50 Artists for 50 Years: Mary Lou Krase

What can Mary Lou Krase tell you about her art? She finds beauty in the discarded and the battered. Recycling was instilled in her while working as an art student at UW-Madison making paper from rags under the guidance of Professor Walter Hamady. She rescues old window shutters and makes them movable fish; discarded hubcaps on the streets become lit up collaged stories; scraps of wood are shaped with paper and become rescued animals and old discarded windows are portraits of creativity. The challenges are endless and of course discarded items are plentiful.  

“Patches” from Proud Rescue Series, wood, handmade paper, paint, telephone wire, roofing membrane, 17″ x 14″ x 2″

What energizes you as you consider the future of the arts in Wisconsin?

What energizes me? Wisconsin was and could be in the future a leader in the arts….  I’m a glass-half full gal who believes the arts can and will emerge as an agent for change and it’s an artist’s job to inspire.

Has the Wisconsin Arts Board had an impact on your work?

WAB has had an extreme impact in making me a better artist. It provided me an opportunity to dig deep into my processes and planning and focusing on Art as a Business. WAB was extremely supportive and encouraging on my efforts to bring an art-form to schools and communities that ordinarily was not a “popular” medium nor very well understood. It catapulted me into looking at the art-form as part of the art curriculum and pushed me into writing lesson plans for K-12 art classes. As a working artist who was part of Wisconsin Center for Paper Arts, Inc. for many years, WAB offered opportunities to apply for funding to support visiting artists to work and teach in the studio as well as funding opportunities for the studio to offer community classes, and school tours. It was also a great support system when going out seeking additional funding sources for projects. It gave me the impetus to write proposal letters to businesses and individuals interested in supporting the arts.

Where can we find your work?

Mary Lou is a participating artist with Fly Right Galaxy Gift & Studio, in New Orleans and creates work in her Madison studio. You can also contact her by emailing mlkrase11@gmail.com and visiting dumpstadivecreations.etsy.com, where you can find out more about her work.