MontiArts December Newsletter
December Cozy vibes
Hello, friends!
Welcome to my first newsletter as the incoming Director of MontiArts! Though my role officially begins January 1st, I’m already diving into projects to hit the ground running. I’m so excited to help spread the creativity and amazingness of the Monticello community.
Great news—our incredible leader Sue isn’t going far! She’ll stay on part-time in 2025 to assist with admin and lead fun projects like GLOW lantern workshops and more. Stay tuned for exciting updates!
December is packed with events, and we hope to see you at one—or all—of them. Thank you for being part of the MontiArts community!
Warmly,
Erica
Snowflake Social
This will be the second installment of our popular Art Night Social series this winter! These monthly get-out-and-make-art evenings feature a new craft each time—typically held on Thursdays from 6–9 PM. This month, we’ll be creating paper bag snowflakes again, with some exciting new designs to try! This is an all-ages event, but parents must be present to assist their children. Whether you’re returning for more snowflake fun or joining us for the first time, we’d love to see you there. (I still have my snowflakes from last year—they’re going up in my window on December 1st!)
Join Us for Unsilent Night
Put a modern twist on caroling—no singing required! The evening kicks off with warm beverages and a chance to shop at our festive Holiday Market. Afterward, we’ll guide you on how to play one of four unique audio tracks on your device (phones, tablets, or speakers). Once everyone’s ready, we’ll embark on a magical stroll through Downtown Monticello, filling the night with sound and returning to MontiArts to wrap things up. Don’t miss this unforgettable holiday experience!
Holiday Arts Market
We’re so excited to kick off the season with our Holiday Arts Market! Join us Friday through Sunday, right after Thanksgiving, for a unique shopping experience featuring local MontiArts artists. Browse and buy one-of-a-kind gifts and art created with love by talented members of our community. From handmade ornaments and holiday earrings to artwork, sketchbooks with handcrafted covers, and more, there’s something for everyone on your list—or a treat for yourself!
Important Details:
• All proceeds go directly to the artists.
• Each artist handles their own sales, so please bring cash, checks, or your Venmo app.
This is a rare chance to see so many amazing local artists in one place. Don’t miss it—bring your friends and family to support the arts and discover the perfect holiday treasures!
GLOW is COMING!
Are YOU ready?? (Monster truck voice)
It’s time to start planning your glow-tastic outfit! Whether you want to light up the night with something you create or something you buy, now’s the perfect time to get glowing.
We’re also planning our upcoming Lantern-Making Workshops.
Don’t be intimidated—you can do this! Our workshops will guide you through the techniques needed to create lanterns of various shapes and sizes- we can’t wait to see what you create. Stay tuned for dates and details!
Next Open Mic Sat Dec 14th
Add this to your calendars now!
Last time was a banger, you don’t want to miss this, folks.
Artist Profile: Sue Seeger
This month we are featuring our retiring director: professional metal sculpture artist, jack of all trades, trailblazer, bicycle enthusiast, and creator of MontiArts- the fabulous, Sue Seeger.
ERICA: Well, I’m going to start off by saying, Thank you, not only for this interview but also for all of MontiArts. And it’s an honor to interview you! My mentor, my friend, and soon to be ex-boss!
SUE: Yes! Ex-boss and still friend and next year, helper.
ERICA: I think my first question will be, what was your art experience growing up? I know that's kind of a big question.
SUE: I am always interested in that in others as well. I feel like many of us have similar origin stories with art. Art was the first thing I was naturally good at. I was terrible at sports, but art I just got right away. That’s kind of how it went in school for me, art was easy, math not so much..(laughs)
ERICA: Me too! (Laughing)
SUE: I changed schools a lot, we moved around for my dad's work. But art was always the thing I liked. I’d always ask for the giant set of crayons for Christmas. My dad would bring me giant stacks of computer paper for me to make my masterpieces on. And my grandparents were like, “Bring me something to put on my fridge!” I always loved it- it was my refuge.
ERICA: So you had some early art support at home?
SUE: I did in a way, when it kind of fell away was when I got to be a teenager. I was still using it as my refuge, I started to get very into writing. Very angsty teen poetry (Laughs) but also I liked short stories and all of that.
ERICA: I’m interested in hearing about the transition from your 9-5 pay-the-bills jobs and the progression into your welding career.
SUE: Well this sounds super nerdy, but I always had a big interest in spaces. It could be outdoor spaces or indoor spaces. I had lots of books about interior design that I got from used books stores. I had been working in furniture retail when I decided I had done everything that had interested me in that field- I wanted to start my own business, I had seen a lot of metal furniture come into the market at that time. I thought that was something that I could learn to do. If anybody can learn how to do it, I can learn to do it! Over confident Sue! (laughs)
ERICA: (Laughing) Like, Watch me!!
