Stewarding Sight

Beginning in 1984 with its acquisition of several hundred works by Eugene von Bruenchenhein, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) has become the steward of thousands of art and objects related to dozens of artist-built environments. Unique in this institutional focus, the Arts Center’s core principles are also inextricably tied to a complex and collaborative understanding of preservation and community. These deeply-rooted values find some of their origins in the work of the Arts Center’s former director, Ruth DeYoung Kohler, and her decades-long dedication to the protection and conservation of sites like Fred Smith’s Wisconsin Concrete Park. Through exhibitions, conferences, and publications, JMKAC has established itself as a leader and innovator in the presentation of artist-built environments. As the owner of two artist-built environments, Mary Nohl’s home and sculptures in Fox Point, Wisconsin and James Tellen’s Woodland Sculpture Garden in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, JMKAC has continually worked to keep these sites dynamic points of exchange between artists and the public. Our next chapter, a new facility, The Art Preserve, opening in August 2020, represents the apotheosis of our history of stewardship of artist-built environments. Specifically designed and built for the simultaneous storage and display of our collection, the Art Preserve will push the boundaries of both. Envisaged as a dynamic laboratory to support ongoing research and scholarship into artist-built environments and a collaborative platform to interrogate stewardship, this paper will explore the potential of this new building.