Been hanging out in a lovely corner of Small-town, USA (Sheboygan, WI, to be exact) lately for the 4th of July festivities. Just about as far away from my Twitter-thinkin'-about-education life as one could imagine shy of being on a multi-day Appalachian Trail solo. Or so I thought.
In addition to Friday night fish fries and tasting first-hand why this town is called the "Bratwurst Capital of the World", the Kohler kitchen/bath ceramics empire is based there. Sure, that means some of the finest sinks (etc) on the planet, but it also means having free/donation-based access to one of the most wonderful contemporary (and folk) art museums anywhere you could travel: the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Seriously: check out the Flickr set to see what I mean. Middle of 'nowhere' as far as the art world is concerned, but a rockin' impressive visual treat for those in the know (who happen to be in fried cheese curd country). Take the museum's restrooms, for example:
Backstory details:
All of the museum's public bathrooms were designed by ceramic artists supported by the Kohler company at one point or another. It is literally part of the collection, although in a very utilitarian sort of way.
Couldn't help but notice one of the men's room sinks this time around. Seen it several times before, but somehow it landed differently thanks to a) my previous professional role and b) my dallying in the emerging technology swimming pool.
Now, if only we could get some decent visual artists to gussy up School 2.0.
Then we'd be onto something finely satisfyng!
Comments