Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nithological art; the country's best folk art collection at the new
Racine Art Museum;
and
Sheboygan's
John Michael Kohler Arts Center,
respectable for its community-focused
efforts. The entire Door County must be noted, home to more galleries and artisan retreats
thanonewouldthinkpossibleinsuchasmallplace—evensomeofthecountry'soldestthe-
atrical troupes. Ditto on the galleries for the diminutive communities of Mineral Point and
Spring Green in lovely Southwestern Wisconsin.
Handicrafts
There are dozens of types of handicrafts in Wisconsin. Every community has artisans spe-
cializing in various ethnic styles: Norwegian rosemaling, for example, is a flowery, color-
ful, painted-trim artwork. Unique are the creations of the Amish and the Hmong. A large
contingent of Amish families, famed for their quilting, crafts, bent-hickory furniture, and
outstanding bakeries, live in the southwestern and west-central sections of Wisconsin.
Hmong crafts include storycloths, which recount narratives visually, and exquisite dec-
orative
paj ntaub,
a 2,000-year-old hybrid of needlework and applique, usually featuring
geometric designs and, often, animals. These quilts and wall hangings require more than
100 hours of work. Some Amish and Hmong young women are synthesizing their quilt
styles into wonderful bicultural mélanges. Hmong artisans are often found at craft fairs and
farmersmarkets.AmishwaresarefoundbothinhomeshopsthroughoutsouthwesternWis-
consin and in a few stores.
Food
Midwestern cuisine. An oxymoron? Hardly. Banish those visions of tuna casserole dancing
inyourhead.Midwesterncuisine—real,originalfarehandeddowngenerationally—ismore
eclectic and more representative of “American” heritage than better-known, better-mar-
keted cooking styles.
IfyousearchoutthelatentAmericanainWisconsincooking,you'llbeamazed.Wiscon-
sin's best cooking is a thoughtful mélange of ethnicities, stemming from the diverse popu-
laceandprairie-cookingfarethatreflectsaheritageoflivingofftheland.Midwestregional
cuisine is a blend of originally wild food such as cranberries, wild rice, pumpkins, blue-
berries, whitefish livers, catfish cheeks, and morel mushrooms incorporated into standard
old country recipes. Added to the mix are game animals such as deer, pheasant, and goose.
ManyMidwesternerssimplyshoottheirownratherthanraisingthemorbuyingthemfroma
grocerywholesaler.It'sahome-basedculinarystyle,perfectedfromhousetohousethrough
generations of adaptation.
