Whitefish Bay Farm & Gallery

Article by Paige Funkhouser & photography by dan eggert
The hidden gems of Door County are best discovered while touring the back roads of the peninsula. Adventurous spirits encounter fields of wildflowers, grazing animals, historic barns, and art galleries charmingly filled with one-of-a-kind pieces from local talented artists, such as those at Whitefish Bay Farm & Gallery.
Resembling more of a working farm than the home of a 25-year-old art gallery, Whitefish Bay owners Dick and Gretchen Regnery relish and thrive on business from art buyers who discover them while traveling way off the well-beaten Door County art paths.
Whitefish Bay Gallery is on the south side of County WD – the road leading to popular swimming spots at Clark Lake and Whitefish Dunes State Park. Although the Regnery’s flock of bleating sheep alongside the road may attract attention from excited swimmers, the gallery is favored by art lovers and artists looking for an unspoiled Door County treasure. The Regnerys mix two-dimensional and three-dimensional pieces of art in the gallery, many of which are wearable and usable.
“We try to fill a niche, as something different than what most [Door County galleries] are carrying,” said Gretchen. “We see two groups of people come into our gallery. Those who look only at the paintings or photographs on the walls, and those who only look at the scarves or pots or carvings.”
The Regnerys belong to a small and tightly knit group of fiber artists in Door County, a group that includes farmers who raise such animals as sheep, goats and alpacas for their fur, and craftspeople who use the fur for wearable and decorative pieces of art. Artwork from members of this group is displayed throughout the gallery.
Weaver Chris Vuco has displayed her wearable art in the Whitefish Bay Gallery for more than 10 years. She met Gretchen through other fiber artists and the two decided Vuco’s work was a perfect fit for display in Whitefish Bay Gallery.
“Up here, most galleries seem to be one dimensional, showing painters or photographers,” Vuco said. “There’s almost no place that shows fiber. It was even more difficult to find a gallery that showed fiber in the 1980s.
“Part if it, is that fiber is a difficult thing,” Vuco continued. “Everything is one of a kind, unless the weaver has power looms or knitting machines. Everything takes longer to create. It’s not like making prints. I can’t make a duplicate that is less expensive.”
Vuco said her art is also her stress release and hobby, especially during the winter months. The volume and variety of projects and colors she is able to create is perfect for Whitefish Bay Gallery. She enjoys showing with the Regnerys because she does not have to repeatedly produce the same products in the same color tones.
“I primarily work cotton with some rayon, and other kinds of washable fabric,” Vuco said. “I never create any two that are the same. When I go to pick out my warp for my shawls, I blend everything all together. As long as I visually like the look, that’s what I’m going to do and we’ll see what happens.”
Fiber artists don’t sell their wares for the money, Vuco said, because the majority of gallery owners don’t have the ability to mark up and sell works of fiber art, because buyers just will not spend the money. The art form is a process of love, Vuco said.
As a weaver, Dick relates to Vuco’s labors of love. He acquired his art and skill set while working with Gretchen’s parents – Bernie and Grace Waidelich – who were both weavers. Gretchen is a spinner of wool from their flock, knitter and felter (a process of matting wool). Dick demonstrates his weaving craft in the gallery on a 60-inch Glimåkra countermarche loom that sits as the focal point of the first floor of the gallery.
“It’s intriguing for people to see Dick weaving,” Gretchen added. “It makes people appreciate what goes into the craftwork that is in our gallery. One of the most common questions is about how long it takes to make something.” Dick said his response to that question is:  “Where do you want me to start? When the sheep conceive the lamb? When I shear the sheep? Or when I sit down at the loom?”
“We’ve gotten so far away from our roots and understanding our animals, and where the fiber arts come from,” Gretchen added.
On their 80 acres of farmland, the Regnerys successfully manage to operate three businesses:  the gallery displaying 20-plus artists; the flock of 232 sheep (spring brought 107 babies); and a bed and breakfast out of their 101-year old farmhouse.  The Regnerys use the wool from their white and naturally-colored Corriedale sheep in different art forms:  Dick for blankets and various woven projects, Gretchen for knit and felted wearables.
A gallery had already been in existence for two years when the Regnerys purchased the farm in 1983. That gallery, which housed art and antiques, was similar to others in Door County at the time and occupied only the first floor of what was at one time a machine shed.
Whitefish Bay Gallery is now a well-lit, white-walled, ceiling beam-showing gallery favored by photographers like Dan Anderson. Anderson is a self-described landscape photographer who prefers to work in series. He started with black and white landscapes in the 1980s and now works in color.
“The Regnerys are one of the best gallery owners in terms of how they treat people like me,” Anderson said. “They’re honest, ethical and a pleasure to work with.
“Whitefish Bay Gallery is an interesting space:  they have taken a granary and turned it into something nicely lit with great walls for visual art,” Anderson added. “It is interesting to have as many different types of works of art as you can get into a space. It opens up other people’s eyes to other people’s interests.”
Keeping the number of artists they show and sell at around 20 individuals allows the Regnerys to talk with potential buyers about each artist. This personal touch, Vuco explained, is what keeps buyers coming back.
“It seems to be that once a person finds [Whitefish Bay Gallery], they come back and repeatedly check it out,” Vuco said. “It’s one of those unique little places that people like to come back and see what’s there. I have people who have bought things from me every year. They want to see what I’m going to have, what colors I have used this year. It’s a comfortable gallery to come and walk around.”