Feature image: Jeffrey Meris, To the Rising Sun, 2023; stainless steel, underarm crutches, and zip-ties; 144 x 144 x 144 in—courtesy of the artist.
Submitted
Sheboygan, WI — Community members of all ages are invited to gather at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center on Saturday, March 14, 2026, for the In Tune Opening Celebration, an event centered on connection, collective listening, and creative exchange. Through exhibitions, artist talks, and hands-on experiences, the theme In Tune explores how coming together—across generations, perspectives, and lived experiences—can deepen understanding and support individual and community well-being.
The day kicks off with an exclusive members-only preview, offering early access to How Do You Throw a Brick Through the Window…, complemented by a light brunch and an opportunity to connect with the exhibiting artists and fellow members. Not yet a member of JMKAC? Join today to be part of this special experience!
All remaining events from 11:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. are free and open to the public.
From 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., visitors are invited to join a series of artist talks in the galleries. These conversations offer space to listen closely as artists share insights into their work, processes, and inspiration.
Featured artists include Emily Endo, Lenka Clayton, and Phillip Andrew Lewis, as well as contributors from How Do You Throw a Brick Through the Window…
From 1:00–4:00 p.m., visitors can take part in Community Day and the 40th annual Youth Art Month Celebration, honoring the creativity of Sheboygan County students and the educators who support them. Featuring artwork by young artists from across the county, the celebration invites visitors to slow down, tune in, and engage with the voices, ideas, and expressions shaping the next generation.
Guests are encouraged to explore the Youth Art Month exhibition, participate in hands-on artmaking activities, enjoy live performances, and gather with one another over light refreshments—embracing the idea that creativity flourishes most when shared.
Additionally, from 1:00–4:00 p.m., an exhibitor fair will be open, offering opportunities to connect with local businesses and organizations that support youth through creativity, learning, and well-being. From art classes and music-making to nutrition and enrichment programs, exhibitors reflect the many ways creative communities thrive when individuals recognize a responsibility toward one another.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Together, the exhibitions opening later this spring extend the spirit of In Tune beyond Community Day, unfolding over time as a series of gatherings, questions, and shared experiences. Though the exhibitions open on different dates, each invites visitors to listen closely—to one another, to moments of dissent and care, and to the ways art can foster understanding through assembly, humor, and collective action.
How do you throw a brick through the window…
On View: March 14–October 4, 2026
Inspired by artist and activist Johanna Hedva’s question—
“How do you throw a brick through the window of a bank if you can’t get out of bed?”—This exhibition examines protest, resistance, and collective responsibility through accessible, imaginative, and often playful forms.
Featuring new commissions and recent works by Yani Aviles, Chloe P. Crawford, Nat Decker, Jeff Kasper, Carly Mandel, Jeffrey Meris, and Libby Paloma, the exhibition prioritizes strategies of dissent that unfold beyond traditional protest spaces. Through movement, communication, interruptions of time and space, and moments of humor and play, these artists propose ways of acting in tune with one another—recognizing that meaningful change often emerges through shared care and mutual support.
How do you throw a brick through the window… is co-organized by Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG)and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Good to See You: Ilana Harris-Babou and Yoshie Sakai
On View: April 18–November 8, 2026
What does it mean to be well—and who defines it? In Good to See You, artists Ilana Harris-Babou and Yoshie Sakai explore wellness culture through satire, humor, and collective joy. Using video, ceramics, found objects, and immersive installations, the artists question systems that define health as individual achievement rather than shared responsibility. Harris-Babou playfully critiques wellness technologies and luxury health culture, exposing contradictions through hacked smart devices and satirical performances. Sakai’s Grandma Entertainment Franchise transforms spas and amusement parks into vibrant gathering spaces for older adults, celebrating care, creativity, and intergenerational connection.
Together, their work invites visitors to laugh, reflect, and reconsider well-being as something we cultivate together—by listening, gathering, and staying in tune with one another.
Guadalupe Maravilla with Emery Blagdon: The star exploding in the body
On View: May 30–December 6, 2026
This exhibition will bring together for the first time the work of two artists who have both dedicated their lives, through their multifaceted artistic processes, to healing.
After a life of rambling, Emery Blagdon (1907–1986) settled on his family’s homestead in Garfield Table, Nebraska. Many members of his family had been afflicted with cancer. Convinced of the healing potential of the unseen forces of the earth, Blagdon spent forty years constructing “The Healing Machine.” Using largely tin foil, masking tape, Christmas decorations, and wire, Blagdon sought to harness magnetism, electricity, and other energies to surround visitors with positive forces. JMKAC has owned “The Healing Machine” since 2004.
Guadalupe Maravilla, who migrated from El Salvador at age eight and later faced cancer, combines his migration story with Indigenous healing practices and sound baths. His sculptures, installations, and performances—including the Mariposa Relámpago, a school bus transformed into a healing temple—activate energy through gongs, bowls, and ritual objects. In 2026, these two bodies of work will be presented together, with Maravilla and other healers activating the machines to transform the galleries into immersive, healing environments.
About the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Founded in 1967, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) is a nonprofit creative hub that supports the work of contemporary artists through original exhibitions, commissions, residencies, publications, and community programming across visual and performing arts. The only institution in the world that collects artist- built and artist home-based environments, JMKAC is a leading center for the research, preservation, and presentation of artists with wide-ranging practices and backgrounds from academically trained to self-taught and folk traditions, championing long-term relationships with artists and elevating work that has often been overlooked or under-recognized. JMKAC is a vital cultural resource that responds to the needs of its local and regional communities, preserving artistic heritage by uplifting contemporary voices and empowering future generations.
Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location
John Michael Kohler Arts Center: 608 New York Avenue, Sheboygan, WI
Contact
Emily Shedal, Communications Specialist, JMKAC
EShedal@jmkac.org