"Yarn Bombing" hits Denmark

Last week, visitors to and residents of the Village of Denmark may have noticed some unconventional art at a number of locations in town. In Veterans Memorial Park, around Village Hall and outside the Denmark Community Activity Center (DCAC), a variety of poles and columns now host a variety of colorful and creative crochet pieces thanks to the hard work and dedication of Denmark Connects and their Crochet Art Club. We spoke with Denmark Connects Campaign Coordinator Molly Arneson to learn more.

"Yarn Bombing" is the practice of creating unique crochet art pieces and installing them in public places for all to enjoy. Along with creating beautiful public art, the initiative aims to bring people together and fight social isolation. After seeing other communities find success with the practice, Denmark Connects set themselves to providing a similar experience in our community. Starting in January, they began hosting a Crochet Art Club at the DCAC and have met twice weekly ever since. The class is taught by volunteers Louise Dahlke and Dawn Tietyen who assist attendees with their projects. Some of the members were new to crocheting while others had years of experience.

After thousands of hours of combined work time, the Crochet Art Club's creations were ready for display. After working with the Denmark Village Board to find a suitable location, Denmark Connects was approved to install their art in a number of locations throughout town. Last Tuesday, members of the club came together to put up their unique pieces on the poles at the Veterans Memorial Park concession stand, the brick columns and informational sign near Village Hall and the DCAC sign on Highridge Avenue.

All together, the club was able to create and install nine individual pieces that were created by even more community members. The art will remain up for four to six weeks depending on how they handle the weather and tampering. 

Denmark Connects Campaign Coordinator Molly Arneson says, "We hope everyone enjoys them, and it will bring awareness of different fun options that we can bring to Denmark." She hopes seeing the art will inspire more community members to join the club in their next project in August which will feature "amigurumi" which is Japanese for crocheting or knitting small, soft yarn creatures. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact Arneson at 920-360-4659 with any questions or comments.