News Release: 12/18/2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

• Photo attached: Fiber Workshop

MINERAL POINT, Wis.—Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts is preparing to launch its 2025 catalog on January 7. More than 250 adult arts and crafts workshops are scheduled this year in Fiber, Heritage Craft, Metal & Heat, Mixed Media, Painting & 2D, and Voice & Page. Teacher-artists come from the community of Mineral Point, across the country and beyond, returning to Shake Rag Alley as a sustained part of their practice. 

From glassblowing to watercolor, altered apparel, mixed media, oil & cold wax, and much, much more, the 2025 catalog is sure to have something for everyone looking to get creative in the new year. The new catalog features more offerings in February, March, and November, as well as the traditional high summer season, ensuring more options for creativity and making throughout the year. Immersive retreats include Jewelry Boot Camp and Mining Your Stories Writing Retreat (featuring NEA Big Read author Kao Kalia Yang) in May, Woodlanders Gathering in July, Art Adventure in August, and the Rug Hooking Retreat in September. 

Early registration is key to ensuring space with the more sought-after instructors and categories. Visit www.ShakeRagAlley.org to join the e-newsletter list, or request a print catalog. In addition to the adult workshops, the Youth Program continues to evolve with the Free Arts Camp, arts and crafts offerings, and scheduling planned with working families in mind. Youth Program offerings will be shared in spring.

Workshops at Shake Rag Alley range from half-day to multi-day experiences, with low-cost options including the Makers & Shakers Art Party March-November, and free events like Fiber Faire. In addition to discounts for volunteers and instructors, college students are eligible for 15% workshop discounts. A general scholarship fund is available for assistance for adult workshop tuition and Youth Program fees. For the 2025 catalog, there are more half-day workshops offered to improve accessibility with cost and schedule. 

As the non-profit arts organization heads into its 21st year, Shake Rag Alley will continue to cultivate the creativity that thrives in rural southwestern Wisconsin. This includes robust literary programming with the Alley Stage Reading Series (submission open until January 31), the Where We Live anthology—a partnership with Little Creek Press and part of the NEA Big Read programming (submissions open until January 15), and the 14th year of the Winter Writers Reading series.  

The 2025 Winter Writers Reading Series is set to begin on January 2 and will feature award-winning Wisconsin writers sharing their work January-March. Shake Rag Alley is excited to partner with Mineral Point’s independent bookstore, Republic of Letters Books, for the 2025 reading series. Unless noted, readings will be held Thursdays at the bookstore, 151 High St., in Mineral Point. Readings will be followed by discussion and Q&A with the authors. Since 2011 Shake Rag Alley has partnered with Wisconsin writing organizations to provide residencies to their annual writing contest winners. For 2025, these organizations include Wisconsin People & Ideas, the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission through the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, and Arts + Literature Laboratory. A new partnership with the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets will bring a poet selected for the Swanson Emerging Poet Fellowship to Shake Rag Alley later in 2025. 

Between the months of January through March, writers stay in Shake Rag Alley’s inspiring lodging facilities surrounded by the nurturing environment of historic Mineral Point’s artistic community. Visiting writers participate in community outreach activities, including readings, workshops, and school visits. See the full schedule to enjoy the chance to meet award-winning authors during the upcoming free Winter Writers Reading Series. For more information and to register, see www.ShakeRagAlley.org/writers-reading-series/

For more information and updates throughout the year, see www.ShakeRagAlley.org, call (608) 987-3292, subscribe to twice-monthly e-newsletters and follow Shake Rag Alley on Facebook and Instagram.

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About Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts

A nonprofit school of arts and crafts founded in 2004 by local artists and community members, Shake Rag Alley’s 2.5-acre campus at 18 Shake Rag St. in Mineral Point (population 2,500) is a national destination for participants of adult workshops, a robust summer youth program and a host of annual special events. In addition, Shake Rag offers on-site lodging and custom facility rentals for meetings, events and celebrations. For additional information about Shake Rag Alley’s workshops and events, or to request a catalog and information about facility rentals and volunteer opportunities, see www.ShakeRagAlley.org or call (608) 987-3292.