Waupaca celebrates its love of art in August

WAUPACA – It was declared at the July 21 city council meeting that August will be Arts Appreciation Month, which will include “Articipation” week and Arts on the Square.
Cheryl Sletten, a member of the Arts Hub committee, introduced the proclamation to name the month of August as Arts Appreciation Month.
“Arts not only provide entertainment, self-expression, and community building, but also create environments that promote innovation, curiosity, and ingenuity,” Sletten said. “Many different arts-related businesses in our area enhance our community, bring in tourist dollars, and make our community a more vital, robust, and dynamic place to live and visit.”
The month is set to include a variety of art-related events, namely the Arts on the Square, which will take place August 7-14.
Cathy Palazzolo, a member of the Waupaca Community Arts Board (WCAB), presented a change to the long-time event, with Arts on the Square moving to the Arts Hub, to have a space to go should weather become inclement, as it did last year.

“We have consulted with many artists throughout our network and found that the trend is to have a weatherproof alternative for extreme rain situations,” Palazzolo said. “We have also discussed safety of attendees and volunteers and so have spent time creating an alternate site plan that offers some ability to have a rain site for many of our planned events.”
By utilizing the shared campus at 515 School Street, which includes both the new Arts Hub building and the adjacent Waupaca Recreation Center, the organizers can now offer a weatherproof alternative.
Palazzolo said she has spoken to both the fire chief as well as discussed the plans with Justin Berrens, public works director and interim city administrator, and after careful review they have decided to move the Friday street dance and Arts on the Square event to the new Arts Hub building.
Part of the celebration will include the 20-year anniversary of Arts on the Square, with a community art project called, “Hat’s Off.”
The project’s goal is to collect 100 hats created by the community.
The week will start Aug. 7 with a 20-year exhibit of Arts on the Square, this will include music and poetry and a dedication, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The exhibit will run from Aug. 8 to Oct. 3 at the Arts Hub.
The Renaissance Fair will be held Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is also part of the festivities.
This fair will be held on the Waupaca Area Public Library lawn, 107 South Main Street.
There will be several events and musical acts featured throughout the week, a full listing can be found at www.waupacaarts.org.