Generations Stories of interest to local seniors and wannabes
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WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS | Thursday, August 24, 2023
| GENERATIONS | 1
An Ottertail artist 40 years in the making
Shirlee Aho Daulton, 93, has been running the Arthouse for about 35 years since she built the studio on her Rush Lake property. Photos by Elizabeth Vierkant
Shirlee Aho Daulton, 93, has been creating art of and with the natural world Elizabeth Vierkant For Generations If you try something you may have never even thought to try before, you may find your newest life passion. That, at least, seems to be the experience of one area Otter Tail County artist: Shirlee Aho Daulton, the hands and face behind one art studio, The Arthouse. Though Daulton, 93, has been running The Arthouse on Rush Lake in Ottertail for about 35 years as of 2023, her love for art goes back even further. She jokes, however, that she’s lived two different lives, and art was not her first life — nursing was. While working as an registered nurse, she’d never really tried art before despite having a lot of love and appreciation for it. That is, at least, until a friend told her about a painting class. Having never taken art classes, Daulton decided to take a shot in the dark and give painting a try. The rest is history; she couldn’t stop painting. At classroom critiques, the professor would tell Daulton what to change to improve her pieces, and she started getting better and better. “The hardest thing I do is paint; that is the most difficult,” she said, reflecting on her history with art. “Because you’ve got this thing in front of you — this piece of paper — and then you’ve got to figure out what to do with it … (Painting) obsesses me. I get obsessed by the painting. I have to turn it backwards, get it out of the room. It’s ridiculous, but that’s what I do.” Primarily painting landscapes and other forms of nature from references of photos she took herself, she quickly discovered a love for all different kinds of art after this very first venture — from weaving to pottery to print-making. Though all of these art forms are quite different, Daulton’s works tend to share a common theme: nature. When her pieces don’t feature images of plants and other landscapes, they’re often created using materials from the natural environment. She makes prints
Daulton painted the Arthouse herself to draw different visitors in with a nice atmosphere.
(Painting) obsesses me. I get obsessed by the painting. I have to turn it backwards, get it out of the room. It’s ridiculous, but that’s what I do.
Daulton shows off a piece of paper she made out of plants on the screen used to spread and dry pulp.
fired with the raku method gains a very unique aesthetic, blending all the different glaze colors together, while the rest of the pottery left unglazed turns black from - Shirlee Aho Daulton the smoke. Daulton has basically tried it all. Her name, however, is particularly associated with one very specific craft: paper-making. Though this craft is becoming more wellknown in the 21st century, it was much less common of fish, creates artwork fea- right in her backyard. Using 40 years ago when she first turing preserved plants and a kiln and 100-pound pro- gave it a try. While living so much more. pane tank, she fires the in Ames, Iowa, she heard For over 30 years, she’s pottery up to 1,850 degrees about a paper-making class even been making pottery with the goal to melt the and chose to attend. Though using the raku firing tech- glaze painted on before- she enjoyed the class, they nique. All of this is done hand. Every piece that gets used a material known as
bleached cotton linter. “I thought, ‘not for me,’ because I really like the natural things,” she said. However, she quickly learned that nature could also be incorporated into this art. “I had a friend who was getting a fibers degree, and she said, ‘We’re making paper,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ We made it out of nasturtiums and corn husks.” Here, she realized she could use the natural world around her to make paper. She started experimenting with all different kinds of materials — from buckwheat to horsetail to iris and
DALTON: Page 4
2 | GENERATIONS | Thursday, August 24, 2023 | WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS
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Andrew Browne was the manager of the Deer Creek branch of Wadena State Bank. He is now a full-time firefighter.
