Take an art class and connect with history and nature at Shake Rag Alley

Mineral Point in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region is a haven for artists and art lovers. With a population of around just 2,500 people, there is an entire economy based on a thriving arts scene in the city.

One of the places you’ll find there is Shake Rag Alley, an art center that attracts visitors from across the region and world. The art center offers a variety of classes year-round, with the busy summer season beginning to pick up.

The campus

Shake Rag Alley guests and workshop attendees can enjoy a wide range of lodging and creative spaces across the center’s 2.5-acre campus. That includes various art studios, a stage for live performances and historic buildings like the center’s pre-Civil War log cabin and Cornish cottage – built in the 1830s and 1840s, respectively. All of this is set among green spaces, garden beds and a meandering stream that runs through campus.

“It's just a really beautiful and inspiring place ... where you can get messy and create and make beautiful things. ... All of our spaces are sort of charming, but they're also really inspiring for all sorts of different kinds of creativity,” says Shake Rag Alley Executive Director Christina Kubasta.

The classes

This year alone, Shake Rag Alley is hosting over 300 adult workshops, along with its July Woodlanders' Gathering and a range of additional pop-ups, retreats, youth camps and residency programs. Beginners and established artists alike can take classes ranging from mosaic painting to fiber arts to glass-blowing, furniture-building, blacksmithing and more.

“We hold space for artists and makers to come here and spend some concerted time working on their craft and then offering free community programs to continue to enrich Mineral Point and the surrounding areas,” Kubasta says.

You can find Shake Rag Alley’s full catalog of programming here.

The Mineral Point art scene

One of the oldest cities in Wisconsin, Mineral Point was founded in 1827 by largely Cornish immigrants who built mines among the Driftless Region’s bountiful zinc and lead deposits. Since then, the city has become a kind of enclave for artists and makers, who find inspiration from the local scene and the beautiful Driftless landscape.

“I moved here a few years ago and I just continue to be amazed by the spirit that animates this place, how I meet artists all the time, how people come here and are just inspired,” Kubasta says.

Mineral Point’s Gallery Night events and Brewery Pottery gallery offer hubs for the local art scene throughout the year, while October’s Fall Art Tour connects artists and makers from nearby Spring Green, Dodgeville and Baraboo.

“Some people may think that a thriving arts community only exists in larger cities, and Mineral Point proves that wrong," says Travel Wisconsin Communications Officer Amanda Weibel. "Art really is at the heart of Mineral Point. It's a community of 2,500 and a small-town art colony."

1 of 3  — A woman examines her materials in an earring making class alongside tools at Shake Rag Alley art center in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.jpg

2 of 3  — A class participant concentrates as she creates a pair of earrings at Shake Rag Alley art center in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.jpg

3 of 3  — Tables and chairs are set up inside one of the work spaces at Shake Rag Alley art center for a fibers class.jpg

Other Places to Visit in Mineral Point

• Pendarvis House
  
• Mineral Point Opera House
  
• Cheese Country Trail
  
• Merry Christmas Mine Hill
  
• Yellowstone Lake State Park