Madeline Island School of the Arts

I got to visit the Madeline Island School of the Arts last Saturday with our Wisconsin lake neighbor Betty who grew up on the Island.  In fact, the school is based on her great Aunt's farm which made the visit even more fun to see and hear her recollections.  

We took our car on the Ferry from Bayfield, Wisconsin over to Madeline Island on a perfect summer's day.  The school is not far out of La Pointe in a  beautiful pasture.  It consists of a collection of newly restored buildings all painted in barn red with white trim.  There's the main office, a gathering place for meals and relaxation, a building for classrooms, guest lodging and the farmhouse where the guest artists stay during their workshops.  The classes offered range from Plein Air Painting, Writing, Photography, Fiber Arts, Yoga and Wellness which last 5 days.  You can check out more information on their website here.  

Traveling by Ferry to Madeline Island

Farmhouse where Guest Instructors stay

One of the classrooms

Gathering spot for students

Our friend Betty (Nelson) Tribbey who grew up on Madeline Island

Guest lodging

Classroom building called The Milk House

Dining Hall

Marking Time in Style

I'm always looking for contemporary Craftsman style items for our home and this summer I got a great one.  My sister took me on a trip down to Iowa City, Iowa a couple years ago to show me a store she thought I'd like called Iowa Artisans Gallery.  Boy, was she right!  It had a variety of art, hand crafts, glass, metal arts but the Schlabaugh & Sons handcrafted clocks blew me away.  They are based in Iowa and have a website to purchase their work.

The wood finish is so smooth, the Craftsman style honored its roots and the Motawi tile insert was the icing on the cake. I didn't buy one then but this summer I had the perfect reason to get one.

Our previous mantle clock had stopped working and we substituted a family hand-me-down that was not our style.  This summer marked our 30th Anniversary so I suggested to Mitch we purchase a new clock to 'mark time'.  He trusted me to pick something out on my trip down to visit family in July.

Well, it wasn't an easy decision.  My sister and Uncle went with me to The Iowa Artisans Gallery and patiently watched me select one clock at a time and place on a pedestal to visualize it on our mantle.  Finally I selected this one with a nice warm wood and Mowtawi tile called Songbird.

It looks great on our mantle and marks a milestone as well.