Milton House Museum will unveil a new mosaic by Milton artists Connie Bier and Vicki Cottam in a special reception held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, with the artists and other key figures to be recognized in a ceremony at 7 p.m.
Executive Director Keighton Klos said the mosaic is an example of how art can be used to enhance storytelling for visitors to Milton House Museum. Milton House is the only authenticated Underground Railroad site in Wisconsin that is open for tours.
The new mosaic depicts a young man making his way to Milton under the night sky. The same family also appears in a three-story mural of the Underground Railroad by Milton artist Larry Schultz, who granted permission to re-use the image. The mural leads to a second mosaic, also created by Bier and Cottam, that places visitors directly under the “Drinking Gourd” in the night sky as they descend the stairs to the root cellar and tunnel where freedom seekers were hidden at Milton House.
“Our goal is to use art to help visitors of all ages envision what it was like for freedom seekers to make the hazardous journey from enslaved work in the south to freedom in Canada,” Klos said. Other artwork displayed in the museum includes a model of Milton House Inn and the attached building block as they appeared in the 1860s and photos of founders Joseph and Nancy Maxson Goodrich.
The mosaic was created in memory of Kristopher Houge, a young Milton resident, artist, and graduate of the Milwaukee Art & Design Institute who died in 2020 due to a rare liver cancer.
During the 7 p.m. ceremony on Aug. 16, the artists and donor Kristin Koeffler will be honored and details within the mosaic will be explored. All are welcome to attend.