Central Middle School artists tamp guitar with local history, pride.
By Josh Perttunen – Freeman Staff
WAUKESHA – A team of seven eighth-grade girls at Central Middle School is painting details onto a 10 foot-tall fiberglass guitar, mindful of the gravity of their assignment. Their project will be just one of 15 new guitars displayed around the city of Waukesha this summer.
“We will get to remember that we worked on this every time that we pass by it,” said Cozette Hoenk.
Her classmate Juliette Martinez agreed.
“It will be a cool opportunity to grow up, possibly move away, and then come back to show our children that we did a guitar,” she said.
The young artists are painting their guitar to resemble a steamer trunk, complete with stamps that recognize many of Waukesha’s historical places circa the 1940s – when Waukesha was in its Spring City heyday.
“I like that the guitar is vintage,” Martinez said. “That it ties into the city and its history.”
Charles Auer/Freeman Staff
Central Middle School eighth-grade students Cozette Hoenke, Emily Morose, Christine Klotz and Kate Schwerman work on their giant guitar for the Waukesha GuitarTown program.
Included are landmarks such as the White Rock Beverage Company, the Waukesha Beach, Waukesha Motor, the Moor Mud Baths and Foxhead Mineral Water.
Charles Auer/Freeman Staff
Kate Schwerman, left, Rebecca Liesen and Juliet Martinez paint travel stamps on the giant guitar Central Middle School students are painting for the GuitarTown program.
This idea was one of two the girls brought forth while brainstorming, said art teacher Lisa Osvatic, who is assisting the young artists with their project.
“They wanted to do the stamps you obtain while traveling and acknowledge Waukesha’s history with its springs,” she said.
Students are in their third week of working on the project.
“I hope that they understand what a huge honor it is to be working on it,” Osvatic said. “It’s a once-ina- lifetime opportunity.”
To a girl, they never imagined they’d be working on a guitar.
Charles Auer/ Freeman Staff
Cozette Hoenke, a Central Middle School eighth-grade student, works on a portion of the school’s giant guitar Wednesday.
“I would see them when I was out walking,” said Kate Schwerman. “I didn’t know where they came from. I thought only professionals could do them.”
The talent of these young artists led Osvatic to recruit them and they have proven to be a dedicated group, the teacher said, volunteering to work on the project after school, during lunch and while in study hall.
WAUKESHA, WI – The Waukesha Guitartown Steering Committee will announce the artists that have been selected to design the next round of fifteen 10-foot fiberglass replicas, and 24 playable Les Paul guitars that will become part of a public art project. The announcement will take place during a reception at Bernie’s Tap Room & Restaurant on March 18, 2013. The event is open to the public and free of charge.