INSIDE what ’s
nov–dec 2023
vol 5
arts 26
Les Dorscheid
6
Sunshine Brewing Company
food & drink
publisher & editorial director Amy S . Johnson lead designer Jennifer Denman copy editor & lead writer Kyle Jacobson sales & marketing director Amy S . Johnson designers Linda Walker, Barbara Wilson administration Lisa Abler, Olivia Seehafer contributing writers Jeanne Engle, Chris Gargan, Lori Scarlett, DVM photographer Eric Tadsen additional photographs Les Dorscheid, Kit Hogan, Luke House, Madison Public Librar y staf f, The Road Home, Beth Skogan
landmark 22
Seth Peterson Cot tage
18 14 10
The Bubbler The Road Home
24
The Shocking Truth About Shock Collars
nonprofit Luke House
pets including 4 30 30
From the Publisher Contest Information Contest Winners
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 3
from the
Watch for the nex t issue
JAN-FEB 2024
publisher & editorial director subscriptions Madison Locally Sourced is available free at over 150 locations. To purchase an annual subscription (six issues), send $24 and mailing information to: Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC, PO Box 559 McFarland, WI 53558 comments We welcome your questions and comments: Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC, PO Box 559 McFarland, WI 53558 mls@madisonlocallysourced.com adver tise To inquire about advertising space, please call (608) 729 - 4888 or email mls@madisonlocallysourced.com all rights reser ved. ©2023 No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written permission from ASJ Publishing LLC.
PUBLISHER Since our start, in 2004, November and December find me amazed at how quickly another year has slipped by. But this year, I had that feeling as each month came to a close. Life can be chaotic and days so full that you collapse in bed not having noticed the summer’s white fluf f y clouds in a clear blue sky, not having been drawn in as you passed the talented street-corner musician, and not having let yourself be carried away by awakening aromas to the doorstep of the nearby bakery. The year is not over, though, and how you choose to end it can make an enormous dif ference for yourself and the lives of others. We’ve expanded our nonprofit emphasis in this Giving & Sharing issue. Features include The Road Home, on a mission to end family homelessness; Luke House, feeding Madison’s hungry since 1986; and the Bubbler, where visual art and hands-on learning inspire connection by celebrating ideas, elevating personal narratives, and fostering creativity and curiosity. We also introduce our first-ever pullout promotion, Giving: Our Community Nonprofits, where we highlight even more organizations. We hope that as you learn more, you’ll consider how you can support the ef forts of Wisconsin nonprofits by attending their events, donating your time, and including them in your end-of-year donations and 2024 planning. Your support will be returned to our community exponentially. And there’s more. A great place to enjoy food and drink, we feature Sunrise Brewing Company for its business model and community involvement, including owner Lane Smith coaching the local high school mountain biking team. I didn’t even know Wisconsin had interscholastic mountain biking teams!
cover photograph Carnitas Tacos from Sunshine Brewing Company taken by Eric Tadsen photographs on page 3 (lef t to right): Our Town Ever y where custom stamped portraits displayed in the public librar y provided by the Bubbler Coreoposis 24x30 private collection taken by Les Dorscheid Endurane, No Coast IPA from Sunshine Brewing Company taken by Eric Tadsen
Finally, Dr. Lori Scarlett is again very persuasive, sharing her views regarding the use of shock collars; Jeanne Engle writes about the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Seth Peterson Cottage; and Chris Gargan shares Les Dorscheid’s illustration work. I end the year thankful to our readers and sponsors, to our writing and photography contributors, and to my colleagues. Without all of you, this doesn’t exist. My wish to you is for time for yourself and others. May the end of 2023 include good health, happy memories, and awareness of those needing us to see and help them. Whether someone’s need is housing, food, or financial support, or they’re experiencing loneliness, depression, or other mental health dif ficulties, remember that our own lives are richer when we are able lif t others.
amy 4 | madison locally sourced
35th Annual MADISON’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION Presented by The Electric Group
Holiday Fantasy in Lights would not be possible without IBEW Local 159 Electricians • NECA Contractors Madison Area Businesses • Volunteer Booth Groups • Madison Parks …And all the visitors who generously support this event. Thank You!
Nov 11th - Dec 31st, 2023
Drive Thru • Dusk till Dawn Olin Park • Free Admission fantasyinlights.com The Electric Group Contractors • 1901 Inc. • A & A Electric of Baraboo • Accurate Electric Construction • APEX Electric • Born’s Electric • Control Works • Cummings and Turk
• Forward Electric • Future Electric & Solar • Hill Electric • Krantz Electric • Mainstage Lighting and Electric • Moser Elec. & Data • Nickles Electric Construction
• Pieper Electric • Staff Electric • Trager Electric • VanErt Electric • Westphal & Co. • Wiersma Electric • Midwest Electric • Morse Electric
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 5
food & drink
Left to right: Mayor’s Playground Stout, Mango Hard Seltzer, Endurance No Coast IPA
SUNSHINE BREWING COMPANY BY KYLE JACOBSON
Over the past decade, a fair number of Greater Madison area downtowns have experienced revitalizations thanks to the members of those communities committing their patronage to local small businesses. Of course, those small business owners have worked hard to provide fantastic food, highend products, and reputable service.