SUE: So I had a whole plan. WIth my interest in spaces, I started by researching landscape design, and then I eventually got a job as a landscape designer. My plan was to do that for one summer to earn enough money to get my welding career started. Which I did! I saved up enough money to buy myself a welder. I got my shop set up that fall. And then I was going to teach myself how to weld. Before the days of YouTube!
ERICA: Before Google and the internet??! Whoa.
SUE: Yes! But right away my whole shop burned down. My car also burned up. So there I am, no car, no job, living out in the sticks. I did save my welder..that was the only thing I dragged out of the burning building into the snow.
ERICA: Ohhh, heartbreaking.
SUE: It was a real bummer, but I was like, OK, I didn't really need an income immediately because my husband and I had planned on me taking some time to learn. So I just used that window of time to go to welding school. I was there every day, all day, all winter long taking classes and then practicing welding. And I got to be very good at it.
Eventually my whole furniture making thing didn't really pan out- I kind of immediately just started making art and sculptures instead. And I really liked doing that so I fully applied myself to a sculpture career.
ERICA: So, big jump here, how did you get from your welding art career to Monticello and MontiArts?
SUE: I had been volunteering with a nearby town that I lived in doing mountain bike trail building and there was a sort of reorganization at that time and we were not sure what direction it was going in, they didn't want volunteers helping with their trails anymore. So we were sort of displaced and coincidentally, I had just gotten a state arts grant to put a sculpture at a bike trail and it (the sculpture) was made of donated bike parts. So it couldn't go to that park anymore and needed a new home. A number of parks were raising their hands and Tom wound up asking me if I would be willing to take a look at a piece of property that was undeveloped that he was considering for mountain bike trails. So that is what eventually became Montiview Park. He then asked if I would be willing to put the sculpture up there as well.
ERICA: So you and only 2 others in this team created our wonderful Montiview Park that we have today?
SUE: (nods, yes)
It took us 3 (in the trails crew) a couple of years to get all of the trails laid down. Tom was great to work with throughout that project. That's how the city got to know me. Then they commissioned the swans on the corner of 25 and Broadway. This is when I became more interested in Monticello. Because when people want public art, the first question I ask is why. I want to know, What are you trying to accomplish by putting art in that space? Is it to get people to slow down, to stop and get out of their cars? Because that will guide what I, as an artist, come up with to help you achieve whatever your goal is.
I asked why they wanted the swans at this intersection, and they said that their downtown was kind of struggling and they want people to know that they are still here. A lot of people drive by this intersection every day, and we want them to know that we care about how our town looks. I was inspired by that. I started thinking of Monticello as a place that was interested in doing things differently, they were trying to do something here. So, that made me want to work with them. It was out of the ordinary, you know? And yeah, one thing led to another and over time, they decided…lets try having an art program and see what we can get to happen.
And I was like, hmm, this is unusual. Ok, let's give it a try! But there has to be a purpose to it. Not just putting fancy curtains on the town, I wanted it to be very genuine and grass roots, which I think it is.
ERICA: That brings me into the next phase, the next chapter for you. Are you excited for your (air quotes) partial retirement? You will be part time here next year, thank goodness, to help me and be on staff for all the fun stuff. Do you have any plans yet, maybe your own art, maybe travel, anything you want to write?
SUE: Oh yeah!
ERICA: Maybe all of it? All of the above?
SUE: Yes, I am really excited about this next phase of my life because…A lot of people have asked if I am going to go back to my art career. And I honestly kind of doubt it. I’m still young, but I just don't feel the same drive to achieve and continually out do myself with the next piece and go after bigger and bigger projects.
I think that's why I am so excited to continue to be involved with MontiArts. In terms of my visual art, I dont think I'm really interested in having gallery shows right now at this stage, but the idea that I can use my visual skills and creativity here to continue putting cool things out into the community, there's a usefulness to the art. And it's accomplishing some kind of goal. That to me is really cool. And even just being around all the creative people that MontiArts has pulled in, and brainstorming fun ideas, like What if we had a whole wall of cds that everybody paints?? Like who knows what crazy thing will come up next. I think that will be really fulfilling to me.
ERICA: Well, we are very happy with that too. (smiles) Well, Is there anything else you wanted to say here?
SUE: Maybe this, that I am appreciative of anyone who has given me an encouraging word along the way, or was willing to meet me for coffee in the very beginning or just talk about ideas, or talk about what they have tried in the past and what that was like. Really this has been a true community effort, so Thank you. Everyone has been very nice and receptive to me here so I appreciate that.
ERICA: Well, we sure do appreciate you.
SUE: Yay us!
Yay for Monticello indeed. You have given us a huge gift , Sue. The gift of your talents, your energy (lots and lots of energy!), your unwavering tenacity, your ability to bring us all together and your big heart. We will forever be grateful for this amazing program that initially was meant to just revitalize an area but ended up revitalizing a community.
Into 2025 we go!
