A real win/win/window situation

How’s this for a win/win/window situation?

In an effort to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation, and to spotlight small businesses, and to support local artists, Tundra Home Improvements and Renewal by Andersen have teamed up to sponsor Windows for a Cause.

The very clever and especially poignant idea (given 2020’s persistent challenges) encourages businesses to comission artists to paint a storefront window. For each participating business, Tundraland and Renewal by Anderson will donate $1,000 to Make-A-Wish and the winning artist will receive $500.

I enjoyed seeing all of the Appleton entries yesterday as I took a quick stroll down College Avenue. While some artists, like Nate DeRidder, specifically explored 2020’s theme of “What inspires you?”, others honed in on the overall theme of making wishes. For example, DeRidder painted a beautiful tribute to front-line healthcare workers, and Julie Jilek created a whimsical six-panel tribute to the magic of wishes. I wondered, as I stood in front of the PAC taking in Jilek’s piece, how many of those wishes flying around those windows might have been pleas for a return to a less complicated life pre-pandemic life.

Of course, the children Make-A-Wish serves have even more profound wishes, and it’s easy to forget, as we all struggle with unfamiliar restrictions, that there are plenty of people doing the same in addition to battling heart-breaking diagnoses.

The Windows for a Cause project does a good job of reminding us of that. I’m going to save a few of those first-star and dandilion-seed wishes for the childhood cancer battlers.

 I hope you get a chance to check out the windows yourself, and support the businesses displaying them, in the next few days. The display runs through Tuesday, Sept. 22 and you can vote for your favorite storefront artwork via Tundraland’s Facebook page. The voting period will run from September 15-22. Remember, the artist who receives the most votes will receive $500. I haven’t voted yet because I love them all, but I intend to narrow my choice down in the next few days.

(It’s also good practice for the important voting that will take place in November.)

In case you don’t make it, or you live too far away to see this windows in person, I am including the pictures I took of the Appleton entries I saw yesterday.

This gorgeous tribute to music and the outdoors (which looks like it could be a scene outside our cabin Up North except I’m not cool enough to play saxophone and I don’t have long flowing blonde hair) sprung from the imagination and paint brushes of two sisters, Tamara Russell and Deanna Qualley. You can find their bling headquarters here. Sidenote, I recently walked past Heid Music and starting laughing because it only dawned on me then that the bar next door, Dr. Jekyl’s, was intentionally named to pair with its neighbor. Well played Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Heid. Sorry it took me so long to see it.
Brianne Getchius and Stacy Parish painted this gorgeous window at Pinot’s Palette.
Make a wish, or a thousand. Abbey Spierings painted this window at Beatnik Betty’s Resale Butik. You can find Abbey’s photography on Facebook.

This lush window painting decorates the entrance to the Trout Museum of Art. Carli Ihde painted it and you can find more of her work here: www.carlieyed.com
Willow Lundborg painted these windows at Copper Rock Coffee Co, in which you feel like you are walking right through a tropical mountain trail. Note the small child on the branch swing.
This is the window art I mentioned seeing at the PAC. I stood here a while thinking about closed curtains and the people who so desparately want to be on either side of them. Fingers crossed and wishes made for them all.
Dave Gauthier painted a Halloween-themed window at the Appleton Beer Factory. Find more of his art here: www.davegauthierart.com
Sam Luna and Tae painted tribute to three talented musicians (one of whom I had to look up but all of whom I will be listening to in the coming days) at Gibson Hall. You can find more about Sam and Tae here: www.federalhippy.com and www.taemusic.com
Linda Schrage and Kathy Gottlieb worked together to create this magic at Mudandprints. You can learn about Kathy here www.katgottlieb.com .
I love this tribute to healthcare workers, which I mentioned above. You can find it and some cute clothes at Lillians of Appleton.
This is my friend Cathy’s store, a beloved boutique of beauty and local art called Blue Moon Emporium. Anna Heenan (Bringing LeJoy) painted this window and you can learn more about her here:  www.thecustommovement.com/annaheenan

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.