A common thread woven through the successes in every downtown is the presence of a microbrewery. Okay, that might be a stretch, but Sunshine Brewing Company in downtown Lake Mills has certainly played their part. Lane Smith, owner and head brewer of Sunshine Brewing, is an export from the
San Diego area who could fill the role of the adrenaline junkie Bodhi from Point Break, with the surfboards and mountain bikes to prove it on display at the brewery. He wouldn’t describe himself as the best or most knowledgeable brewer, but as someone seeking connection with people and family. “I’ve owned my own businesses since the ’90s, so I’ve always been business to business. And I’ve always traveled to do it. With having a bunch of kids, I wanted to try a local business that would help teach my kids how to run a business and how to make their own money so they don’t have to work for corporate America. And I wanted to build that community. I think we’re really accomplishing that.” Since opening in 2018, Lane’s children have been involved with a lot of different aspects of running a business, from maintenance and cleaning to management and finances. At 19, Grace, Lane’s oldest daughter, is the general manager. “She runs the show. She just
6 | madison locally sourced
started her own marketing business. Literally, she knows how to do everything in the business. Everybody respects her. It’s turning into this big family.” The brewery has also given Lane an education in brewing as well as recognizing and addressing needs in his community. On the beer front, Lane had been a homebrewer for quite some time, focusing on Belgian beers. In fact, when Sunshine first opened, they only used Belgian yeast strains in every style they served. Lane had a vision of selling 20-ounce bombers in grocery stores, but once the market shifted toward cans and six packs, he chose to focus more on the tap room. Two things eventually came to light: one, with a family focus and atmosphere at Sunshine, there’d need to be food offerings, and two, not everybody liked Belgian beers as much as he did. Putting together a menu was easy since Lane is big into what he calls SoCal Mexican food. “My goal with our food was to not be heavy with the sauces and cheeses.” Since COVID, the offerings narrowed down to some of the best tacos, burritos, and sheet-pan nachos around. All the meat in their food is “sourced local right out of Heritage Country Farms down the road. It’s not organic, but it’s all Wisconsin-grown chicken, pork, and beef.”
Sheet Pan Nachos
Testament to the food quality is the number of repeat non-beer-drinking customers coming in just for the tacos and nachos. Lane is proud of the food he serves, but twist his arm and the carnitas tacos edge out the rest, though the sheetpan nachos, every chip as crispy and covered in toppings as the next, are right up there. In the near future, families will be able to enjoy their food with some Sunshine sparking hop water, sparkling lemon-lime, and even sodas. Back to beer, Lane knew he’d have to evolve, but he also knew he’d need an expert to do it. “I brought on a new partner two years ago, Caleb. He’s a national award-winning homebrewer. For me, I was a business person who brewed beer. I never had a vision of doing the brewing continually. I knew madisonlocallysourced.com
| 7
Loaded Burrito
Carnitas Tacos
I brewed good enough beer to make people happy, but if we were going to reach where we wanted to get, we were going to need to bring in someone who really knows the science and everything. With Caleb, I got that, and we really ramped up our beer quality over the past couple of years.” Sunshine now offers true-to-style Stouts, Pilsners, IPAs, and even a seasonal Festbier. In accordance with Lane’s feel healthy motto, there’s also been a handful of low-ABV Session beers coming out of the tank. Recently, the brewery teamed up with Trek Bicycle Corporation to create a 4 percent Blonde Ale and a 4.5 percent Session IPA, Bunny Hop and Patch Kit respectively. And it isn’t just those two beers that showcase Lane’s love for mountain biking; many beers are named after trails in Wisconsin. Lane and Sunshine have also found a lot of ways to be directly involved in the community. For starters, he coaches the high school mountain bike team, which consists of 90 students all around the area. It’s been a great way for Lane 8 | madison locally sourced
But to serve people who need help, Lane saw he could do more. “In 2020, I had some friends, Melissa Walker and her sister Rachel Davies, that wanted to do a food pantry for Christmas dinners and stuff. They needed some space, so I was like, ‘I have a walk-in cooler. You can drive into the back.’ That year, I think we served 30 or so dinners. We kept doing it and ultimately created Sunrise Reach, in 2021. Today, we’ve served around 100,000 pounds of food with a value of about $340,000 saved by local families. ... One thing about community is friendship and having fun, but another is about helping others. We just did a clothing drive and provided 160 kids with back-to-school clothing.”
he didn’t stop there. The next time you swing by with your friends, your family, or your grandma, know that you’re supporting a business that supports its neighbors. Thanks to a focus on healthy living, you’ll also feel good doing it. Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks the holidays are better spent at home than in traffic. Photographs by Eric Tadsen.
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
to interact with people who share his passion for the sport in his community, and the team has found a lot of success.
Kyle Jacobson
Brewing great beer and making some of Lake Mills’ favorite tacos seems to be everything Lane could’ve wished for with Sunshine Brewing, and it’s proven valuable for his community that
Sunshine Brewing Company 121 S. Main Street Lake Mills, WI 53551
(608) 273-3937 bilancioeyewear.com
(608) 273-3226 S
A
L
O
VISITORS
salon
EYEWEAR
Purchase ORIGINAL and DESIRED gift cards from our extraordinary retailers!
(608) 288-8284 visitfitchburg.com
N
A
L
O
N
SPA
yoga
S
(608) 288-8448 perennial-yoga.com
(608) 255-0070 kneadedreliefdayspa.com
PD Fish Hatchery R d.
McKee Rd.
North to Beltline
The Agora E. Cheryl Pkwy
Lacy Rd.
5500 E. Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg • agorafitchburg.com • (608) 277-2592 for leasing info madisonlocallysourced.com
| 9
nonprofit
The Road
by Kyle Jacobson Homelessness in the Greater Madison area is a reality that’s here to stay. There are just too many factors leading to individuals and families losing their homes or never really having one in the first place. Job loss, eviction due to the inability to keep up with rising rent rates, mental health, and the struggle to transition at age 17 from a youth to adult shelter, no two scenarios look the same. Since the issue is as diverse as it is large, it’s important to have a spectrum of organizations working to alleviate the problem. Some nonprofits focus on adult males, others on adult females. Some on formerly incarcerated, others on those with chronic medical conditions. Meghan Salzwedel, development director of The Road Home, says, “The Road Home is a nonprofit in Madison focused on housing solutions for families experiencing homelessness. “We have 14 unique housing programs; 13 of those are specifically for families 10 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
HOME
with children experiencing homelessness and one, our newest program, is for youth ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness. That’s a collaborative program with the Dane County Youth Action Board, City of Madison, Outreach LGBTQ+, and Urban Triage.”
