In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Arts/Industry residency program, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is dedicating 2024 to the theme Work in Progress.

Founded in 1974, Arts/Industry provides artists the opportunity to create new work in the Kohler Co. factory using industrial materials and processes. More than five hundred artists have worked alongside Kohler associates to collaboratively problem solve artistic pursuits and learn new techniques in clay, iron, and brass in Kohler Co.’s Pottery and Foundry.

“Work in progress” is a fitting expression for the Arts/Industry residency experience. When an artist presents a work in progress—an unfinished work or unperfected use of material—it is a moment rife with vulnerability and rich with possibilities. It is not unlike an artist’s time in the factory exploring the wealth of inspiration and outcomes to be found where art and industry intersect.

Work in Progress exhibitions showcase the residency experience and the value of collaboration and experimentation—from the first artworks created in the residency to work by current artists-in-residence. Additional programming offers collaborative opportunities to engage with artists through workshops and demonstrations looking at other areas of creative production.

Arts/Industry was founded after the Arts Center’s contemporary ceramics exhibition titled The Plastic Earth (1973) revealed numerous possibilities for artist collaborations with the materials, processes, and associates of Kohler Co. That led to enthusiastic skill sharing that remains a constant and vital component of the program today.

This anniversary year honors and examines the impact the program has had on hundreds of artists and countless Kohler Co. associates, as well as the value artists bring to industrial environments.

Learn more about the Arts/Industry Program