Thank You for a great Artspire 2022!

Thank you for helping us celebrate the arts at Artspire 2022! It was great event, even with the rain on Saturday, the art celebration went on! The artists and musicians were amazing and we were very grateful to have each and every one them be a part of Artspire 2022. We also extend a big thanks to the non-profit organizations for providing interactive arts, the food vendors for great service and food throughout both days and to all of the volunteers and sponsors for their help and support. This event could not happen without any of you!

As always we learned ways we can change things for next year, but we heard great comments throughout the weekend and overall Artspire 2022 was a great way to celebrate community through the arts! We couldn't have done this without the help and support from our event coordinating team, Pump House staff, sponsors, volunteers, artists, musicians and attendees. THANK YOU!

2022 Artspire Artist Award Winners 

The 2022 Artspire Artist Awards were sponsored by

Altra Federal Credit Union. Altra Artist Award winners were selected by a panel of jurors. Judging was based on representative artwork displayed in the booths. Jurors considered originality, quality, and presentation. 

Johnathan Lawson, Roadside Paintings

First Place Winner $1000 Cash Award 

Tyler Voorhees, Tyler Voorhees Art

Second Place Winner $500 Cash Award 

Jenna Hestekin, The Cozy Red

Altra Artist Award Merit Winner $100 Cash Award 

Will Brzezinski, Positive Spin Ceramics

Merit Winner $100 Cash Award

2022 Inspired by La Crosse Winners 

Inspired by La Crosse is a juried art competition presented annually by the Pump House Regional Arts Center with support from the City of La Crosse Arts Board. Winning artwork is displayed at La Crosse City Hall, showcasing area artists and enlivening that public space with creative works inspired by the area. This project engages the various interests of our diverse community and promotes vital interactions and connections through art. Inspired by La Crosse cultivates awareness and appreciation of the arts and establishes a sense of place through the work of creative people who help drive our thriving community.

 The 2022 Inspired by La Crosse winners are:

Downtown Gallery Art Walk

Join us for the First Friday Downtown Art Walk!

Friday, July 1st, 2022

4:00-7:00 PM 

From 5:45-7:00pm the Pump House will be featuring an interactive fashion show by Elegant Nari! This show will include fair trade everyday clothing from designers in varying regions of India. Orders available to be placed night of!

More Information

Storytelling Festival 2022

July 22 & 23, 2022

At the Pump House Regional Arts Center 

The 19th annual La Crosse Storytelling Festival is Friday & Saturday, July 22 & 23, 2022 and is the original, first ever Storytelling Festival in Wisconsin. We are proud to bring the national storytelling talent of Jeff Doyle, Pippa White, and Kay Weeden to the La Crosse area. The festival is a family-friendly event featuring several storytellers, kids activities, food, silent auction, and story slam. You don’t want to miss this event!

Friday, July 22, 2022 

Tales of the Creepy & Scary

$18/ticket

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Tickets & More Information

Saturday, July 23, 2022 

Morning Children’s Program

Free Admission

10:00 am - 11:45 am 

Afternoon Programs

for all ages

$18/ticket

2:00 pm - 5:15pm 

Evening Cabaret: $25/ticket

5:30pm - 9:00pm

Welcome Olivia!

"Hi everyone!

My name is Olivia and I am very excited to be joining the Pump House staff as our full-time Arts Administrator! I started here as an intern in February of 2022 and my excitement about the Pump House's opportunities, events, and dedication to arts and culture has continued to grow. I graduated from UWL this spring with a degree in both Fine Arts and Cultural Anthropology and hope to combine these degrees to continue to foster both an inclusive and creative environment here at the Regional Arts Center. Within this position, I plan to learn the in's and out's of an arts nonprofit as well as plan events, galleries, and classes. I also want to bring back paint & pour and some additional painting courses so look out for those on our website/ newsletters!"

Current Art Gallery Exhibitions

May 24 – July 16

Mauree Childress

Beauty and Beyond Disability

Front Gallery

 Childress’s exhibition, Beauty and Beyond Disability, paintings are an homage to the “groundscapes” beneath us. Living with a mobile disability, the artist brings attention to the aesthetic value of the bumps, cracks, and textured surfaces we stand, walk, roll, or sit on and how they connect us to the earth.

Carole Speli? 

The Elect and the Damned

Kader Gallery 

The Elect and the Damned features portraits of the artist’s friends personifying biblical characters of the angel, the demon, and a hell-bound human. Referencing a 16th-century painting of a similar title by Luca Signorelli, Speli? uses watercolor, wax crayon, and pencil to create contemporary portraits inspired by early renaissance frescoes.

Susan Morrison

Juxtaposition

Kader Gallery 

Juxtaposition features large-scale steel and fiber sculptures which, for the artist, represent the constant flux of motion and emotions throughout existence. Morrison’s choice of materials alludes to this idea by juxtaposing 2D and 3D–solid and soft.

Catherine Williams

Hammer Gams

Kader Gallery 

Hammer Gams explores the social conundrum of wanting to be seen while also wanting to remain anonymous. Experimenting with light and composition, Williams focuses on portrait photography and uses herself as a model as a way to grapple with this question of visibility.

Youth Art Exhibition

International Owl Center

Balcony Gallery