With every family that comes to The Road Home, the focus is on long-term housing solutions, as opposed to shortterm shelter. But that vision comes with hurdles in making sure families have the resources they need to continue living in their homes. “Our special sauce at The Road Home is our wraparound services. Our support doesn’t end when a family secures housing; that is the beginning of the story. “The Road Home works with families to secure an apartment, the lease is signed, and then the wraparound supportive services come in. Families in our programs work with their housing advocates to set self-determined goals
pertaining to education, financial stability, and employment. So if a family comes to their housing advocate and says, ‘Hey, I really want to get a job, but I don’t have childcare, and I can’t afford it,’ we can help connect them with a childcare solution and career-building resources. Ultimately, the goal is selfsufficiency and stable housing.” Part of The Road Home’s work involves identifying and developing solutions for problems that have gone unnoticed or unaddressed. It starts with the shortcomings of existing programs designed to address other situations. If a program is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), efforts and monies are restricted to specific definitions determined by HUD. For example, HUD defines “literal homelessness” as an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. “Families who
The Road Home wants to tackle family homelessness with as wide a net as they can cast. aren’t experiencing literal homelessness are still experiencing homelessness— just not in the way that is defined by HUD,” says Meghan. “They’re still struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness.” This is why the Heart Room program was created, a collaboration between Joining Forces for Families, RISE’s Early Childhood Initiative, and Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ. It provides a much larger degree of flexibility in determining which families can receive support, and “having that degree of flexibility to serve families who might not be able to access resources in a traditional way is an innovative way that The Road Home and our partners are working together to serve more families.” Even with these initiatives, to make even a dent in the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness takes an extraordinary amount of effort, which is why The Road Home
is a member of the Homeless Services Consortium (HSC). It’s a place where all the agencies working to alleviate homelessness can share information and resources under one banner. HSC has also developed a process called Coordinated Entry that ensures those experiencing homelessness can end up with the right agency to get them the help they need. HSC members include Just Dane, YWCA, The Salvation Army, The Beacon, Porchlight, and many more. Megan says that, internally, The Road Home wants to tackle family homelessness with as wide a net as they can cast. “Our programs are tailored to meet families where they’re at. Some are rapid rehousing programs, which are shorter-term programs to help families get back on their feet. Maybe someone lost a job that caused them to fall into housing insecurity. Our other programs provide permanent supportive housing, which are more long-term
Famous for Steaks
Home of the 20 oz. Bone-in Tenderloin
• Charbroiled Steaks
• Saturday Night—Prime Rib • Sunday—Chicken Dinner
• Late Night Bar Menu & Happy Hour (Beginning at 10:00 pm)
• Seasonal Outdoor Dining in our Grotto • Corral Room Available for Private Parties OPEN DAILY
Mon-Fri Bar Opens at 4:30 pm—Dinner at 5:00 pm Weekends Open at 5:00 pm
For Reservations Call: 256-3570 Entrances at
116 S. Hamilton & 115 W. Main Street tornadosteakhouse.com
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 11
Get
Off Your Entire Order! 10% Use online code: MADLOCAL
Or mention this ad in-store. Offer ends 12/31.
Bath Grooming Unique Gifts 319 State Street 608-251-4051
ORDER ONLINE: thesoapopera.com
12 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
solutions for families chronic homelessness.
experiencing
“Homelessness in general is an ongoing fight in every community. Madison is not unique in the sense that housing is really expensive, and I wholeheartedly believe the lack of affordable housing in our community is the number one cause of homelessness in our community.” It’s heartening to see how our collective understanding of homelessness has shifted over the decades, and a harsher, ever-looming truth is starting to come to light: a lot of us are closer to homelessness than we think. Surveys from financial advocacy groups and brokerage firms, notably Prosperity Now and Charles Schwab, suggest a conservative estimate of about 30 percent of Americans are one paycheck away from losing their homes. There’s also increased awareness of the fact that homelessness disproportionately affects people of color. It’s why The Road Home is partnering with landlords to address racial discrimination within
existing housing systems. Meghan says, “The thing I’m continually impressed by is when we see a need in the community along with our agency partners, we address it.” Learning and growing to confront issues surrounding homelessness goes back to when The Road Home was founded, 1999. “The original model was a traveling shelter. We partnered with churches who housed and supported families on a weekly basis. That was the model of our organization for a long time, and we recognized a need for families to feel stable in longer-term housing solutions and incorporated critical input from families with lived experiences. Slowly, we started building in the housing programs we have now.” As issues evolve, it’s important to recognize that if homelessness happens to you or someone you know, there’s a good chance it’s not entirely or even moderately your fault. The best course is often to set aside pride and do what’s best for the people you love. Meghan says, “Housing is a human right. Everyone deserves a home. Reaching out for help or reaching out to an agency to enroll in a housing program is so essential to your being.” If you want to help The Road Home carry on its almost 25-year-old mission, consider donating to their programs at trhome.org or hosting an in-kind donation drive to collect personal essential items, like toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry soap, by contacting angelas@trhome.org. Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks some things are at their best when they’re the worst.
Kyle Jacobson
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Photographs provided by The Road Home.
