art thou?: 2026 06 Circus of the Curious and the Misbegotten at Shake Rag Alley With Michael deMeng

Circus of the Curious and the Misbegotten

Shake Rag Alley, Mineral Point, WI

June 25-28, 2026

Michael deMeng

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Today was the judging for the annual Wisconsin State Fair Amateur Photography contest. Because that was an all day event that got over at 4:00 p.m. Milwaukee time, I was unable to go to O’Hare Airport in Chicago to pick up our instructor for this weekend, my mentor and friend Michael deMeng from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Michael got to Shake Rag Alley during the day thanks to the staff of the facility. I drove out to Mineral Point after the judging and got there about 6:30 p.m. Michael was nice enough to wait for dinner and we chose the local tavern Cowtippers to have our food and catch up on stuff.

Wednesday, June 24, 2006

Michael and I went to Café 43 for breakfast this morning where we caught up with the owner Molly. Then it was down to the office to get keys for the Lind Pavilion from our workshop coordinator Jonna. At the Lind Michael and I set up our areas. When we were done we visited the new hardware store in Mineral Point, AB Hardware.

Next we headed over to Wal-Mart in Dodgeville where we did more stocking up for the week. Michael decided he wanted to go junking so we hit a Dollar General and Crazy Frank’s Flea Market for fodder for the workshop.

After dropping off Michael at Tuck Point, his residence, I headed up to the Lind Pavilion to open it up for the early arrivals. Lynn, Deb, Lisa, Cyn, Lance and Marty all stopped in at various times to haul all there stuff in from their cars.

Some of us early birds took advantage of this and began our projects a day early. At 5:00 p.m. Michael, Deb, Lynn, Lisa and I went to dinner at Eliza’s in Mineral Point. After dinner Lynn, Lisa and I worked until 9:00 p.m. at the pavilion before heading to bed so we are ready for the actual first day of the workshop.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Today was time for the first breakfast to my favorite restaurant in Mineral Point, Red Rooster.

It was also time for the first class with Michael.

Here is the course description: "Step right up, my fine and freakish friends! Behind this tent flap lies wonders—a traveling troupe of curious souls and misbegotten marvels, built from bits and bones of forgotten things. We’ll create our own sideshow icons: part saint, part scoundrel, all spectacular. Using found objects, sculptural materials, and acrylic paint, we’ll conjure a carnival of characters—tattooed mystics, maniacal strongmen, contortionist clowns: oddities born of rust, relics, and imagination. Expect painted alchemy, assemblage wizardry, and tall tales of woe and wonder. Learn to age, adorn, and assemble something that feels plucked from a carnival’s corner stall—a sight strange and sublime. Gather your scraps and wonders, broken bits, and blessed mistakes. The circus is rolling into town—and you are part of the act."

And then we were off...four days of working on our projects, laughing and eating out each night.

deMeng Dremel Demo

The class in class

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Sunday brings the critique, one of my favorite parts of a deMeng workshop. Each participant displays the work they have done (please note: some of these projects are not yet complete). Then Michael critiques our work.