Kenosha lighthouse artist residency gives local painter unique access
Kenosha lighthouse artist residency gives local painter unique access
The Kenosha lighthouse is an iconic symbol of Southeast Wisconsin. Usually, it's closed off to the public, but a local artist is getting the chance to make the beacon her personal studio.
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Kenosha lighthouse is an iconic symbol of Southeast Wisconsin. Usually, it's closed off to the public, but a local artist is getting the chance to make the beacon her personal studio.
A beacon of art
What we know:
"I think people see the big red lighthouse as a beacon, a safe harbor," said Beth Dary.
Dary has done almost everything in Kenosha. She has lived here for 45 years and directed the Lemon Street Art Gallery for a decade. But making art inside the Kenosha lighthouse?
Beth Dary
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"It is incredible – it is absolutely something I never thought would be available to me," Dary said.
She gets the whole week to work on the iconic symbol, then she will host an open house on Saturday to display her pieces. Her artistic focus for the residency will be on monoprints.
Dary is using stuff she finds on the pier and beach – seagrass, feathers, even the lighthouse medallion – to imprint on her art.
"Getting away from my little city life and my garden and all that," Dary said. "This is really a landscape I am not familiar with, so I really want to absorb into that."
Artist-in-residence program
What we know:
The residency program this summer has eight artists. There will be two more after Dary.
This whole thing started when a couple bought the lighthouse in 2011, but less than a year later, the husband, John Burhani, passed away. John was also an artist.
Since 2016, his family has worked to continue his legacy through this program.
"What I want to get out of it is really to make that relationship with the lighthouse and with the community, in my artwork," Dary said.
It gives artists like Dary a chance to light the lamp and shine a light on a love of hers.
"Where else in the world could you have this happen? It is just a chance of a lifetime for me, so I am thrilled," Dary said.
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The family that owns the lighthouse hopes to host this program for many summers to come. That is while they also continue to do work restoring it.
Dary's open house is on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the lighthouse. You can find info on the event and pictures of Dary's work on her Instagram profile.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6's Ben Hanson and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Beth Dary and John Burhani's family.