Oregon’s Living Room Award-Winning Destination Cafe serving Breakfast & Lunch Open 6 am to 2 pm Tuesday thru Sunday Closed Mondays
WWW.FIREFLYCOFFEEHOUSE.COM 114 N MAIN STREET • OREGON, WISCONSIN 53575
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 13
nonprofit
LUKE HOUSE by Kyle Jacobson
Running a nonprofit without government assistance isn’t an easy task. It involves having a community that truly cares about and supports the organization’s mission as well as dedicated core groups of volunteers. But there’s a huge upside; the organization has full autonomy regarding who they help and how they go about it. For Luke House, sandwiched between East Washington Avenue and Williamson Street on Ingersoll Street in Madison, it means the ability to feed and serve any person who walks through their doors, no questions asked. The first guest demographic you might imagine are those experiencing 14 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
homelessness. Accurate as this is, there are so many more people being served, including those with medical needs, mental health issues, families experiencing financial hardships, and those just needing social interaction. “We get a lot of the same guests,” says Sarah Bullard, executive director. “I would say at least 50 percent of our guests eat here almost every single meal. This is where they get their food.” Sarah stresses that Luke House is not a food pantry. From the quality and variety of food served to the way volunteers greet and seat guests, the whole experience is meant to be a break from hardship and
an ode to community. “What we do is a little bit more unique in terms of it’s in-person dining. We’re focused on the community, where it’s not just food. I mean, it is food, but it’s interaction with other guests and our volunteers. I love to see that. That’s why we don’t ask why. We don’t care why you’re here. You’re here, and we’re happy to see you.” The spirit of Luke House goes back to founder Paul Ashe. In 1986, Paul worked on State Street, where there were school kids who’d ask him for something to eat. He and his coworkers started making sandwiches for the kids, and soon enough, more kids showed up. Then the
regular nice thing Paul was doing for his community started to take shape in his mind as something he could do for a lot more people. “This was his calling,” says Sarah. “He was almost a priest, but instead of being a priest he did Luke House.” When Paul retired, the heart of Luke House didn’t skip a beat. The mindfulness and volunteerism are still intact, with some of the original groups of volunteers still contributing their time and home cooking after all these years. Many volunteer groups come from churches of all denominations and have been instrumental in providing guests a wide variety of quality food. “We try to keep our menu varied as much as we can, and each group brings the same meal every month. The fourth Thursday lunch is always Good Shepherd Lutheran’s ham, cheesy potatoes, and corn.” Greater Madison area businesses and other groups, including AprilAire and Edgewood College, also get in on the volunteering. Another important focus of Luke House is controlling food waste. Food left unserved from a previous meal will always be incorporated into the open meal, typically a free-for-all kind of day. Egg bakes, casseroles, and variations of cottage pies—the oft unsung heroes of Midwest home cooking—make their way to the table. As for food scraps, a local farmer comes and picks them up to feed his chickens. In return, Luke House gets farm-fresh eggs. It might come as a shock to some that a lot of people experiencing hardship are adamant about eating healthy and sustainable foods. Beggars can’t be choosers is shown to be a dismissive cliché implying that people down on their luck can’t care about things outside of the Freudian id. The trurth is many experiencing homelessness came to Madison to escape that mentality. This doesn’t mean Madison is without fault, nor is it meant to suggest all those experiencing homelessness are sweethearts looking to better the world. Pobody’s nerfect, so Sarah has posted various signs around Luke House to madisonlocallysourced.com
| 15
WITH HOLIDAYS ON THE HORIZON, IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT LUKE HOUSE HAS SPECIAL MEALS FOR THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS.
remind people to be civil. The signs aren’t for every guest, but with hardship or mental illness can come the need to be reminded of things ranging from chewing with your mouth closed and washing your hands to not taking food off other people’s plates. “Really, having a peaceful, calm dining room is my ultimate goal. Whatever reason people are here, whether it’s the sustenance of the food, social engagement, a break from the weather, they don’t want loud drama types of environments. ... We love to see families in here and have them know that they’re always welcome and comfortable and don’t need to worry about someone saying something inappropriate.” On the rare occasion a guest is overly problematic, Sarah’s philosophy is simply to be consistent. She’ll ask them to leave and come back in a week, and every time they return, they have a renewed sense of respect for what Luke House is all about...at least that’s the hope. Her philosophy extends to the way food is served. “Our operation is set up to be as consistent as possible. 16 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
When we serve plates, the food goes down first, then the guests walk across the room. They get to pick their plate. Then a beverage-cart person comes over and asks if they want coffee, milk, or water.” This eliminates other issues, like complaints over portion and dessert sizes. With holidays on the horizon, it’s woth noting that Luke House has special meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sarah encourages people to take advantage of the feasts, including other meals in the area, like Goodman Community Center’s Christmas lunch. “They’re going to give people tons of stuff. Go do it because they do it before Christmas and our meal is on Christmas.” I wish I had more room to go into how grateful Sarah is to connect with all of these people and know that people in the homeless community trust her to share information of the health and successes of those she hasn’t seen for a while. More room to go into how great the volunteers are, and how they get to know the guests. By the way, new volunteer groups are always welcome and needed.
Luke House serves Sunday dinners and then does lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday. It’s become so integral to the daily lives of people in the area that Sarah never wants to see Luke House move from the neighborhood. If the community continues to learn about and stand behind this wonderful addition to the fight against hunger in Madison, I don’t see why that wouldn’t stay true. Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks life wouldn’t be so heavy if more people lightened up.
Kyle Jacobson
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Photographs provided by Luke House.
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 17
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
nonprofit
Artist-in-residence Maria Amalia Wood teaches two interns the process of paper making in the Pinney Studio at Pinney Library.
Artist Lydia Diemer facilitates an art workshop with a community group.
THE BUBBLER by Kyle Jacobson
Makers of all ages explore creativity and self-expression at Madison Public Library over the summer.
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
I like to believe that creatives outnumber the critics. That said, the critics are loud, and it’s hard to think of a critic much louder than the internal ones we’ve tailored to ridicule ourselves. We’re never going to silence our critics, but in the right contexts, we can lessen their impact. Madison is fortunate to have areas all around designated to permit creativity to help remind people that creativity isn’t meant to be constrained to one area, and you don’t need permission to be creative. The Bubbler, with a presence in each of Madison’s public libraries, is a creative space that appears to be for children and young adults upon first glance, but that’s selling it way too short. It’s actually a community arts hub with free studio space open to the public. There’s screen printing, typewriting, building, drawing, and painting. 18 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
Carlee Latimer, Bubbler program assistant, says the space is certainly not limited to the visual arts. “Based on our artist-in-residence and what their specialty is, we might amp it up a bit. The person who we’re working with right now is a letter-press printer. We’ve had anybody from a dancer to music producer. And along the way, we’ve learned what can work well in our spaces.” Since Madison Public Library – Central reopened in 2013, it adopted a residency model in many areas, including having a naturalist-in-residence and a native storyteller-in-residence. In terms of having an artist-in-residence, many of the successes are amplified through the Bubbler, like the artist exhibitions in any of the libraries. The evolution of the program over the past 10 years has also provided the tools needed to push
As an example, there’s an ongoing project to gather self-portraits from Madison residents using only a specific set of stamps. “The project, Our Town Everywhere, was brought to us by an artist in Nashville, Bryce McCloud.” Where Bryce used a mobile cart to find people willing to put their creativity out there, the Bubbler sets up in various places by request. “We have a core group of artists who are leading the project. Right now, if Luna’s Groceries is doing a block party for their community and they want us to pop up and do it, we’ll show up and do it there. If a librarian on the west side wants to do a program with the seniors who come every Tuesday, we’ll pop up and do it there. ... We want to have a pretty vast portrait of what the city looks like and who the people are in this community.”
