Twenty artisans from the Merrill area will show their work at the Merrill Artisans Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Bell Tower Residence in Assisi Hall, located on O’Day Street in Merrill. Featured artwork will include quilting, jewelry, stained glass, weaving, wood carving, painting, photography and needlework. The hours for the show are from 3-6 p.m. All of the artists will show their creations, while some will demonstrate and sell their work.
An admission of $5 will be charged and will include wine and cheese and other refreshments. Come to the show to experience the creativity of many of Merrill’s talented individuals. All proceeds go to Bell Tower Residence debt reduction.
One of the participants in this year’s Artisan Showcase is Harry Wallace. Harry began carving at the age of 10 and has attended many classes and seminars in wood carving since his retirement from American Family Insurance in 1995. He has also taught classes in Merrill and Florida and has received numerous awards for his carvings. He enjoys carving birds, animals, fish and a variety of figures as well as chain saw carving. His largest work to date has been redoing the River Rat in Stange’s Park. Currently he is working on a carving of St. Francis of Assisi for Bell Tower. His carvings can be found in Germany, France, Ghana, Canada and the Midwest. Harry, along with Jack Ader and Ron Pankow started the Merrill Woodcarvers Club in 1999. There are now 12 members.