Arty Afternoon on Willy Street

Last Friday I had a rendezvous with my artist/blogpal Shoshanah and her associate “Z.” We met at Mother Fool’s coffee shop (above) on Williamson Street in Madison, Wisconsin. “Willy Street” has been a locus of bohemian behavior for a long time. In the late 90s it had reached its nadir (crack and meth will do that to a neighborhood) but it has had quite a resurgence in recent years. Lots of quirky shops, some corny but others quite inspired, and many street art pieces. Having the St. Vinnie thrift store there for some cheap inspiration doesn’t hurt either. There is even a YouTube feature film that was filmed in the Willy Street Co-op!

Shoshanah was wearing the appropriate footwear for an art crawl:



After a nice chat about the perils and pleasures of ovine husbandry, the three of us hit the street in search of culture. Shoshanah used to live in this area so I had an expert guide:



This festive chicken cast a wary eye on us as we walked by:



The Batch Bakery had an industrial planter and a virtually indestructible Little Free Library in front of the shop:



One resident’s front yard was an art installation… just because:



Recycled art was a recurring theme:



But the absolute topper was the Patreon art work Shoshanah had made for me:


Cross-eye 3-D image

Thanks again, Shoshanah!

(Still ten openings left on her Patreon Epic Contributor Level, don't delay!)