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
beyond the library and have larger influences throughout Madison.
There’s also a neat side effect to the project. Carlee points out that nobody is an expert at shape stamps, so it’s humbling to sit in a group and try to do your best. “The idea is folks gather and sit around a table or slide into a space at an event and work on this on their own, but they end up talking and connecting with people around them.” Participants are experiencing a microcosm of how ideas are shared and grow along with an appreciation for process over product. Zooming out, it’s incredible to see just how easily people transition into being creative. Through projects like the stamp portrait and just the space itself existing, the drive to make something is given a chance to override the internal critic. One of the biggest lies too many of us have bought into is that something needs to be done right or perfect if it’s going to be done at all. When celebrated painter Bob Ross talked about “happy little accidents,” he was openly admitting that
Staff at Madison Public Library’s Staff Inservice Day explore stamping their own portrait for the Our Town Everywhere project.
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
he’d made a mistake. From that point forward, the piece would not be perfect. Yet he taught others to take those mistakes and incorporate them into the
Curator M. Sweetnam installs an Our Town Everywhere exhibition at the Madison Senior Center.
A batch of our Our Town Everywhere custom stamped portraits displayed in the public library. madisonlocallysourced.com
| 19
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
Left: Library patrons learn cyanotype (sun printing) processes through experimentation.
Photograph provided by Madison Public Library staff
Every person who puts their creative self in the driver’s seat sees the potential of a library as much more than books on shelves.
Photograph by Beth Skogan
Bottom: Artist-inresidence Bernie Witzack, of bernie&zuzu, uses their expertise to transform a space in the public library into a large-scale installation called Rainbow Room.
rest of the painting, and that imperfection seamlessly became part of the finished product, often improving the final result. Carlee says that art and creativity are two very important pillars in the library. “They’re an invitation for anybody and everybody to use the library as a jumping-off point or a landing space for tapping into your own self-expression, your own creativity, your own story.” Every person who puts their creative self in the driver’s seat sees the potential of a library as much more than books on shelves.
Two patrons engage in an art project at Central Library involving old-school typewriters. 20 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
The Bubbler isn’t just about being a resource that people tap into when they need it. Carlee and her colleagues are developing partnerships with every enthusiastic creative they meet, calling the group Team Bubbler Forever. “It’s very much this network that’s always growing, but we get to tap into people when new opportunities come up and more and more art stuff keeps happening in our spaces. When new libraries are built and we have public art pieces that’ll be there forever, we get to call on folks who have worked with us in the past to apply.”
For a lot of people, a studio space is either a luxury or a waste of space. I like to think that what the Bubbler is really doing is trying to confront that mindset. Studio space, a space that allows for selfexpression, should be seen as a necessity even if it’s just the size of a closet or shares counter space with your kitchen. Carlee says, “There’s something pretty cool in adults taking a chance and trying something.” Don’t let the critics get too comfortable; they’re rarely as right as they think they are. Kyle Jacobson is a writer who just added being an accomplished artist to his resume.
Kyle Jacobson
600 Water St. Sauk City, WI | 674 S. Whitney Way Madison, WI | 803 E. Washington Ave. Madison, WI
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 21
landmark
Perched high above Mirror Lake, the cottage both hugs the earth and explodes from it. Pella Windows donated custom-fabricated replacement windows that duplicated the originals. Even without curtains or blinds, the cottage offers privacy to visitors.
Seth Peterson Cottage Passion for a Frank Lloyd Wright Building Restoration by Jeanne Engle Audrey Laatsch had immense passion when it came to restoring the last and smallest of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin design buildings. Wright designed an 880-square-foot cottage on Mirror Lake for Seth Peterson in 1958 at an estimated $15,000. Construction started in 1959 but was not completed before both Wright and Peterson died. The property was purchased by Mrs.
Lillian Owen Pritchard Sr. and her son, Owen Jr., from Milwaukee in 1962; she had the project completed as Wright designed it. Owen Jr. lived in the cottage and raised Afghan hounds. In 1966, the State of Wisconsin purchased it for $35,000 to add to the new Mirror Lake State Park. Other purchased cottages were razed, The ceiling rises from the cozy built-in living room seats to a wall of windows 14 feet high.
