Collective forges bridge of creativity between artists and community appreciation

The Oshkosh Art Collective corralled the community for a night showcasing local art vendors, uplifting creators and constructing creative forms accessible to all of Oshkosh. Local artists gathered at The Gibson Social Club on Saturday, April 12, to sell and celebrate the creativity the city has to offer. From art students studying at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, to long standing local vendors, and even sweet treats sold by Sweet Jules Bakes, a wide variety of vendors provided a smorgasbord of experiences for guests to peruse. 

The Collective was formed by local artists in the community. Jessica Lomena founded the event to connect lesser known artists with Oshkosh residents.

“I wanted to take the community we had online and in-person and create an event that the community could be a part of,” she said.

An artist herself, Lomena has long appreciated the variety of creatively centered events in Oshkosh. However, she noticed a lack of opportunities for local artists that aren’t full time creators.

“While we have a few art organizations in the city already, their focus is on already established artists,” she said. “I was looking for other people like myself who love making art but aren’t full time professionals.”

The Collective acts as a bridge between lesser known local craftspeople and the Oshkosh art community, making for a night of fun and bonding.

“We wanted to have the community between Oshkosh residents and artists come together for a common love for appreciating and supporting local art,” Lomena said. 

For UWO student Destiny Bortz, the Collective was a business opportunity suggested by professors encouraging students to find financial success as an artist. 

“We have to take a class called professional practices; they tell you ways of making money out of your art because of the ‘myth of the starving artist’,” Bortz said. 

Bortz sold relief prints on various fabrics to be worn as bandanas or displayed as decoration, a practice that holds significant history within marginalized communities. 

“Printmaking is rooted in feminist art; you use the matrix, the block that you carve, to repeat a certain image over and over again,” she said.

Printmaking has long served as a money saving tool for artists, according to Bortz. 

“It makes it easy to make things to sell as opposed to going to a manufacturer to make things for you,” she said.  

Each participant appreciated the opportunity to share their personal values through their work at the Collective, and  the wide variety of perspectives made the event interesting for all. Artist David Tovar brought together a collection of works from his family in order to represent his heritage.

“I wanted to showcase their collaboration as brothers and sisters and let the world see things I’ve never seen anywhere else before,” he said. 

Tovar’s family has long held artistic values; his table held pieces old and new made by many in his family tree.

“My grandfather inspired generations of artists and that’s what I came to showcase because my elders are not very out in the public; I wanted to show people what they produced,” he said. 

Tovar’s collection was a multi-faceted success as guests enjoyed looking at the different quilts, stained glass, bone art, and repurposed jewelry on display. 

“It’s a lot of mixed mediums; my one uncle who does stained glass will have leftover scrap glass that his brother would make new types of glass out of,” he said. 

Though the family has long created art, the Collective was the first large public display they put together for the community to enjoy.

“Last year my uncle started creating pieces to show here,” he said. “I thought it was a joke at first because I never believed he would actually do it.”

What started as a unique side hustle quickly turned into something more for Tovar.

“It became less about making money and more about showcasing the different history from the elders,” he said. 

The passion and care that vendors put into the event is obvious to guests like senior Nava Lomena.

“I walk around and see all of this creative stuff and it makes me excited because I don’t create art often, but it’s fun seeing everyone else’s creations,” she said. 

Lomena enjoyed how The Collective gathered a diverse crowd with the perfect environment for connections.

“It’s a big community bonding experience and it brings people together to look at the art and branch out and meet new people,” she said.

Senior Sofia Crowley relished the opportunity to speak with like-minded locals about the creativity Oshkosh has to offer.

“The artists of Oshkosh are some of the most friendly, kind people, and they get super passionate talking about their work. I love asking them questions because it’s so exciting to hear about their art,” she said. 

Not only does the event create open discussions, but it also gives local artists a chance to sell their work to locals looking to uplift small businesses. 

“It’s really important to be involved with the community and support local businesses,” Crowley said.

The Artist Collective hosted many first time vendors this year such as 2D artist Kerrah Sievert, a recent UWO graduate.

“I sell prints of my oil paintings that I make about the reflections of vibrant colors on crystal glass,” she said.

The intricate and meticulous process of creating such pieces extends beyond just painting for Sievert.

“I set up my own still lifes, photograph my work, paint from my reference photo, and create prints to sell,” she said.

Bright colors popped out of Sievert’s stand, quickly drawing guests to her unique art and positive messages.

“I love vibrant colors, and being surrounded in the midwest with a lot of brown and grey especially during the winter, I need something colorful and bright to bring joy into my life and the lives of those around me,” she said.

Like many artists, Sievert means to invoke emotion into her viewers and to satisfy her creative spirit.

“It’s about the feeling I get when I look at them,” she said. “I feel satisfied and I love the reflection. I think it’s really interesting to look at and I hope other people think so too.”

Another crowd drawing aspect of the Collective was the sheer number and diversity of the displays; there was truly something for everyone. From ceramic mugs and hand knitted scarves and fabrics, to the delicate watercolors on Brittany Lebeda’s stand. 

“I do watercolor paintings, mostly florals and some landscapes inspired by my garden and the Northern Wisconsin landscape,” she said. 

The soft colors and shapes made for perfect depictions of Wisconsin flowers and wildlife. Having been a lifelong artist, Lebeda reflects on her artistic journey before selling her work at The Artist Collective. 

“I’ve always been into art; I did acrylics for a while and then I decided to switch to watercolor because I liked the medium better,” she said.

Both artists and guests look forward to the yearly event, the night fills The Gibson with music, creativity, and community bonding. 

“This is my third year here and it’s like my favorite night of the year,” Lebeda said. “It’s so much fun and so many people come to support.” 

The much-loved event continues to expand each year with support from the community and organizers hope for an even larger scale exhibition in upcoming years. Tovar sees it as a positive facet of the city. 

“It’s a great way to see everyone’s creativity,” he said. “There’s so many different artists here and it keeps growing with more people coming every year.”

by Delaney Smith

Published April 28th, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VII