Three generations, one shed: Local family brings art home to the farm

MARSHFIELD — Imagine a pop-up shop in a small Wisconsin town.

Not a storefront along Main Street, and not a boutique with air conditioning, polished shelves and carefully-curated décor.

Instead, imagine a former calf shed on a family farm that still looks much like it did during its agricultural days, complete with weathered walls, rustic charm and a setting surrounded by fields and generations of family history.

At Otter Creek Farms near Pittsville, one former calf shed has officially launched a second career as the Rural Art Pop-Up Shop.

The unique gallery space is the creation of Lorraine Ortner-Blake, who said the idea grew out of a desire to bring together the artistic talents of her family and showcase them on the farm where many of them were raised.

“My siblings might tell you I’m a bit of a dreamer, but I’ve always thought it would be nice to bring together all our arts to the farm that so many of us grew up on — the farm my parents moved to near Pittsville in 1963,” Blake stated.

The property remains deeply connected to the family.

Blake said one of her brothers took over the family home and raised their own family there, while another took over the farm, making it a multigenerational homestead.

When the calf shed became available, Blake saw an opportunity.

“I told my brother it would make a great gallery, and he said, ‘Sure, go for it,’” Blake said.

The result is an art space unlike most traditional galleries.

Rather than transforming the building into a polished retail environment, the family chose to embrace the shed’s rural roots and agricultural character.

For Blake, the project reflects a spirit that runs throughout her family.

“With such a rural background for so many of us, I think we all had that gene for being industrious, having to be doing something, whether it’s gardening or painting a picture,” stated Blake.

Blake herself has worked as a professional artist since her 20s and is known for her paintings. However, the pop-up shop will feature far more than her own work.

“I’m one of 14 children, and six of us will be contributing artwork. The pieces range from beautifully handmade dish towels and solid-wood cutting boards to oil and acrylic paintings. The next generation is also represented, with another painter, several photographers, and, in the third generation, jewelers, painters, and glassworkers. One of my great-nephews is even contributing drawings of farm scenes, so all of it will be sewn together at the pop-up shop,” Blake said.

The collection will showcase artwork and handcrafted items created by multiple generations of the Ortner family, highlighting a wide range of artistic styles, mediums and talents.

Visitors can expect to find paintings, photography, woodworking, jewelry, glasswork, textiles and other handmade pieces.

The event marks the first year for the Rural Art Pop-Up Shop, though Blake hopes it will become an annual tradition.

Organizers see the shop as both a celebration of family creativity and a way to share the farm’s history with the wider community.

Set against the backdrop of a working family farm, the pop-up shop offers visitors a chance to experience local art in a setting that reflects the rural heritage that helped inspire it.

The Rural Art Pop-Up Shop will be open Aug. 1-8, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m., at Otter Creek Farms, 6608 County Road A, Pittsville.

For more information, contact Ortner-Blake at ortnerblake@gmail.com or visit Rainio Arts on Facebook.