and the sites returned to nature. But the Seth Peterson Cottage was boarded up and stood empty, suffering the ravages of weather and vandalism for more than two decades. As the story goes, Audrey, a therapist from Milwaukee, overturned her canoe on Mirror Lake. Swimming to shore after the capsize, Audrey found the cottage. The Seth Peterson cottage was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 1981. The nomination noted the cottage was in “seriously deteriorated condition having received no appreciable maintenance for years. Though the DNR is currently updating its Mirror Lake State Park master plan, it has made no determination as to the future prospects for this cottage, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building owned by the State of Wisconsin.” Already owning property on Mirror Lake, as a member of the Mirror Lake Association, Audrey was determined to restore the Seth Peterson Cottage. She called a meeting in Wisconsin Dells in
22 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
According to Kermit Traska, current president of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy (SPCC)—the group that restored the cottage—and former DNR employee who presented at the meeting, attendees included many Frank Lloyd Wright groupies with a passion for saving one of his masterpieces. Restoration of the cottage, a fine example of Wright’s Usonian design, was recommended by Wisconsin Historical Society staff, but the estimate for doing so was $120,000 to $150,000, not within the DNR’s budget. The SPCC was founded by Audrey and others from the Mirror Lake Association to take on the project. John Eifler, a Chicago architect who had attended the February meeting, was hired to direct the restoration. He had helped restore the first Jacobs House, a Wright design, in Madison. “The Seth Peterson Cottage was more of a wreck than the Jacobs House, but I could see that the restoration would turn out great,” John recalls. “The first day, the volunteers and I took off the plywood and made a fire in the cottage’s fireplace. We smoked out the place, but it was rewarding to get light and air into the cottage once again.” John remembers Audrey, who passed away in 2002, as a “visionary—patient and confident. She was relentless in raising money. If at first she got a no, she would keep calling until the prospective donor said yes.” In the end, the restoration totaled $300,000. Bill Martinelli from Madison also attended the February meeting. He had an architecture and engineering background, was interested in Frank Lloyd Wright, and knew about the cottage. He had even climbed the surrounding chain-link fence to take pictures. Audrey recruited him
immediately to help. “I have to give so much credit to Audrey. She worked with troubled youth and said if she could be successful with them, she could be successful with the restoration project. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Bill worked closely with John during the restoration as well as behind the scenes with Audrey. A group that helped with the restoration was Wisconsin Conservation Corps (WCC). John says, “At first, they didn’t trust an architect from Chicago, but I quickly gained their confidence when I told them I was a Racine native. The WCC crew was happy to do the work. They had respect for the building.” One of the WCC tasks was to take up the flagstone floor and number all the pieces so radiant floor heating could be installed. Audrey had the idea of using the stones as a fundraiser. Donors purchased stones when the floor was replaced, and a map of the floor in the cottage acknowledges those who contributed. Now that the restoration of the cottage is well behind them, members of the SPCC still volunteer under Bill’s leadership. During the annual Spring Work Week in April, they clean up the landscape, level the driveway, prune bushes, and perform any maintenance that needs to be done. Sometimes, larger projects are worked on, like installing air conditioning, replacing shingles, and refinishing woodwork.
A small galley kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom make up the rest of the interior of the cottage.
30 years to ensure the Seth Peterson Cottage remains one of Wright’s lasting legacies. The cottage is open to the public each month for tours led by volunteers. Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer. Photographs by Kit Hogan.
Jeanne Engle
Photograph by MOD Media Productions
February 1989 to find support for the restoration. Given the snowy weather, there was an expectation that turnout would be low, around 5 to 10 people, but because many people had seen a newspaper article about the cottage and wanted to know what could be done to save it, the number who showed up was tenfold.
The Seth Peterson Cottage is open for tours the second Sunday of each month, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., with the last tour beginning at 3:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; children 12 and under and SPCC members are free.
The SPCC has a 15-year renewable lease agreement with the State to rent the cottage to visitors for overnight stays. Due to its popularity, reservations are now being taken for 2025! In addition to cottage upkeep and maintenance, the SPCC uses thousands of dollars of rental revenue to support other related organizations, including the DNR, Mirror Lake State Park, Friends of Mirror Lake State Park for the naturalist program, and the Mirror Lake Association. Passion drives volunteers to give in many ways and has driven Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts for more than madisonlocallysourced.com
| 23
pets
The Shocking Truth About
SHOCK Collars by Lori Scarlett, DVM
With the explosion of adopted dogs during covid came a dramatic increase in behavior issues attributed to limited socialization, lack of obedience training, and overall anxiety. Dogs didn’t get the opportunity to take puppy classes, see a lot of different people, or experience alone time when their humans were at work. While some dogs are easygoing and quick to learn commands by nature, the majority of dogs benefit from training. A quick online search netted over 50 Madison area trainers, so there are a lot of people willing to help train your dog. Unfortunately, dog training is not a regulated industry. People without animal behavior education can call themselves professional dog trainers. Often, they cite education from other unlicensed trainers on their website to make it look like they have a lot of qualifications. These trainers frequently employ shock collars (also known as e-collars, which sounds less threatening) and use positive punishment as their training methods. To better understand the reasoning behind these techniques, it’s important to understand positive reinforcement versus positive punishment. Positive anything sounds like a good thing, but in psychological terms, positive just refers to the addition of 24 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
something. It could be adding a shock, food, praise, a slap, or a yank on a collar. So when you see the word positive on a trainer’s website, don’t assume it’s something good. Reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to be repeated. Positive reinforcement adds something to the training to make the desired behavior more likely. Adding a treat when you ask a dog to sit makes sitting a behavior that’s likely to be repeated. The dog is motivated to behave in a certain way when the results are enjoyable.
growling, but still feel the underlying cause of the behavior: often fear. The dog still feels anxious or defensive, but can’t tell you that anymore. Without being allowed to growl, it may just bite without any warning at all. Positive punishment can shut down behaviors in general. The dog doesn’t learn what the right behavior is, but rather obeys for fear of being shocked. Who wants their dog scared of them all the time?
Punishment makes a behavior less likely to be repeated. In this case, positive doesn’t mean treats, but an unpleasant something, such as a shock, a yank on the leash, a spray bottle, a muzzle hold, or pinning the dog to the floor. The dog obeys learned cues to avoid punishment. This is also how electric fences work; the dog learns a boundary to avoid an unpleasant noise or shock.
Studies show dogs wearing shock collars experience negative physical effects. Cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in saliva were much higher in dogs trained wearing an e-collar than dogs trained using only positive reinforcement. The collar didn’t even need to be giving a sound or shock at all. Chronically high levels of cortisol can interfere with learning and memory and cause the dog to be more aggressive. Additionally, chronic diarrhea, frequent urination, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and other health problems can occur.
