Kohler's Residency Program Celebrates 50 Years of Arts and Industry
This year’s ‘Work in Progress’ theme brings the beauty of practice into full focus.
To mark the 50th anniversary of its annual residency program, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center spotlights the synergy between contemporary artists and industrial artisans. In partnership with global manufacturing company Kohler, this presentation of group exhibitions, solo shows, and community programming foregrounds collective learning through a cross-pollination of arts and industry.
Founded in 1974 by two Kohler siblings in the freshwater haven of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Arts Center has become an innovative hub for people of all creative backgrounds. Each year, the program offers 12 artists the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in large-scale production for three months. Exploring formal depths across ceramics, cast iron, brass, pottery and foundry, they foster a new level of craftsmanship through industrial materials, technology and collective experimentation.
This year’s Work in Progress theme brings the beauty of practice into full focus. In the last half-century, the Arts/Industry program has composed an alumni roster of over 500 participants, including artists like Willie Cole, Woody De Othello, Ann Agee, Edra Soto and Tomas Vu. Through this symbiotic exchange of ideas, artists and artisans find inspiration in one another, reaching new heights in art and design and embracing the creative potential of industry.
50th anniversary events for the Arts/Industry residency program are on view in Sheboygan, Wisconsin now through April 2025. For more information about the exhibitions or residency program, check out the John Michael Kohler Arts Center website.
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
608 New York Ave,
Sheboygan, WI 53081
