Click here to see photographs of the groovy Adirondack chairs, rockers and benches.

Click here for more information about the Chair Today; Gone Tomorrow Public Auction which will be held on Saturday, September 12.

Sunny and Chair Winners Announced!

Racine, WI, August 25, 2009– Downtown Racine Corporation has announced the top three award winning chairs and their artists who will win cash prizes in the Sunny and Chair 2009 public art event.  The winners are:

First Place (winning $2,000) – Peacock Chair; Artist:  Sherri Shaver; Sponsor:  Ron Jones

The Peacock Chair, which is on display at Upurea, 304 Main Street, is an Adirondack bench featuring multi-colored stained glass mosaics on the back and armrests of the chair.

Second Place (winning $1,000) -- Trees Chair; Artist: Tom Rauschke; Sponsor: Gene Johnson

The Trees Chair is on display at the Racine Art Museum, 441 Main Street, and the wooden Adirondack chair and bench is cut and sanded to portray a tree.

Third Place (winning $500) – Monarch Migration; Artist:  Kristin Gjerdset; Sponsor:  Gabriella and Donald Klein

Monarch Migration, on display at Dover Flag and Map, 323 Main Street, is a bench painted entirely with beautiful monarch butterflies. 

Judging all of the 54 spheres was Melanie Hovey, Executive Director of the Lemon Street Gallery & ArtSpace, Inc.  As one of the original founders of the Gallery, she has been associated with them since they opened in 2009.  She is also one of the founding organizers of the Kenosha HarborMarket, and the Arts & Humanities Alliance of Kenosha, a local arts council.  She also sits on a number of boards and committees at both the local and State levels.

As an artist herself, Hovey has built stained glass windows for many years, mostly as commissioned works for homes and businesses.  She is also a painter whose work tends towards large, bright abstracts. 

As she was judging the chairs, she looked at what each artist attempted to do and how successful they were with the finished product.  She also wanted to make sure that each piece was a usable, functional piece of art.  “I also looked at the backs of each chair,” said Melanie, “to ensure what the artist created was carried through the entire piece.”

“The original designs for both the Peacock Chair and Monarch Migration were submitted as a regular chair.  Therefore, it was more difficult to adapt those designs to a bench which both artists were able to do.  And the Trees Chair – it was just very well done.”

The award-winning chairs and benches are among the 54 art pieces now on display in Downtown Racine.  They will be on exhibit through Labor Day and then will be auctioned to the highest bidders at a public auction which will be held on Saturday, September 12.  The Chair Today; Gone Tomorrow auction will be held at Monument Square in Downtown Racine.  The chairs will be on display at Monument Square beginning at 2 p.m. with the voice auction beginning at 3 p.m.  The silent auction will follow the voice auction and will begin at approximately 4 p.m.

Following the auction, everyone is invited to stay at Monument Square to enjoy the country rock music of Trigger Gospel, who is performing the final concert of this year’s Summer Nights at the Square concert series.  Named after an old Western novel, ANNA FERMIN’S Trigger Gospel reflects a spirited sound that intertwines hometown country and rock & roll with “a strong melodic-pop appeal.”  This free outdoor concert will be held from 7-9 p.m. and is sponsored by a grant from the Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation. 

Admission to both the auction and concert is free of charge and is open to the public.  Food and refreshments will be available for sale throughout the day.  In the event of inclement weather, both the auction and concert will be held at Memorial Hall. 

Downtown Racine will be sitting pretty this summer!

Racine’s 8th annual public art event will include a variety of Adirondack chairs that will tempt visitors to sit a spell. The artistically adorned chairs will be displayed throughout the Downtown Racine shopping district from early June through Labor Day weekend.

The Chairs

The Adirondack chair features a sculpted seat and curved back. Its charm rests in its tendency to cultivate memories of getaway weekends and relaxed days. The chairs will provide a blank canvas for local and regional artists to transform unpretentious objects into stunning masterpieces.

“It will be an opportunity for the artists to tap their talents to create a chair that is fun, imaginative and serviceable,” said Leopold.  “We have unbelievable talent in this area, and we are excited to see their ideas come to fruition.”

A variety of Adirondack chairs, including a traditional chair with footstool, a rocker, a highboy and a loveseat, will be featured this year.  The chairs are being built locally at Racine’s Cedar World Furniture Corporation, which is owned and operated by Terry and Dorothy Olson. 

The red cedar Adirondack chairs are handcrafted.  In addition to the four styles of chairs being offered as part of the public art project, Cedar World will build an oversized chair called the Big Boy. It will be on display all summer at Monument Square. The Big Boy is MUCH larger than a standard Adirondack chair and will measure approximately 7 ½-feet tall by 5-feet wide. Now that is some major relaxation!

Get a Sneak Preview of the Chairs -- click here for more information about "Wingstock"

Pull up a chair and stay awhile

Adirondack chairs speak of relaxation – an afternoon by the lake, surrounded by friends, enjoying life. And that is exactly what DRC is inviting you to do this summer. Be part of the Sunny & Chair…Summer ‘09 Tour.  Pull up a chair and make new memories. Come to Downtown Racine, enjoy life and stay awhile.

Chair Today; Gone Tomorrow

Following a fun-filled summer during which the chairs are viewed and enjoyed, they will be sold to the highest bidders during a public auction at Memorial Hall, 72 Seventh St. Mark Saturday, September 12, on your calendar, and watch for more details for the Sunny & Chair…Summer ‘09 Tour auction.

Click here for more information on Downtown Racine's 2009 Public Art Event