Events of 2025
Our first exhibit for the new year, 2025, was held on February 16, 2025, from 1-4 pm at the Art Center. You missed the punch, coffee and SNACKS!!!
The featured artist was Teresa Schmitt, currently of Lawler, IA. Teresa grew up on a farm near St. Lucas, IA. Growing up on a farm she had a lot of land to explore and appreciate the beauty of nature. Teresa, like many of us, grew up watching Bob Ross, the artist, yet he was an inspiration to Teresa nurturing her love of art and nature.
During her school years, Teresa had the opportunity to explore new types of media for her art. This included her elementary, middle and high school years as well when she was working on her BA in graphic design from Upper Iowa University. She favors using acrylic & oil paints, ink and pencil, but her favorite is charcoal. Using charcoal gives Teresa the ability to add texture and contrast; plus it's easy to travel with when she's out exploring.
We loved having you visit, and Teresa was very happy with the number of people that came to see her works of art; to include KWWL.
I hope you came to see & browse her works of art, they were on display until the end of March.
These are some of Teresa's art she had on display.
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Our 2nd exhibit of 2025 was:
Area Student Art Show/Exhibit
Area art students from Sumner-Fredericksburg, New Hampton and Turkey Valley schools displayed their best of the best on May 10, 2025, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Plum Creek Art Center in Fredericksburg. The best of the best was determined by their respective art teachers and/or regional/district art shows.
The public was invited to attend and VOTE for a "People's Choice" in each of 3 catagories: elementary, middle school, and high school. The winner in each of those catagories won a $10.00 gift certificate to use at the Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery.
Following are pictures of the winners art projects and their respective school:
Congratulations to:
Elementary School Winner - Bailey Busta with 'Bonita the Monkey'
High School Winner - Annie Raymond with 'Heart'
Bailey & Annie are both from Turkey Valley School, Jackson Junction
and the
Middle School Winner - Amelia Urbie with 'Zentangle'
Amelia is from the New Hampton Middle School, New Hampton
(side note: Amelia wrote the poem. It is not copied from a book.)
Each of the winners above won a $10. gift certificate to use at the Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery.
Please see your art teacher for presentation of the gift certificates.
Additional photos from the Student Art Show...
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August of 2025 was our next exhibit featuring a long time resident of Fredericksburg - Sharon Isenhower, who passed away in 2022.
She was an artist who painted, welded, and sewed for her family & friends. Sharon was one who wasn't about the limelight and attention of the public. Family and friends came first for her.
Picture of Sharon
Sharon liked to paint landscapes, any time of the year. Her winter landscapes and those with water were exceptional (in the authors' perception).
Whimsical Welding
Flower Girl's dress Quilts
(copy of the Brides)
Crocheted rug Barn Quilt and child's quilt
Sharon was a lady of many talents and expressed them in different ways for family and friends. She is missed greatly by all that knew her.
Events of 2024
ArtsCool Exhibit
January 2024 to March 2024
During the last year, the boys & girls that have attended ArtsCool were extremely busy. They learned about the painting and drawing techniques of several famous artists, like Peter Diem. Some of those techniques used different mediums and taught the students what properties each medium, such as chalk, paint, & crayons, to show the students what or how their projects would display to themselves and others. To celebrate their achievements, the Art Center held an exhibit displaying their talents and finished projects. A couple of students did a demonstration with paint and marbles to show family and friends how they accomplished one of their classes that was displayed.
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North East Iowa Region 3 Juried Art Show 2024
On April 13th the Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery hosted the NE Iowa Region 3 juried art show. There were 20 artists with 49 art pieces presented. Their judge was David Kamm, a retired art professor from Luther College in Decorah, IA. Professor Kamm judged and critiqued the art pieces by placing them in a catagory of blue, red, white, and honorable mention. Additionally, there was a "Peoples Choice" selection by the attendees: artists and the public. The blue ribbon winners will advance to the state show on April 27, 2024 in Newton, IA at the Newton Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
Blue Ribbon Winners
Red Ribbon Winners
White Ribbon Winners
Honorable Mention Winners
People's Choice
"Sandhill Crane"
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Our 10th Anniversary Celebration
We celebrated our 10th year anniversary in September of 2024 with a party!! The Sumner-Fredericksburg High School Jazz groups performed, we served cake, ice cream and punch/coffee. The organizers petitioned our artists for raffle prizes, and we certainly appreciate their generosity.
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Our invitation to the public:
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Our cake
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One jazz group warming up. One quartet playing, directed by Ethan Koch, high school music director.
 
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Time for cake & ice cream plus punch.
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Folks listening to the music.
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Drawing names for the raffle prizes.
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Raffle prizes from so many artists. We thank them for their participation!
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Events of 2023
Ruford Book Signing
by the author & illustrator of "Ruford Visits the Farm",
Susan Lienau has released her sequel "Ruford Visits the Northwoods"
Do you remember Ruford when he was just a few months old?
Ruford has grown up and is adventurous, he wants to see more of the world!
Susan was at Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery on
August 19, 2023 to sign copies of the Ruford
books you have purchased.
Now the question is:
" Sue, When will the next sequel about Ruford go to press?"
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Northeast Iowa Art Quilters Exhibit 2023
On August 6th, 2023 the Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery hosted an artist reception for the Northeast Iowa Art Quilters. This is a quilters group that "LOVE" art in different dimensions/mediums. Their exhibit expresses their unique ideas, thoughts, colors and textures to show others that art is as unique as each of us.
The 5 members: Cheryl Mulder & Elaine Westin are from Fredericksburg; Marty Berda, Elgin: Mary Jean Blaisdell, Independence; and Maud Bentley, Rowley.
To see additional works of art by these quilters you can go to:
www.facebook.com/northeastiowaartquilters
This exhibit was on display until September 17,2023.
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Fredericksburg's Painting Artists
Walking into the classroom of the Art Center one day, I expressed that our exhibit area was bare, no color on the walls. Someone thought of the paintings at Upham Memorial Library. We asked the current librarian, Jackie Kush, if we could borrow the paintings for a few months until our next exhibit was ready to display, and she said "Gladly." So here we are......with some more facts about the painters of Fredericksburg.
Many residents didn't or don't know of our "artistic" background. Plum Creek Art Center/Connie Mohr Gallery was the brainchild of one of the 'Five' Fredericksburg artists, Connie Mohr. Connie was the leader of a group of painters who would get together and share their life stories of the past week(s) and cry or laugh about these stories as they were told. Yet, there were more 'painters' than just the original five ladies.
On exhibit, till the end of December 2023 will be paintings from 'Fredericksburg's Five' plus additional artists that live or have lived in our quiet little town. The Plum Creek Art Council would like to invite you to come and see additional paintings from other artists in Fredericksburg. You just might be surprised to find out who are these other 'painters', as students, teachers, housewives, ministers, etc.
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