No-Room School House
Outdoor art display draws attention to museum exhibit
On Wednesday (May 8, 2002) morning, those who passed the Dodge County
Historical Museum saw the construction of a huge, three-dimensional
outdoor art installation. The "No-Room School House."
Professional artist Matt Dehaemers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
working with a number of Beaver Dam High School and Charter School students
and several adult volunteers built the structure. The installation is a three-quarter-scale
structure made of more than 1,000 feet of plastic tubing and 1,400 feet of
nylon rope.
Inspiration for the structure came from Dehaemers' desire to do something
that connects art with education. He saw the work as a means to get people
to
think about changes in education over the years. He also sees his art as
symbols of structures for people of the community to gather for social events,
making community decisions and laws, and a place for people to worship.
Dehaemers involves others in the construction of his designs because,
he said, "the act of raising the structure is just as important to
me as the final standing structure. The raising references barn raisings
of earlier cultures. The barn raising created this sense of community."
He believes involving people directly in the construction is one of the
most important aspects of his work, "an opportunity not to work as a
single
artist but many people working together to achieve one goal, one vision."
Jerry Kamps, a member of the Beaver Dam Area Arts Association,
the historical museum and coordinator of the project, said there are a
number of important purposes for the outdoor exhibit.
"It's a rare opportunity for our community to see the actual construction
of such a large artwork, and for students and our community volunteers
to work with an innovative professional artist," he said. "It's
also an
opportunity to feature the historical museum's new one-room schoolhouse project."
Kamps said the students' experience with the artist would go beyond
the outdoor construction. Dehaemers gave several presentations at the
high school career center for art students and others who are interested.
The art association, the museum, and a private contribution sponsored
the artist's two-day residency.
Prior to the installation in Beaver Dam, Dehaemers, who
specializes in the creation of art works made of wood, fiber and pipes,
constructed his large creations in several Madison locations.
The works are part of the master's degree show, presented at
St. Bernard's School in Madison. The schoolhouse installation has also
been on exhibit on Bascom Hill at the university and in Argyle,
near an authentic one-room schoolhouse.
A few years ago, Dehaemers extended his interest in children and
artwork with Navajo Indians in northern Arizona. He also originated
a grant to direct and coordinate the color chalk sidewalk art project for
area high school students. This has become an annual event. Next fall,
Dehaemers will teach at the college level in the Pittsburgh area.
The artist's work in Beaver Dam was featured for about one week and
drew attention to the museum's new one-room schoolhouse exhibit.
The indoor school house on the museum's second floor opened with a
reception on Saturday (May 11, 2002), from 1 to 4 p.m. A dedication ceremony
and ribbon cutting took place at 2 p.m.
Throughout the day, a video was shown on a day in the life of a
Beaver Dam School District student, circa 1938. Mr. Noll produced the video.
Mr. Noll developed the indoor exhibit with assistance from
co-chairs Sue Scafe and Patrick Lutz. As visitors approached the museum,
they walked through Dehaemers display.
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2002
last updated on 12/9/04