Contributed / Andrew Browne
A legacy of giving back Wadena State Bank founder’s family honors his work Frank Lee For Generations For brothers Jeff and C.J. “Kip” Browne, banking — and giving back — runs in the family. Their father Jack Browne served as president and owner of Wadena State Bank, which he took over from his dad W.J. Browne. “All the projects the Browne Foundation has supported since its inception, which my dad probably funded in the late 1990s … and it’s probably around $1.4 million, $1.5 million, that’s been reinvested back in the community since then,” Jeff Browne said. The 63-year-old Wadena resident is the executive vice president of Wadena State Bank, a locally-owned, independent bank chartered by W.J. Browne in 1917. “My son Andrew has worked at the bank, but he pursued his dream job and that’s as a full-time
firefighter,” Browne said. “And he started that towards the end of June in Moorhead.” His 30-year-old daughter, Kelsey Browne Budke, works at the bank even if her 33-yearold brother does not. Andrew Browne was the Deer Creek Fire Protection District chief and a Wadena Fire Department firefighter. “My dad has passed away and my mom’s 101 years old and still living,” Browne said. Jack Browne purchased the bank from his father in 1965 and held the position of president for three decades. Sons C.J. “Kip” Browne and Jeff Browne purchased the bank in 1995 and are the current owners. “I grew up, went to high school here, had great memories, enjoyed the community when I was growing up, and I figured I would enjoy it when I moved back here,” said Browne, a St. Cloud State
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University graduate. Giving back to the community, however, by investing in Wadena is also in their blood. In partnership with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Jack and his wife Alvida gifted a permanent charitable endowment of $1 million to the community of Wadena in 1999. “My dad always felt the community was good to him,” Browne said. “And
so when he did that back in the late 1990s, it was kind of his way to give back to the community because the community was so good to him over the years when he owned the bank.” “The Wellness Center would be a project that we supported,” Browne said of the Maslowski Wellness & Research Center. “And a lot of these projects the Browne Foundation – the Jack and Alvida
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Browne Family Foundation – supports, usually the banks are involved as well.” Browne’s brother is the president of Wadena State Bank, which has locations in Bluffton and Deer Creek besides Wadena. “And then we have a holding company that owns the bank, and I’m the president of that and he’s the executive vice president,” Browne said.
The Jack and Alvida Browne Family Foundation has awarded grants to almost 40 community organizations and nonprofits in the area since 1999. The fund’s generosity has supported initiatives such as scholarships, a golf course, water systems, a splash pad and a fire truck. “We’ve done a lot of fundraising in this community for outdoor basketball courts, for example, across from the school … the unique streetlights that we have in downtown … and I believe that you have to have that or your town is going to slowly die,” Browne said. In addition to helping support the Wellness Center, a $12 million project, Wadena State Bank has also had its hand in helping launch many Wadena businesses such as Oma’s Bread, Drastic Measures Brewing, El Mariachi Authentic Mexican Restaurant and Owly Coffee Co. “It’s cool to see all the different projects that we’ve done … as my dad would be very proud of our community today,” Browne said.
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WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS | Thursday, August 24, 2023
| GENERATIONS | 3
MAHUBE-OTWA’s Sheila Stave serves as the senior coordinator for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and Home and Chores program. Nicole Stracek / Generations
The value of volunteering MAHUBE-OTWA empowers seniors while helping those in need
Nicole Stracek For Generations With a mission to empower people to live their best lives, the MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership in Wadena offers resources and assistance to people of all ages, with a special focus on seniors and volunteers. Established in 1965, the MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership is a private, nonprofit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors representing the low-income public and private sectors of communities. The name MAHUBE-OTWA stems from a combination of the first few letters of each county they serve: Mahnomen, Hubbard, Becker, Otter Tail and Wadena coun-
ties, with additional services offered in other counties throughout the state. Senior Coordinator Sheila Stave has spent the last eight years working with senior volunteers through the MAHUBE-OTWA Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Home and Chores program. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is a part of the Senior Corps program and is America’s largest volunteer network for people age 55 and older. The program is federally administered and funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. RSVP is sponsored by MAHUBE-OTWA and serves Becker, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Otter Tail, Todd, Wadena and Wilkin
counties in Minnesota. With joy and compassion at the forefront of her work, Stave has provided numerous opportunities for seniors to become more involved in their community through a variety of volunteer opportunities. “Bringing smiles and happiness to others. Whether it’s giving them help, resources, matching skills with volunteering, to offering hope, showing people kindness, brings me great joy,” Stave said. The Home and Chores program provides services to help seniors remain independent in their homes. Services included in the program are homemaking (cleaning, laundry, meal prep), lawn mowing, snow removal and handicap accessibility modifica-
tions (ramps, grab bars, etc.). The services are available to anyone over 65, with referrals coming from the counties, or elderly waiver programs. “What I like about the Home and Chore program is that it really helps some people to be able to stay in their homes,” Stave said. “I didn’t realize how many people move into apartments or assisted living or rental units because they have nobody to help them with their cleaning, cooking and other home maintenance needs.” For some seniors, finding ways to stay active in their communities can be a challenge in their retirement years. Stave said that volunteering is a great way for seniors to remain engaged in the community. “Volunteers can help
make a difference in others’ lives,” Stave said. “And the statistics are pretty high that if a person volunteers, that it’s so good for your cognitive and your mental health.” Stave said that often the importance of feeling needed and volunteering can give people a reason to get up in the morning. “It makes you feel good to be able to give back and to bring joy to someone.” Volunteers can choose from a variety of sites, or if they have another interest or area of expertise that they want to share with others, that can also be a volunteer opportunity. MAHUBE-OTWA offers benefits to volunteers including secondary insurance that covers volunteers during their service time, and
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a small mileage reimbursement is also provided. Stave said that volunteering can even be the simplest things such as helping with the food shelf or museums, but it can also include helping with a project or a ride to and from medical appointments. Additional volunteer services can include Meals on Wheels, tax preparation and helping at nursing homes, hospice facilities, libraries and schools. Frank and Amy Leidenfrost have been part of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program for the past 28 years, serving as volunteers for the city of Staples food shelf. Both Frank and Amy are retired teachers who taught at the Sta-
VOLUNTEER: Page 5
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4 | GENERATIONS | Thursday, August 24, 2023 | WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS
At the Arthouse, Daulton sells her original artwork, from paintings to pottery to baskets.
