‘Art in the Wild’ expected to come alive in October
October 11, 2025
| By La Crosse Community Foundation |
“Art in the Wild”, featuring the interactive “YOU ARE STILL ALIVE” sculpture returns to La Crosse this October for the La Crosse Adventure Festival. The sculpture comes to life when someone pedals the bike below it.
This October, in the woods of La Crosse, a skeleton will ride a tall bicycle — powered not by ghostly energy, but by the laughter and legwork of passersby. It’s part sculpture, part playground, and wholly an invitation to slow down, look closer, and remember that art can be just as alive as the people who engage with it.
That whimsical ride is the work of “Art in the Wild”, a community project supported by Pump House Regional Arts Center and brought to life by local artists. This Oct. 7–12, during the second annual La Crosse Adventure Festival, the interactive sculpture (fittingly named “YOU ARE STILL ALIVE”) will return to the area for another round of curiosity, creativity, and connection — this time at ORA Trail Farms. Leading the effort with Jacqueline Marcou is Allison Kurth Krzych, executive director of the Pump House, whose mission includes taking art beyond gallery walls and into community spaces where people gather, play, and explore.
How do you envision projects like “Art in the Wild” contributing to the development of social capital within our community?
Social capital is built when community comes together, especially in new ways with intersecting groups who may not normally gather. Through art, we learn, unlearn, exchange, and share across community, culture, and identity, increasing empathy and community connection while decreasing fear and biases.
“Art in the Wild,” a tall bike sculpture by artists Josh Doster and Landon Sheely, was created using reclaimed bicycle parts deemed unusable, ultimately saving them from the landfill. A kinetic skeleton puppet rides a tall bike, and when people of all ages engage their pedal power, the skeleton’s mouth moves and its heart lights up.
“Art in the Wild” popped up for one day during the first La Crosse Adventure Festival in 2024. Installed at Upper Hixon, this sculpture encouraged interaction, bringing together artists, bikers, hikers, tourists, families, and community. Accessible art in out-of-the-ordinary places helps us realize that art is all around us, inviting people to notice, slow down, and tap into wonder.
Pump House Regional Arts Center builds social capital through fiscal sponsorship of community arts programming like the “Art in the Wild” YOU ARE STILL ALIVE sculpture. This project was also supported by the ‘Be Green Fund’ at Pump House, focused on sustainability and expressing environmental concerns through art.
What steps are you taking to ensure this project is accessible and inviting to a broad and diverse audience?
Accessibility to creative experiences, especially in shared public spaces, can be a powerful force for inclusion.
In June 2025, Ritual Mountain Bike Film Festival, part of La Crosse Adventure Films, premiered a short film by Nick Marcou, brother of “Art in the Wild” coordinator Jacqueline Marcou. You can view the short film online for free here: https://youtu.be/5GaDv9NQAYo?si=J5mANlR23cV_5Gl8. Special thanks to Beer By Bike Brigade, this festival was free of charge to attend.
We’re making sure “Art in the Wild” is something anyone can experience — no ticket, special invitation, or prior “art knowledge” required. Placing the piece along a popular trail means it’s naturally part of the community’s shared space, open to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. By meeting people where they already are, in an environment that feels familiar and welcoming, we remove barriers and invite everyone to take part in the creative moment.
What motivates you personally to lead community-centered art projects like this?
I am a first-generation college graduate, a UW-La Crosse alumnus, and a proud band geek who wrote her first grant for music camp at the age of 15 — it was a no. Arts access for all is a core value of mine. When you increase arts access in a community, you form a bridge between groups, cultures, and identities, building social cohesion and understanding across generations. You can visit Pump House galleries free of charge, six days a week.
Science shows the power of the arts to heal. Arts activities, whether you are viewing or participating, lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone, and increase dopamine and serotonin levels, reducing anxiety and stress. People I love have lived with and through mental health conditions and diagnoses. I know I am not alone.
For more information about “Art in the Wild,” visit www.lacrosseaf.com.
