Press Release
Story Gardens at the Milton Public Library will have a new entrance archway in Spring 2022 thanks in part to a grant received through the Wisconsin Arts Board Creative Communities Program (with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts) and another from the Milton Community Fund.
The Story Gardens Subcommittee is working with regional artist Brady Lueck on the design and fabrication of the entrance archway. Brady specializes in metal sculpture and is located in Southeastern Wisconsin. His pieces can be seen on the Glacial River Bike Trail and at Jones Dairy Farm in Fort Atkinson. He also completed the 3D elements in the archway at Cravath Lakefront Park in Whitewater.
The entrance archway for Story Gardens will feature two trees intertwined over the entrance with three colorful birds sitting on the branches.
The piece is supported in part by a grant of $4,280 from the Wisconsin Arts Board Creative Communities (CC) grants program with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. The CC grants program encourages arts education and community arts development in Wisconsin. It provides support for projects that further the Arts Board’s goals in the following three areas: Arts Education, Folk and Traditional Arts, and Local Arts.
The Milton Fund, a component of Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin is also contributing $2,000 toward the completion of the public art piece. The Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin is a resource for area nonprofit organizations whose programs and services are working for the betterment of our communities. Grants from the Milton Fund have supported the arts, education, environment, health and human services, and historic preservation.
“We appreciate the support of these two organizations for the entrance archway,” Library Director Ashlee Kunkel said. “This public art piece will be a statement as our community members enter Story Gardens and set the tone for the gardens, make the space feel more inviting, and truly invoke the idea that Story Gardens is a special area.”
The Story Gardens Subcommittee is still seeking donations for the project. More information is available on the project website: https://www.als.lib.wi.us/MPL/story-gardens/.
For additional information contact Library Director Ashlee Kunkel, at 608-868-7462 or by e-mail at kunkel.ashlee@als.lib.wi.us.