Waupaca makes community quilt
Over the course of 10 weeks, Waupaca area residents participated in the Summer Craft Café.
The Waupaca Community Arts Board (WCAB) created the series of free, two-week art projects and distributed them through the Waupaca Area Public Library.
While the program ended in early August, it lives on in two ways.
Those who finished one of the 12 x 12 quilt squares returned them to the board to become part of a larger Waupaca Community Quilt.
Arts board member Anita Olson is leading a team of quilters to finish the quilt.
She says the completed quilt will be on public display this fall.
The arts board also asked participants to send in pictures of the projects they created.
Those pictures are part of a virtual Summer Craft Café Art Gallery on the board’s website.
Visit www.waupacaarts.org/summer-craft-cafe to see the virtual art gallery.
“We were overwhelmed with the public’s response to the project,” said WCAB President Marci Reynolds. “We’re so happy we could provide a creative outlet for Waupaca this summer, after to much shut down.”
The program was created to alleviate some of the boredom and isolation people were feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The kits were available on a first-come, first-served basis and included all the materials and instructions that were needed.
The projects included a 2D and 3D collage, simple sculpting, the 12-by-12-inch quilt squares, faux stained glass and painted stones.
They were funded by WCAB and a grant from the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
The kits of 50 to 100 often “sold out” before each two-week timeframe ended.
The Waupaca Historical Society then picked up where WCAB’s 10-week project left off.
“The Waupaca Historical Society wanted to find a way to connect with Waupaca residents despite our restrictions with the pandemic. After talking with the arts board and the library, we decided to continue with the wonderful idea of craft kits, and do two of our own,” said Tracy Behrendt, the historical society’s director.
“It allows us to bring history into residents’ homes and encourage people of all ages to learn about historic crafts and Waupaca history,” she said.