Wisconsin Life

- Marilyn Rolfsmeyer: The more you look at it, the more you think, "Wow, what was he trying to tell us?"

This can be the place that allows you to choose what you want it to become.

That spirit of permission to make art out of whatever has been granted here, and we're running with it.

[children cracking up with laughter] - Teacher: Just let your imagination run wild.

Play around with it a little bit.

– Rick Rolfsmeyer: We're at Grandview, the historic home of Nick and Katherine Engelbert.

He built statues in the yard.

She built beautiful complementary gardens.

He wasn't a trained artist, but I think he really enjoyed what art did for other people.

– Marilyn: What do you think about this one?

– Girl: It reminds me of Shrek.

[laughter] - Most people refer to me as "that Grandview lady."

I was an art teacher, and I saw the worth in it.

– Rick: We have a very small school district.

We have one and a half art teachers that serve kids from four counties.

– Marilyn: So, we thought, "Let's let the kids be part of this.

Let's do a class."

And it just grew from that one class to as many as 32 classes each summer.

There's something about this site.

It is inspiring.

It is enabling.

And we're an outdoor venue that can't be met by any other place.

[polka music] - Rick: Nick and Katherine were both immigrants.

Nick from Austria, Katherine from Switzerland.

And they were looking for a new place where they could be themselves.

And it was a way that they celebrated being Americans.

– Marilyn: One of my favorite has to be Uncle Sam.

Why is it an elephant and a donkey?

– Youngster: Democrats and Republicans.

- That's right!

– Rick: The little sign that Nick built said something to the effect of, "It's hard to get a day's work done with a team like this."

That's the kind of humor Nick would inject into things, and that's whimsy.

– Art Teacher: We're improvising just like Nick did all the time here.

If Nick can create art and have it be appreciated and valued, what about me?

Why can't I do that, too?

- You get to express your creativity and no one's judging you.

- That's right.

– Teacher: There's some amazing noses.

We have some big honkers.

– Student: Is that a cute little nose right there?

– Marilyn: Grandview is a classroom, but at the same time... it's a museum, it's a park, it's a place for lemonade and cookies.

– Teacher: Cookies and chocolate milk and lemonade.

– Student: You're gonna throw that over my head?

– Girls: One, two, three, rah!

– Marilyn: The kids understand that it's not outsiders who run it or own it.

They do.

It's our community, our place.

- Roar!

– Marilyn: They can weed it.

They can come up and help plant flowers.

– Girl: Look it, we can see the lion!

– Students: Whoo!

– Marilyn: It's part of their home.

They are a part of shaping it.

I think Nick Engelbert would have been pretty pleased and astonished to know so many people are still interested in this site, that it still has its charm and beauty and magic.

[conversation in background]