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Taking Wisconsin to Luxembourg Through New Artist-In-Residence Program

Museum of Wisconsin Art

A quick geography quiz – where’s Luxembourg?  Okay, we’ll settle for “someplace in Europe.”  Many of us might have a difficult time precisely placing the small country on a map – it’s wedged in between Belgium, Germany, and France. 

Its population is about 500,000 – less than the city of Milwaukee, and it is 200 square miles smaller than Milwaukee County. But why are we telling you this? 

It’s because the country’s cultural and business interests reach far around the world – most recently to Wisconsin, where a large population of ethnic Luxembourgers have lived since the mid- 19th Century.

Today, a new partnership between the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend and the Ministry of Culture in Luxembourg will provide a three-month artist-in-residence program at Bourglinster Castle.  It’s funded by Wisconsin’s Ansay Development Corporation, which has significant business ties with Luxembourg.

Laurie Winters is the CEO of the Museum of Wisconsin Art; Bob Krieps is a senior representative of the ministry; and Mike Ansay is the managing general partner of Ansay Development. They joined Lake Effect’s Bonnie North in the studio to discuss why the museum pursued this opportunity.

“This is an incredible opportunity for an artist who is just beginning to develop a national or international reputation. To travel, to experiment, to see different ways of doing things, to make connections with galleries in Europe, and to sort of help take them to the next level,” says Winters.

The deadline to apply for the artist-in-residence program in Luxembourg is September 8th – the winner will be announced at the museum on the 20th. Details and the application can be found at the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s website.

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.
Audrey is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.