The Art-Nature Connection
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Art is everywhere in Door County. It is created in studios from one end of the peninsula to the other. It is displayed everywhere in galleries and shops. It is performed at dozens of music and theatre venues. It is pursued in educational settings by thousands of people each year at places like The Clearing Folk School and the Peninsula School of Art.
And it is discovered by countless photographers, plein air painters, poets, writers, and others who find inspiration in a thousand places on the peninsula and nearby islands.
Art surrounds and enriches the lives of those who live here and of those who visit. It is such an important part of the fabric of life in Door County that we may sometimes forget why there is so much of it here.
The answer is simple. And like art, the answer is everywhere in Door County.
It is the beautiful landscape—the unique combination of water, shoreline, escarpment, forests, meadows, farm fields, pastures, scenic roads, orchards, lighthouses and villages that give Door County a character and charm unlike any other place, and what has attracted all manner of art and artist here for many decades.
October is National Arts and Humanities Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the vital role the arts play in American life. That role is especially important in Door County and is something we celebrate every month of the year.
There is, of course, a strong connection between nature and art. The Clearing’s founder, Jens Jensen, knew this and like so many artists before and since, he fell in love with the Door County landscape on his first visit in 1919. It took just that one trip to convince him that this would be the place where he would build his folk school—his “school of the soil”—and spend the rest of his life.
Many of us who live here had a similar experience on our first visit. Mine was in the late summer of 1978. Although I had grown up just a few hours away, I had never been here. That visit was a revelation and it inspired me to visit again and again, and to eventually move here.
I know that many others, including artists (maybe especially artists), had a similar experience and followed a similar path to Door County. Many more will follow that path in the future. The pull that Door County has on those who love beauty, especially the beauty of nature and the native landscape, is irresistible. And it is timeless.
The art-nature connection is a beautiful symbiosis—a mutually beneficial relationship that is as strong here as it is anywhere. And its contribution to Door County’s quality of life and economy cannot be overstated.
But the quantity and quality of art in Door County will diminish if we don’t continue to protect and preserve nature whenever and wherever we can. So in a very real and direct way, organizations and their members who work to protect and preserve land, organizations like the Door County Land Trust, The Ridges Sanctuary and the Nature Conservancy, are advocating for the arts in Door County. Like Chief Seattle said, “All things are connected.”
October may be Arts and Humanities Month, but here in Door County, where art truly is everywhere, and where the arts are so important, every month is Arts and Humanities Month. Let’s hope that the strong connection between art and nature continues to grow in Door County so generations to come will also be able to enjoy the best of both.
The Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, Inc. is a coalition of not-for-profit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County. The Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance members would like to thank our volunteers, patrons, students and audience members for helping make Door County a vibrant arts community and destination. This month, three Door County non-profit organizations will celebrate the arts and humanities and provide insight into their organizations and the community in the Peninsula Pulse.