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Daulton holds the very first book she ever handmade herself.
DALTON
tions to make sure the material will be strong, From Page 1 she sets the screen outside for the pulp to dry into a piece of paper. so much more. DependThough this paper is ing on the materials already a type of art on used, each comes out its own, Daulton often a little different, with takes it to the next level. fibers and seeds showing Those 45 different sizes their individual textures of wood blocks aren’t just and colors. to display the art; they’re She got so into creat- to create prints. She’s ing paper that she start- carved her own origied keeping notes on the nal designs into many of exact process needed to them, featuring different turn plants into paper. scenes in nature. OccaShe starts by cooking sionally, she even makes them in a kettle out- prints of fish she herself side for however long it caught on the natural takes before blending it paper. into a pulp. This pulp Everything she makes is then transferred to a is created using the natpan of water. Daulton ural resources already then picks one of the 45 surrounding her. And to screens she created herher, that’s what art is all self to suit the differabout: the process. ent sizes of carved wood “I had somebody tell blocks used in her art, and dips the screen into me, ‘I can’t do that (with the wet pulp. After let- my art project) because I ting the pulp flow in a have a picture of what it’s couple different direc-
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WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS | Thursday, August 24, 2023
| GENERATIONS | 5
Volunteers Frank and Amy Leidenfrost with senior coordinator Sheila Stave. Contributed photo
VOLUNTEER From Page 3
ples-Motley School District. Their desire to volunteer after retirement came out of their compassion for others and to help those who need it the most. Amy said her passion to volunteer is really about making a difference in others’ lives. “I think it’s helping people and maybe helping them to have a little better life — if they’re food insecure it’s nice to be able to have food available for them,” Amy said. In addition to helping others in need, Leidenfrost said they also get
to meet a lot of people, including Stave. “And how could you ever regret meeting someone like Sheila. She is so kind, absolutely amazing, and really, if you’re having a bad day just call Sheila,” Amy said. Leidenfrost’s advice for others who are thinking about volunteering is to just try it. “If you have any interest at all give it a try and you might be amazed to find a whole new niche and for it to be very fulfilling.” Currently, there are 204 volunteers from Todd and Wadena counties who donate their time and resources to others. Stave said her oldest volunteer is 90. Signing up to become a volunteer is easy, and anyone interested in vol-
unteering can fill out a registration form online on the MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action website, or contact Stave directly. “They’re all so special, and I just love each one so dearly, and some have a talent for music, and so it’s fun that they share music,” Stave said. “Some play at the care centers, and they call and tell me about how it was so fun to see the residents tapping their feet or somebody hadn’t talked, and now they were singing along with the song. Stories like that are so special.” Today, there is a network of over 1,000 community action agencies across the country that assist those most in need.
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6 | GENERATIONS | Thursday, August 24, 2023 | WADENA PIONEER JOURNAL & PERHAM FOCUS
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This basket was hand-weaved by Daulton. She then proceeded to sew on a variety of different textures by hand.
DALTON From Page 4
going to look like when it’s done,’” Daulton remembered this conversation that absolutely shocked her. “I’ve never had a picture of what it’s going to look like. I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. Sometimes the work talks to you about what it’s going to be. The important part to me is the process.”
Daulton doesn’t create art to have a finished product. She creates just to create. When asked about this, she simply said: “I don’t think I can do it any other way.” To get a glance at more of Daulton’s unique artwork, to take any of her paper-making classes or to even buy a piece for yourself, visit The Arthouse at 35059 Boys Shore Trail in Ottertail. She can also be reached at 262-676-9447 or sdaulton32@yahoo.com.
Daulton holds up a piece of paper made of yellow squash in the sunlight, showing off the different textures that come from making paper from different plants.
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