Annual Events
FEBRUARY 7-9
Stop by the Shake Rag Alley booth!
PBS Wisconsin’s Garden & Landscape Expo is a midwinter oasis for people ready to venture out and dig their hands in the dirt. Now in its 27th year, this three-day event celebrates the latest trends in gardening and landscaping, and attracts more than 20,000 people from across the Midwest. Join other gardening enthusiasts to share ideas, gain inspiration and connect with professional landscapers. All proceeds support PBS Wisconsin.
Once again, Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts will have an informational booth in the Exhibition Hall at Alliant Energy Center throughout the event. Stop by to visit, see samples of art from upcoming workshops, and pick up our new 2020 catalog!
Photos coming soon!
Spring Garage Sale
APRIL 17-18
5 – 7 pm
An eclectic & creative selection!
Our generous friends always supply the most eclectic items imaginable to support Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts.
Piles of art supplies and materials, as well as donated household and collector items are ready to relocate!
Lind Pavilion
411 Commerce St.
Mineral Point, WI 53565
Time TBA
photos from past garage sales
Artisan Jewelry Sale
MAY 1-3
5 – 7 pm
Locally handcrafted jewelry pieces!
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts is hosting an Artisan Jewelry. Timed to coincide with the annual Jewelry Boot Camp retreat, this jewelry sale celebrates the creative talents of the Shake Rag Alley community. Shop unique, one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry created by Shake Rag Alley instructors, students and volunteers.
Sale hours TBA.
A portion of the proceeds will support Shake Rag Alley’s mission to provide educational experiences in visual, performing, and literary arts for adults and children; cultivate the creativity that thrives in our rural community; and rehabilitate and preserve our historic buildings and rustic campus. For more information, call the office at (608) 987-3292.
Photos of work by participating artists coming soon!
Tour of Fairy Homes
JUNE 6
10 am – 2 pm
Fairy fun for the whole family!
Stroll the magical grounds at Shake Rag Alley to see original fairy homes built especially for this tour. (Think small, really small!) Each home will be situated in a special spot on-site for your viewing pleasure at this fundraiser for our nonprofit school of arts and crafts. If you fall in love with one, you will be able to bid in a silent Auction of Fairy Homes, which ends at 4 pm on Saturday.
Admission: Adults (12 and above) $5 Children 11 and under FREE
Make your own fairy home.
We supply the materials and you create the fairy habitat. $20
Create your own fairy wand.
We supply the materials and you create your very own whimsical wand. $3
Museum Night
JUNE 18
5 – 8 pm
Free access to Wisconsin history!
The public is invited to visit several locations celebrating Mineral Point history in June 2020.
From 5 to 8 p.m. June 18, the Mineral Point Historical Society, Mineral Point Opera House, Pendarvis Historic Site, Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts and the Wisconsin Odd Fellows and Rebekahs Museum will be open and offering free admission where applicable to Iowa County residents.
The Mineral Point Historical Society manages the Gundry House and Orchard Lawn at 234 Madison St. For more information, call (608) 558-1937 or see mineralpointhistory.org.
The Mineral Point Opera House at 139 High St. will be open for tours. For more information, call (608) 558-1937 or see mineralpointhistory.org.
Pendarvis, 114 Shake Rag St., is one of 12 Wisconsin Historical Society Museums and Historic Sites. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Pendarvis comprises several 19th-century cabins built by Cornish immigrants who came to Mineral Point to mine lead. Today, the site celebrates the restoration and preservation efforts of Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum, who saved a significant part of Wisconsin’s past. For more information and details, call (608) 987-2122 or visit www.pendarvis.wisconsinhistory.org.
Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts, 18 Shake Rag St., invites visitors to tour its collection of nine historic and reproduction buildings that host the arts and crafts school’s workshops and events. For a free-will donation, guests can enjoy pie on the Green in honor of Roland Sardeson, the beloved potter and stonemason who passed away in 2016 and will be celebrated on the fourth annual Roland Sardeson Day on the Summer Solstice June 20. For more information, call (608) 987-3292 or see www.shakeragalley.com.
The Wisconsin Odd Fellows and Rebekahs Museum, 112 Front St., in May 2019 marked the 200th anniversary of the International Order of Odd Fellows in the United States, and the 184th anniversary of the IOOF in Mineral Point. The museum will be open for all to view items of the organization’s storied and learn about the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs’ involvement in issues today.