Trainers that use positive punishment advertise that they get quick results, which isn’t incorrect. Dogs avoid behaviors that result in pain. But positive punishment does not address the cause of the behavior; it simply suppresses it. If you have a dog that barks or growls at people coming into the house and you shock it in response, the dog will stop
When looking for a trainer, select one that only uses positive reinforcement. This is typically a food treat but could be a toy, play opportunity, a walk, or belly rubs. The dog does the desired behavior and is quickly rewarded. The next time we ask for the behavior, the dog is more likely to do it in hopes of getting another treat. Positive reinforcement
methods rely on the idea that behaviors are driven by the dog’s emotional state. If we understand why the dog behaves in a certain way, we can determine the best plan to change that behavior without doing harm to the dog. Positive-reinforcement training is built on teamwork and communication with your dog, not intimidation, and the dog feels safe offering a variety of behaviors to figure out what you want them to do. Owners reward the behaviors they want and redirect or ignore undesirable behaviors. Dogs trust an owner who communicates boundaries clearly and fairly, not those that shock them into submission. Why doesn’t everyone use positive reinforcement training? Because it can take longer to achieve the desired results, or so say some trainers who advocate using shock collars. Food and other rewards are teaching tools, not bribes. Work with a trainer who understands positive reinforcement and the need to spend time with both you and your dog. A skilled trainer shouldn’t have to cause stress or harm to your dog to help them learn. When you’re looking at a trainer site, look for initials after their name. There are several training programs available, and each has its own certification: CTC, KPA CTP, and CCPDT, just to name a few. There’s also a Pet Professional Guild’s member directory, which only lists force-free professionals. Another good resource is the Fear Free website, where you can search for trainers and other professionals, like groomers and vets, in your area.
If you see buzzwords like alpha, balanced, or leadership training, question that trainer’s qualifications. These words usually have nothing to do with positive reinforcement. Board and train completely takes the owner out of the picture, which can be extremely problematic if positive punishment is used. There’s no trust formed, just fear. If you don’t see information about training methods, you can assume the trainer uses positive punishment. If it seems too good to be true or is expensive and guaranteed to work, it’s definitely not a good thing for your dog. For your dog’s sake, find a certified, fearfree, force-free trainer and, if possible, one that will come to your home to work with you and your dog in the dog’s environment. These trainers are also willing to work with your veterinarian if your dog needs antianxiety medication or has a fear of coming to the vet clinic. While positive-reinforcement training takes hard work and dedication, in the long run, you and your dog will be much happier.
Since 1971 Italian Specialties & Delicatessen Huge Deli Featuring Salads, Olives & Fresh Italian Sausage
frabonisdeli.com
• Housemade Frozen Pizzas • I talian Recipes & • Hot Sandwiches & Dinners Housewares • Imported Olives, • Homemade Deli Salads Olive Oils & Vinegars • Lasagna & Mostaccioli • Spaghetti with Meatballs • Tomato Products • Gluten-Free Pastas & Sauces • Artisanal Pasta & Cheeses • Homemade Pasta Sauces • Specialty Sub Sandwiches • Take & Heat Dinners • Prosciutto & Mortadella • C atering for Large & • Meatballs & Sausages Small Groups! • Great Wine Selection Dane BUY
LOCAL
MAKERS OF PORKETTA For Over 70 Years
Please visit www.frabonisdeli.com for current hours
108 Owen Rd, Monona • 608-222-6632
Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. For more information, visit fourlakesvet.com.
Dr. Lori Scarlett
madisonlocallysourced.com
| 25
arts
LES DORSCHEID by Chris Gargan
Morning Light on Cholla 24x30 2017 Private Collection
Now every flower stem swings a censer chain And every flower gives incense to the night. Sounds, perfumes circle in the evening light; Turning in languorous waltz, again, again! Evening Harmony by Charles Baudelaire (transl. by Naomi Lewis)
Rutherford Blue Rock Ridge (in Progress) 48x60 2023 Private Collection
In the case of many, if not most, artists, that path is not a continuous trail. Rather, the artist’s development comes in fits and starts dependent on experiences, influences, serendipitous occurrence, and flashes of insight. For Les Dorscheid, it’s a path of numerous career opportunities within various disciplines of the arts.
soon to make their reputations in the illustration world: James Gurney of Dinotopia fame; Steve Houston, one of America’s premier figurative painters; Matt Mahurin, creator of the infamous O.J. Simpson Newsweek cover; and Earl Keleny, who made innumerable illustrative contributions to national magazines, such as Sports Illustrated. Les was competing with the very best young artists of his generation.
Les began his education in the Madison Area Technical College (MATC), now Madison College, Commercial Art program, graduating in the spring of 1979. He immediately moved to the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, to study illustration at the most prestigious private art school in the country. He enrolled in the Advertising Illustration program but soon transferred to the illustration department because of the greater diversity of field concentrations. There, he was in the company of artists
After finishing at ArtCenter, Les returned to Wisconsin to begin his illustration career. His client list includes companies as diverse as John Deere; Kraft Foods, for whom he completed over 60 paintings; and
British-American poet W. H. Auden is said to have commented that if presented with five examples of a poet’s work, he should be able to put them in chronological order. The conceit in this claim is that an artist’s work should follow a pattern of discernible development that informs their work. The clear flaw of this premise is that the artist has always had one clear, virtually unwavering goal—they would never stray from their expressive path; that technique would follow an arc of constant refinement.
26 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
Harris Electronics. But Les’ ambition was to do book covers, specifically for science-fiction subjects. He worked extensively with a company called Roc Books, a fantasy imprint of the Penguin Group. At the same time, he was heavily involved with the comic title Nexus, written by local author Mike Baron and drawn by Steve Rude. Les did 35 covers for this title all in oil paint, a medium that was less common for illustrators of his generation. For two more years, he worked as a fantasy illustrator for the Lake Genevabased gaming company Dungeons & Dragons. Somehow, he managed to fit all of this in while also teaching
part-time at his alma mater, MATC, in the renamed Graphic Design and Illustration program, where he was a standout instructor. Les’ talents came to the attention of Raven Software, a Madison area video gaming developer established in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. Les worked as an art director for Raven for over 15 years before moving to Human Head Studio, now part of Bethesda Softworks and currently owned by Microsoft. When Les left Human Head, he joined Learning Games Network at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he helped develop educational
games, including Crystals of Kaydor, designed to help identify emotional reading of responses in service to ongoing educational research at the institute. Seemingly inexhaustible during his career, Les never stopped painting and drawing for himself. Working in fields often bright-lined in distinction from the fine arts, Les continued to explore, learn, and develop as a fine arts painter. He says, “My goal was not to be a landscape painter, it was just to paint. I was always hungry to paint more.”
