THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 23, Number 41 Thursday, October 18, 2007 Outdoor Murals Bring Town To Life by Barbara Stodola Sue Martinsen was tired of her home- town being described as “The Middle of Nowhere.” She decided to turn Ashland, Wisconsin, into “Somewhere.” Putting her artistic talents to use, the diminutive Mar- tinsen has created outdoor murals two and three stories high, transforming the small town on Lake Superior into a tourist des- tination. Most of her work is done as a vol- Sue Martinsen, an artist unteer. and civic booster. “Ashland has been designated the Historic Mural Capital of Wisconsin,” she says with pride. “Our main street business dis- trict is listed on the National Register for Historic Places. You can see tour buses pulling into town; they come from all over.” The Ashland Mural Wall Project originated as a community event, funded by a grant, and celebrating the state’s sesqui- centennial. Kelly Meredith, an artist from nearby Butternut, Wisconsin, won the competition to design a mural. She asked for volunteers to help complete the job, and that is when she became acquainted with Martinsen. Sue Martinsen (right) and her business partner Kelly Meredith are pictured on a scaffold, “We worked together so well,” Martinsen said, “that you can’t putting the fi nishing touches on their fi rst mural. tell where her work ends and mine begins. Now we have a sys- tem: she paints the heads and I paint the fi gures. Our fi rst mural was such a success that local businessmen approached us to do more.” There are now nine outdoor mu- rals, one extending for an entire block, and others at three indoor locations – the Best Western Resort, McDonald’s, and the Bu- reau of Indian Affairs. Their fi rst mural, completed in 1998, commemorates Ashland pioneer Asaph Whittlesey, who used to snowshoe more than 100 miles to take the train from Chip- pewa Falls to Madison, Wisconsin, when he served in the state legislature. The mural is a trompe l’oeil, a painted building that turns the corner of a real building and rec- reates the original tower of the Ashland The Asaph Whittlesey Mural cleverly turns the corner ot a historic building, National Bank. and depicts town leaders standing on the pavement. Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 October 18, 2007 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $38 6 months $21 3 months $13 1 month $6.50 Murals Continued on Page 2 Other business and professional leaders are depicted, along with Chief Buffalo of Madeleine Island, who is noted for his re- sistance to the U.S. efforts to remove the Ojibwe from their native lands. The Asaph Whittlesey Mural, standing at the corner of Highways 2 and 13, sets the pace for the eight other murals in Ashland’s downtown. They use historic subjects, de- picting remarkable individuals in the town’s history, and storefronts as they appeared 100 years ago. In some cases, Ashland’s fa- mous people stand 20 feet tall. Except for the paint on their jeans, muralists Sue Martinsen (right) and Kelly Meredith look like shoppers in Dhooge’s Grocery, c. 1910. The size of Ash- land mural fi gures Martinsen and Meredith do their own research. is demonstrated in They depict actual persons, and they focus on sub- this portrait of three waitresses, with jects that have been of special signifi cance in the Northland College history of Ashland: lumberjacks, lighthouse keep- student Amanda ers, aviators, veterans of various wars, and the na- Gutridge (right) and her mother tive Americans who originally populated the lands Madeleine Stodola of northern Wisconsin. standing out front. “A crowd usually gathers when we start to work on a scaffold,” Martinsen says. “I am 58 years old, but working on the scaffold doesn’t bother me. I don’t do sports at all, if I can help it. This is the best exercise I get. My winter sport is painting indoors.” The muralists use exterior latex paint, which seems to hold up well. “But some- times these old bricks start to fl ake,” Mar- tinsen says, “so now we do the paintings on wood panels, if we can, in our studios, and then attach the panels to the outside walls.” This mural shows some of the early aviators in Ashland’s history. THE October 18, 2007 Page 3 Open ‘til 6 p.m. Evenings www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel The Lumberjack Mural depicts some of the men who worked in the logging mills, supplying Ashland’s 10 sawmills in the 1890s. Quilted Keepers Small tote in Old Glory It is time to say Good-Bye to The Veterans Mural pays tribute to the generations of Ashland men and women who have served in the the United States armed forces. Vera Bradley. “Our Bureau of Indian Affairs represents 10 Now thru October 27th all tribes,” Martinsen said. “We depict them in their native outfi ts. Chief Buffalo still has descendants Vera Bradley products are 30% off in the Ashland area. Many of the Indians today live retail price. Hurry in before our stock in depressed circumstances. There are several res- ervations in northern Wisconsin and now, with the is all sold out. We are introducing proceeds from their casinos, they are able to buy back some of the lands that they lost.” new quilted lines by Larenda, Quilted Continued on Page 4 Keepers and MaggiB's. Drastically reduced prices in our SALE Tent! Hurry before the tent comes down! 409409 Alexander Alexander Street Street, LaPorte,LaPorte, IN IN 326-8602326-8602 On Hwy 35 - 5 Blocks South of Lincolnway TurnTurn Rightright on AlexanderAlexander The Bureau of Indian Affairs building has three large murals documenting Monday-FridayMonday - Friday 10 am 9:30 to 6 topm 7 Saturday Saturday 9:30 9:30 am to to 5 5 pm various activities of the local Native American residents. THE Page 4 October 18, 2007 Murals Continued on Page 3 Martinsen is a fourth-generation resident of Ash- land; her great-grandfather came to work on the railroad. Her husband, a successful businessman, is a third-generation resident of the town. The couple have three children and six grandchildren. Although she had majored in art as a college student, at the University of Wisconsin, Superior, Martinsen’s ar- tistic career was put on hold while she raised a fam- ily. When she resumed painting, Martinsen surprised herself with her level of success. She is now repre- Ashland’s position on Lake Superior is noted in this mural painting of three lighthouses and heroic light keepers sented by a New York gallery – the Agora Gallery who rescued crews of wrecked vessels. in Chelsea – which had a show of her easel paint- ings last December. “I do portraits, mostly of street people,” she says. The attention generated by the Ashland Mu- ral Project has brought in commissions from other communities. “Kelly is working on one for a city in Nebraska,” Martinsen says. “We just completed a 120-foot mural in Iron River, Wisconsin. We’ve had many contacts – Stevens Point, New Berlin, Lud- ington. When I work in other cities, yes, I do get paid.” But in Ashland, Martinsen remains a devoted volunteer artist, compensated by the pleasure of On another Ashland street, a plain brick wall was transformed into bringing the town’s history to life. “We have made storefronts offering hardware, paints, drygoods, jewelry the downtown into a living museum,” she says. and an American Express offi ce, c. 1910. THE October 18, 2007 Page 5 A secret retreat to call home. Ever dream of having your own cottage in the woods? It’s only a trip down a short drive, but it feels like a journey into a different time and place. 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Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Dr. Orchard is a respected scholar, director and the Baker and his Wife will come to life at Valpara- actor who has specialized in the works of Stephen iso University in October during performances of Sondheim.