Historic Buildings on the Shake Rag Alley Campus
Coach House
Log Cabin
Blacksmith Barn
Potter’s House
Ellery House
Masquerade Ball
OCTOBER 24
7 pm – midnight
A Halloween celebration just for adults!
Join us at our second annual Halloween Masquerade Ball, a fall fundraiser supporting Shake Rag Alley arts and crafts programming and historic preservation, for music, dancing and entertainment lasting well into the witching hour. Costumes and masks are encouraged. Guests will enjoy a costume contest with prizes, fortune teller, photo booth, and more.
Ticket sale information will be available by September 2020.
Trick 'r Treat
OCTOBER 31
5 – 7 pm
Friendly costumed characters with treats!
If you are a kid or want to act like a kid – put on your wildest costume and come to Shake Rag Alley after the Mineral Point Halloween Parade. Children of all ages will meet friendly (not scary) costumed characters who will be passing out Halloween treats at each of the Shake Rag historic buildings. This Mineral Point tradition is enjoyable for the whole family and a way to meet so many other free spirits and check out their wacky get-ups.
5-7 pm, following the Mineral Point Halloween Parade, be sure to walk through the Shake Rag Alley campus at 18 Shake Rag St. Volunteers to decorate the previous week and/or to pass out candy are always welcome!
Santa Day
DECEMBER 5
10 am – 2 pm
Holiday magic begins here!
Photos with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus are a holiday tradition at Shake Rag. They’ve promised to return in 2020. Elves will be on hand and eager to help you decorate gingerbread cottages and cookies, or make holiday crafts. Fun for the entire family!
Anticipated schedule and costs:
10am-noon – Photos with Santa a great holiday tradition at Shake Rag Alley.
10am-2pm – Santa’s Workshops make for a fun family day decorating gingerbread cottages and creating Christmas crafts.
Tickets available during event in the Lind Pavilion, 411 Commerce St. $10 photos – $5 crafts
Newsletters
Are you receiving our emailed newsletters? Don’t miss out on emerging opportunities, events and updates!
We will send you an email twice a month: a general newsletter early in the month and a workshop update mid-month. An opt-out link is available in each issue.
If you are interested in volunteering at Shake Rag Alley and earning workshop discounts, sign up below and we will email you as opportunities arise.
Other Annual Events & Opportunities
Shake Rag Alley actively contributes to the vibrant artistic community of Mineral Point, hosting events on Gallery Nights and Museum Night, during the Fall Art Tour, in conjunction with the Midwest Cornish Festival and as part of city-wide garage sales and community parades. Shake Rag Alley also organizes a Garden Tour and Jewelry Sale on alternate years and hosts summer concerts at Alley Stage.
The easiest way to keep up with all of the happenings at Shake Rag Alley is to subscribe to the monthly newsletter and/or follow us on Facebook. This is especially true in 2020 as Shake Rag Alley brings the NEA Big Read Program to Mineral Point for the first time and hosts nationally celebrated author Claudia Rankine.
Hold Your Own Events at Shake Rag Alley
Campus Map: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Coach House
18 Shake Rag Street
Art Café
Ellery House
restrooms
4 of 31restrooms
5 of 31Open Air Parking
6 of 31Lind Pavilion Parking
7 of 31Roadside Parking
allowed on Commerce Street
Smejas’ Studio parking
9 of 31Smejas’ Studio
30 Doty Street
Curbside Parking
as indicated
Accessible Parking
with curb cut
Alley Stage
13 of 31Cabinet Shop
French Cabin
1830 Log Cabin
Potter’s House
Blacksmith Barn
Federal Spring
19 of 31Monarch Garden
20 of 31Lind Pavilion
411 Commerce Street
two blocks to
High Street & Commerce Street
Restaurants, Shops & Galleries
To Grocery Store
Point Foods
622 Dodge Street
Street Parking with Additional Parking behind Smejas’ Studio
24 of 31The Green
open air park
Stair Steps
between
Cabinet Shop & Lind Pavilion
Stair Steps
to Alley Stage
Stone Bridge
over
Federal Spring
223 Commerce St.
The Sardeson is home to the
Sardeson Pottery Studio,
Roland’s Loft,
and Tuckpoint. 29 of 31
Weaving & Fiber Arts Studio
Cannery Row Arts Incubator
121 Water St.
Footbridge
31 of 31ADA accessible buildings: Lind Pavilion, Coach House, Smejas’ Studio
