Whitewater Arts Alliance

Celebrates its 20th Anniversary!!!

Art Auction - Live Fundraising Auction

Paintings by the “Stars”

At the recent Painting with the Whitewater Stars event, local leaders took on the canvas in support of the arts. Local celebrities teamed up with Whitewater Arts Alliance coaches to step out of their comfort zones and into the spotlight--as painters!

The paintings will be auctioned off during the 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration with proceeds going directly to support the Alliance’s year-round programming, exhibitions, and creative outreach across the region.

Artwork by Albert Benedict

Albert Benedict (1943-2022) -- "I am a retired art instructor with major areas in mixed media I received my MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin Madison. My degrees are in ceramics and sculpture. I presently have work displayed in art museums and private collections and in various art galleries in the Midwest. I have traveled extensively throughout the US Puerto Rico and Mexico. In recent years I have been influenced from what I have observed in the rural Southwest Mexican and Naive American Culture have become major aspects of my work. My varied work and academic background lends itself to a wide use of traditional and nontraditional forms. My experimentation with form color and texture varies in my work for trying new concepts and to push the envelope. Assembled individual glazed ceramic sculptures using different levels of abstraction to develop forms from nature." -- Albert Benedict (January 2014)

During the 2025 exhibition "Albert Benedict—Standing Tall", WAA celebrated the inspiring artist and educator Albert Benedict who called Whitewater his home. The Benedict family kindly donated several items for our auction.

Artwork by WAA Members

Artwork by Marilyn Fuerstenberg

Artwork by Shelby Keefe

Shelby Keefe, well-known to many in our area, comes from an artistic family in the Whitewater area. She is a nationally known, collectible, full-time artist, represented by galleries in Milwaukee, Santa Fe, Door County, Wisconsin, and Crested Butte, Colorado.

Originally a graphic designer, by doing group exhibitions, art fairs, and commission work, she gradually gained the attention of enough collectors and was able to retire from graphic design in 2005 to work full-time as a fine artist. As her reputation grew, she became sought after as an instructor, teaching workshops around the country and serving as faculty for the annual Plein Air Convention and Expo.

A consistent award-winner, Shelby has participated in museum shows, top-tiered plein air painting competitions and has attained Signature Status in Oil Painters of America and American Impressionist Society. She has been published numerous times in well-known art magazines--being featured as the cover artist in both Southwest Art and Plein Air Magazines.

Artwork by SchoMer Lichtner

Schomer Lichtner (1905–2006) was an American painter, printmaker, and art teacher, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Known for his Regionalist murals and humorous paintings featuring cows and ballet dancers, Lichtner was married to Wisconsin artist Ruth Grotenrath for over fifty years, and their works were often included together in exhibitions.

Lichtner and Grotenrath undertook several projects for the Works Project Administration—completed jobs include murals painted for the post offices of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Hamtramck, Michigan.

His art often included depictions of Holstein cows, which he claimed to have grown fond of during summer stays in Washington County, Wisconsin. Lichtner became the official artist of the Milwaukee Ballet, and dancers became recurring motifs in his paintings. His 2003 painted steel sculpture Dancing Through Life, installed in Milwaukee’s Pere Marquette Park, illustrates the reunion of these two interests, featuring a ballerina perched on a multicolor cow.

Between 1960 and 1969, Lichtner also taught painting and drawing at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,

The Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA) is proud to present the 1st Annual Paint Wisconsin Exhibition and to host its 20th Anniversary Gala on Friday, August 8, 2025. The Paint Wisconsin Exhibit will run from Thursday, August 7 – Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Due to the overwhelming response to the call for art and the high-caliber pieces submitted for this juried exhibition, the WAA has partnered with Roberta’s Art Gallery in the James R. Connor University Center, located on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) campus, to display some of the works. A list of the exhibiting artists and biographies of jurors Thomas Jewell, Frank Juarez, and Graeme Reid are available on the WAA website at https://www.whitewaterarts.org/paint-wisconsin-2025. Roberta’s Art Gallery will hold a Paint Wisconsin Overview and Reception on August 8, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm. Free parking will be available in UW-W Lot 12. The lot is located behind Andersen Library, near the corner of Prairie and Main Streets.

At 5:00 pm, the program and celebration will continue in the Cultural Arts Center, home of the Whitewater Arts Alliance, located at 402 W Main Street, Whitewater. The ticket cost is “pay what you will”. The event will open with free heavy hors d’oeuvres, a beer and wine cash bar, and live piano music by Jim Olm. At 5:45 pm, the WAA will honor former member, self-taught artist, and inspiration for the Paint Wisconsin Exhibit, Marilyn Fuerstenberg. When Marilyn passed away in June 2024, her many friends in the WAA and classmates from the Whitewater High School class of 1961 wanted to establish an event in her honor. Through their generosity and the contributions of local sponsors, the Paint Wisconsin Exhibition became a reality. The Paint Wisconsin Awards will be announced at this time.

Marilyn Fuerstenberg was instrumental in the development and growth of the WAA as she led workshops and brought renown artists from around the country to Whitewater. Thanks to dedicated members like Marilyn, the WAA is also celebrating its 20-year anniversary on August 8. Established in 2005 by community members and local artists working together to preserve the Prairie Tillers Mural at the corner of Center Street and Whitewater Avenue, the organization strives to expand its mission to “support, promote, and develop the arts as an essential and integral part of our community.” To that end, the evening will include a live auction at 6:20 pm as a fundraiser. Auctioneer Jenny Gehl from Bravo Benefit Auctions will auction off the 12 pieces from the “Painting with the Whitewater Stars” event (to include pieces by Chancellor Corey King, City Manager John Weidl, and First Citizens State Bank CEO Jim Caldwell, among others), two paintings by Marilyn Fuerstenberg, two pieces by Albert Benedict, and other works. Directly following the auction, Jenny will guide a live paddle raise; all donors over a certain amount will be entered in a drawing for a gift basket valued at more than $500. The festivities will close with a performance by “Here Comes Treble” Sweet Adeline Quartet featuring Christine Hayes, Valerie Troxel, Lori Heidenreich, and Kim Taylor.

Everyone is welcome to the Cultural Arts Center for an evening of food, drink, art, and music in celebration of Marilyn Fuerstenberg, the Whitewater Arts Alliance, and community. Many thanks to our sponsors for making this event possible: Anonymous sponsors, Edge Broadband, Fort Community Credit Union, Gomez Landscaping, Harbor Homes, Jim Leaver Family, Sandy Adams, Serenity Concepts, TDS, and Triton Roofing.

Gallery Hours: Thursdays-Sundays, 12pm-4pm

“20 Years Of Celebrating The Arts And Creating Community!”

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Help the Whitewater Arts Alliance create virtual exhibitions, in house gallery shows, community theatre programs, community concerts, workshops, and more. Our mission is to support, promote, and develop the arts as an essential and integral part of our community. Thank you for your consideration of support to the arts!