in 2001. One of the co-founders, Amy Elmer, is still an involved and active supporter of the enterprise. Her vision — to provide a nurturing space for persons who may have intellectual or developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries or physical limitations — is blossoming in the many Madison-area artists currently at work there. The 10 job coaches on site assist 45–50 artists, who participate on flexible schedules. Some artists work every day and some less often.
Director Lance Owens discovered the program while earning his master’s degree in visual arts at UW Madison. He’s been there since 2006. He adapts workspaces to meet individual needs.
One artist sits in a room alone, wearing headphones and using a computer; others are in an open space occupied by both a painter and a fabric arts worker. Another works in an area bordered by a doorway adorned with a soft cord. It serves as a gentle guide to assist the artist to find their workspace.
Some workspaces are relatively small; there are several sewing machines in one studio. The workspace for paper and cloth art is quite large with sophisticated devices which are used to imprint images designed by the artist.
Funding
Most of the artists and entrepreneurs fund their endeavors through the IRIS program. For some clients, private pay and/or community contributions cover expenses. In addition to a workspace and a coach, all supplies are furnished to the artists. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services describes the program: “IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) is a program for adults with disabilities and elderly people in Wisconsin. It is a self-directed program.” The artists and entrepreneurs have made a choice to use their state-provided funding to support the work they enjoy.
ArtWorking, located at 1966 S. Stoughton Rd., operates Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm. The enchanting gift shop is open to the public. Several special shows are coming up: “Sip and Shop at the Chazen” on Dec. 4 and an art display at “Giant Jones Brewing” beginning Dec. 17. Online shoppers will find the work of 36 artists at the website artworking.org.
