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Library, arts groups outline events and record exhibit attendance as Waupaca prepares spring celebrations
Summary
Library and arts network leaders reported higher exhibit attendance and upcoming anniversary events, including a national exhibit that drew visitors from outside the county and an author event in March.
Leaders from the Waupaca Area Public Library and the Waupaca Fine Arts Festival updated the Common Council Tuesday on 2024 attendance figures and plans for spring 2025 events.
Liz Kinnear, exhibit room coordinator for the Waupaca Area Public Library and a representative of the Waupaca Area Arts and Culture Network (WACN), said last year’s exhibits and programs drew record attendance and deepened partnerships with local schools and cultural organizations. She reported 27,457 visitors to the library’s exhibit space in 2024 and 44 in-person programs that together drew 3,032 attendees. The library’s exhibit-room budget for staffing and displays is funded by the library foundation and was listed at $3,000 for those activities.
The library hosted Americans in the Holocaust, a national traveling exhibit organized by the American Library Association and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Kinnear said that exhibit drew more than 4,000 visitors over its multi-week run, including people who traveled up to two hours to attend.
Kinnear also announced joint events for spring: a citywide celebration tied to Waupaca’s April anniversary and library displays of historic images on the bandstand planned for April 12. She said the library is bringing New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys to speak at Waupaca High School on March 6 at 6:30 p.m.; Sepetys will also present to high school students.
Dan Wolfgram, who represents the Waupaca Fine Arts Festival and community performing groups, outlined festival programming and encouraged council members and residents to attend choir rehearsals, community theater productions and the April art show. Wolfgram said the Fine Arts Festival is a long-running community institution and described multiple spring and summer performances being planned by the festival and community theater.
Both presenters emphasized partnerships with the Waupaca School District and other local organizations and said arts programming attracts a broad set of residents and visitors. Kinnear noted the library hosted more than 1,200 local students on field trips in 2024 and highlighted collaborative events such as Halloween on Maine and the Yuletide Trail as examples of cross-organization work that brought new visitors into the library.