Battletech Explorer Corps 20x24 1995
Les, with support of his wife, Susan, made the decision to retire from the world of fantasy art and video gaming to work full-time as a painter. Finally, he was working exclusively from direct observation, always seeking to push his skills, knowledge, technical mastery, and the breadth of his expressive potential. He did this with two primary objectives: keeping exhaustive painting sketchbooks filled with oil studies and variations of pictorial ideas, and amassing scores of 8- by 10-inch paintings on panel—big enough to be complete in themselves madisonlocallysourced.com
| 27
Crimson Fall Birch 30x40 2022 Private Collection but small enough that he could complete an idea fairly rapidly. These evolved into pieces 12 by 16 inches and larger, always with the goal of improving and deepening his understanding and ambitions as a painter. Eventually, he
Thunderhead Giant 24x28 2015 began making larger and larger pieces on stretched canvas. Les was greatly aided by decades of illustration experience: experience that refined his draftsmanship to the extent
Madison’s LGBTQ magazine since 2007
that he could quickly capture any visual experience he encountered. But being a painter is much more than coloring an exquisite drawing. As his approach to painting matured, he was able to “paint what I knew was there before I could actually see it.” Les saw his painting move from executing a plan to something much more organic in evolution. He can now “paint without external prompts. ... I can anticipate color reactions before I see them.” Early landscapes are characterized by strong value contrasts (the lessons of illustration and reproduction compelling those choices) to paintings that are more dependent on color and chromatic interaction. Expressing a sympathy for the work of Gustav Klimt, Les’ work has dramatically grown in chromatic intensity. The visual tension of spatial depiction can now be accomplished with color rather than a dependency on linear perspective or even the presence of a horizon. As shapes become more abstracted rather than literally descriptive, Les manages to both flatten form and enhance spatial dimension. He is no longer dependent on descriptive drawing to tease out spatial nuance. At the same time, the increasingly painterly surface with careful attention to mark making introduces a playful element that challenges standard compositional thinking and even a liberation from subject.
28 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d OurLives_MadisonEssentials5.indd 1
5/12/22 11:33 AM
Les has made the precarious journey from the world of illustration to fine art painting like so many before him: Hopper, Mucha, Remington, and a myriad of forerunners. The whole journey is characterized by an integrity and a passion not commonly seen in fellow travelers.
Abel Contemporary Gallery
Chris Gargan is a landscape artist and freelance writer working from his farm southwest of Verona. You can find his work at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton. He’s seen here with his dog Tycho Brahe.
Chris Gargan
Photograph by Larassa Kabel
Photographs by Les Dorscheid.
Just minutes from Madison. Find us in Stoughton, WI and online.
AbelContemporary.com
524 East Main St. Stoughton, WI 53589 608-845-6600
Image: Skyler Simpson
YOU MAKE THE MEMORIES. WE’LL MAKE THEM LAST. Our shop features an extensive selection of frames, mats, and glazing, as well as a custom workshop to create designs inspired by your wildest ideas. OPEN Tues – Sat, 10am – 5pm Schedule an appointment or drop by
1901 Monroe St Madison, WI | 608.255.7330 | monroestreetframing.com madisonlocallysourced.com
| 29
advertiser
INDEX association Dane Buy Local
28
dining, food & beverage Cambridge Market Cafe 12
contest Win a $50 Gift Card!
entertainment & media Boulders Climbing Gym 2 Holiday Fantasy in Lights 5 Our Lives Magazine 28
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream 9
services
Clasen’s European Baker y 15
Agora 9
D’ Vino 17
EPIC 25
The Deliciouser 21
Four Lakes Veterinar y Clinic 25
Firefly Cof feehouse 13
Madison Gas & Electric 31
Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen 25
Monroe Street Framing 29
Lombardino’s 12
shopping
The Old Feed Mill Restaurant 23 Porta Bella Italian Restaurant 13 Soup’s On 15 Sugar River Pizza Company 16 Teddy wedgers 27 Tempest 11 Tornado Steak House 11 Vintage Brewing Co. 21
Abel Contemporar y Galler y 29 Agora 9 Anthology 8 Deconstruction Inc. 17 Goodman’s Jewelers 8 Hilldale 32 The Soap Opera 12
question: “Which Greater Madison area business owner also coaches his community’s high school mountain bike team?” Enter by submitting your answer to the above question online at madisonlocallysourced.com or by email or mail. With your answer, include your name, mailing address, phone number, and email to mls@madisonlocallysourced.com or Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC PO Box 559 McFarland, WI 53558 All entries with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing. Contest deadline is December 1, 2023 .
good luck!
winners
Please support our sponsors!
Thank you to ever yone who entered our previous contest. The answer to the question “In addition to Tavernakaya, Wendy Kuo and Michael Ding own what other local restaurant? ” is Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar. A Nitt y Gritt y gif t card was sent to our winner, Candice Gottschalk of Madison, WI.
congratulations! 30 | m a d i s o n l o c a l l y s o u r c e d
Considering an electric vehicle? Your community energy company can help. Learn more at mge.com/LovEV.
CC092423_109
HILLDALE.COM
/ @HILLDALEMADISON
AMARA F O R AG E K I TC H E N M O R GA N ’S S H O E S M U R A M OTO H I L L DA L E PETPHORIA TWIGS ULLA EYEWEAR WILDEWOOD
YO U R S P O T F O R MADISON-MADE G I F T S & T R E AT S . 670 N M I D V A L E B L V D , M A D I S O N , W I