Local artists transform musical instruments into works of art to benefit OHS historic instrument restoration
The Oconomowoc Arts Center and Oconomowoc High School have partnered in an historical restoration of musical instruments called the Chatfield Project. The endeavor will help bring new life to four instruments originally donated to the school district in 1937 by local luthier, Frank Chatfield.
Chatfield, a long-time city planner for Oconomowoc, took up the hobby of building and repairing stringed instruments, utilizing wood he harvested from trees in the Lac La Belle area.
For more than 80 years, the quartet of stringed instruments, which include two violins, a viola and a cello, have been played by countless OHS orchestra students until they fell into disrepair and were eventually placed in storage. The project will preserve them as a treasured part of Oconomowoc history.
In 2015, OHS Principal Joseph Moylan committed to saving the musical instruments. After consulting renowned luthier, Scott Sleider of Wauwatosa, it was determined the instruments could be restored to playing condition.
“The restoration effort was meant to realize our vision as a school district in honoring our past. We wanted the instruments to be around for students to play; that’s why Frank built them for us. They are an amazing gift and tribute to us as a community historically focused on the arts,” Moylan said.
The process to restore the instruments is long and tedious, requiring several hundred hours of work. Some of the original Chatfield wood will also be used to repair them. The total cost to restore the instruments is estimated at about $27,000.
“This is an enormous undertaking to restore the quartet,” explained Sleider. “I decided to take on the cello first because it was in the worst condition. It’s not unusual for the largest instrument in a quartet to take the brunt of abuse merely due to its size. The lower ribs have sustained multiple fractures; the heel of the neck was broke off requiring a new neck to be grafted into the original scroll carved by Chatfield.”
Fundraising efforts
The Chatfield Project will be funded through private donations from members of the community and local charitable organizations, grant monies and a noteworthy fundraising event.
This summer, OAC Director, Michael Duncan, received a donation of nine stringed instruments which were transformed into one-of-a-kind works of art by local and regional artists. The collection will be auctioned off to the highest bidders to benefit the Chatfield Project.
The nine-piece collection includes a heavy metal painted electric guitar by renowned Waukesha artist, Tom Noll; a cello painted by Wauwatosa artist Tom Smith in the theme of “The Swan,” the famous piece of music featuring a solo cello; and an acoustic guitar creatively wrapped in colorful fabric by Oconomowoc fiber artist Abigail Engstrand.
Oconomowoc artists Anne Raskopf depicts her love of nature, featuring a Great Blue Heron painting on a cello, and Terri Field applied her whimsical style to two ukuleles – one in a beach motif and the second diving deep and swimming with tropical fish.
Three violins are also part of this artistic collection of musical instruments. Oconomowoc artist Heidi Hallett painted a violin in delicate cobalt blue and white to mimic old-world porcelain; artist Lee Hayden features a Bald Eagle, Abraham Lincoln, the Statue of Liberty and more in a patriotic theme; and Abigail Engstrand casts a fairy tale spell, painting stars and images of the night.
The instruments will be on display in the Oconomowoc Arts Center lobby from Sept. 12 through Oct. 23. The auction will open at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and close at 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23.
To view the collection and to make bids, visit the Bidding Owl nonprofit auction website at www.biddingowl.com/oconomowocartscenter.
Artist reception
A reception for the artists will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, in the OAC lobby just prior to the 2017-18 season opening concert of the BritBeat Beatles Tribute Concert at 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The community is also invited to the Oconomowoc High School orchestra concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 23, at the OAC.
For information about the Chatfield Project or to make a tax deductible contribution, visit the OAC web site at www.theoac.net. The OAC box office is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays. In addition, the box office is open 90 minutes prior to events.
The Oconomowoc Arts Center is located at 641 East Forest St. and is part of the Oconomowoc Area School District. For more information, call the OAC Box Office at 262-560-3172. The OAC is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Trip Advisor and the OAC app, available at Apple Store and Google Play.
