A Beautiful Experience: The Midwest Grotto Tradition

A Beautiful Experience: The Midwest Grotto Tradition explores the history and influence of Midwestern grottoes—folk art environments made from concrete and found materials like shells, glass, figurines and geodes. Emerging in the 1910s, these sites became places of pilgrimage, reflection and community.

Central to the exhibition is the first public presentation of Madeline Buol’s thirteen-piece grotto, preserved by the Kohler Foundation and now at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. As one of the few known women grotto builders, Buol’s work reflects personal travel and material collecting. The exhibition also features objects from influential sites including the Dickeyville, Rudolph and Wegner Grottoes, and Jacob Baker’s “dream houses,” emphasizing their material histories and preservation.

New work by Stephanie Shih and E. Saffronia Downing responds to the grotto tradition. Shih’s piece draws on Baker and Chinese immigration. Downing explores clay and material foraging, connecting to the improvised methods of grotto makers.