Fair brings Wisconsin artists to Stonewood Village

Working on the Stonewood Village Art Fair is a labor of love for former art gallery owner Mary Bock.

"I have always been a promoter of Wisconsin art and so I set it up as a Midwest show, which would emphasize Wisconsin artists," she said. "Five years ago I was asked by a friend who was a shop owner in Stonewood Village if I could do an art fair. It was to be a promotional effort of the shop owners to bring people to the shops and I thought it was a great chance to provide a venue for Wisconsin - and especially local artists - to show in their own area."

As coordinator of the show, Bock also serves as the judge in this juried fair.

"I try very hard to balance the art media and provide the best quality artists as well as many new artists," she said. "We have grown each year and this year there will be 76 artists in varied media. We will also have a new food vendor (Piscitello's Bistro, located in the building that formerly housed The Loaf and Jug) who will be the new lunch restaurant in the village."

The Stonewood Village Art Fair will feature fine jewelry, garden art, oil and watercolor paintings, dolls, iron sculptures, ceramics, fiber, baskets, wood and leather pieces and other items that Bock describes as "fun works of art."

One of the Brookfield craftspeople featured at the fair is jewelry artist Judy Newton. I profiled her last year at the Hidden River Art Festival and this season she has a number of new pieces and ideas.

"I am fusing silver to get different textures and designs and also working with copper wire," Newton said.

Newton has a warm spot in her heart for the Stonewood Village Art Fair, as it was there that she exhibited for the first time.

"I have been invited back every year," she added.

I remember - some time ago - when a visit to Stonewood Village could be an all-day shopping experience. There were many shops filled with Christmas decorations, clothing and home decorations. After a number of years of empty stores, I am glad to see that the village seems to be having a stable revival, even though the businesses are now more customer-specific. "The village is doing better and people still think it is a ghost town, but there are good things happening there and I am happy to be a small part of that," Bock said.

The Stonewood Village Art Fair, 17700 West Capitol Drive, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 26. There is no admission fee.

For information, contact Mary Bock at (262) 538-3810 or at stonewoodartfair@aol.com.

Katherine Beeson has been a feature reporter and columnist for Community Newspapers since 1994. Beeson can be contacted via e-mail at

KatieB9056@aol.com or at Community Newspapers, 1741 Dolphin Drive, Suite A, Waukesha, WI 53186.