Green County 2022 Guide

NELLY'S DOLLS

Back to the Bus When Nelly and her entourage stepped off the bus in the parking lot at Chalet Landhaus in New Glarus, they were greeted by alphorn players George and Heinz. Special

represent the clothing and traditions of the various cantons and villages of Switzerland. She designed five different molds for the heads, stitched the costumes, and sourced accessories from Switzerland. The collection remained on display at Milwaukee Public Museum for six months. My friend Doris was smitten by the dolls, so when the exhibit came down she bought them and had them on display at her home which was a Swiss chalet. They remained there for many years. The Finder Monroe native Kirsten (Kundert) Dobson loves all things Swiss, so when she saw an ad for a Swiss chalet estate sale in 2019, her interest was piqued. The owners had passed away, and the house was filled with Swiss items: furnishings, artwork, antiques, dozens of fondue pots, and a beautiful collection of hand-made dolls wearing beautiful hand-made Swiss outfits… I wanted to find a home for the dolls so they could be enjoyed by the public, somewhere in Green County. The seller wanted the entire collection to stay together, and it would be a significant investment. I turned to my friend Terry Goetz, because of her strong interest in preserving and elevating Swiss heritage. The Benefactor Monroe native Terry Goetz is a past president at Turner

One sunny day last summer, a group of friends traveled on a chartered bus from Milwaukee to New Glarus. Nelly Weidman, the pretty lady at the front of the bus, was turning 93 years

Sigi took a class to learn English. Nelly figured that if you like nice things but can’t afford them, you should make them yourself. She took a class in woodworking and her first project was a storage cabinet with hinged doors. Nelly joined the Swiss Ladies Society of Milwaukee. The group would meet for lunch, and someone would lead a project – perhaps Swiss heritage crafts; other times newer trends of the time like macramé. The Swiss group was mostly older ladies, but I found two lifelong friends – Doris Geiger and Irene Neff. We were the Three Musketeers. Nelly started doing ceramics, selling her work from a remodeled chicken coop behind the family garage. She bought a pottery wheel and kiln, but soon discovered it was messy work. There was no running water in the chicken coop. In life, nothing is a straight line, there are stepping stones. It’s a process, you find your way and you work for it. When Milwaukee Public Museum created their European Village exhibit in the late 1970’s, Nelly got involved as a volunteer. The goal was to authentically present the homes, lives, and traditions of the various immigrant groups who had made Milwaukee their home. Thirty- three different cultures were to be represented, and of course Nelly was the Swiss connection. Nelly worked with the museum’s Art and History Directors to create one of the most notable features in the exhibit – the Swiss clock tower. She stood on scaffolding to paint the clock face and the artwork that surrounds it. One side represents the four languages of Switzerland, and the other illustrates the tale of Wilhelm Tell. Someone at a Swiss Ladies meeting demonstrated doll making as it was done in Switzerland, by covering a pre-made “mask” with fabric to create a doll head and face. Nelly was interested in making dolls, but wanted to give them a personal touch. So she sculpted her own designs from modeling clay, made her own molds, and poured them with ceramic clay. When removed from the molds and dried, the heads were cleaned, fired in the kiln, and painted. Nelly copyrighted her business in 1975, and designed a “maker’s mark” brand to imprint on the doll’s heads. Meanwhile, the Swiss Ladies Society helped to host Sangerfest (an international Swiss singing competition) in Milwaukee in 1985. Of course, the traveling singers would be invited to see how Switzerland was represented at the European Village exhibit. To enhance the event, Nelly created a collection of 35 dolls for display. Each was authentically outfitted to

old. Nelly’s entourage was making it a special day celebrating her roots all the way back to the birthday girl’s birthplace in Switzerland. What brought everyone to Green County is a story of an immigrant making her way in a new world, along the way discovering an artist’s passion for creating beautiful things. It’s also the story of how a pecial collection of dolls made their way from a basement workshop, to a museum, to an estate sale – and most recently one final trip home, to New Glarus. The Artist Growing up in Zurich, Nelly had a comfortable life. Her husband Siegfried “Sigi” was an industrial designer. They lived with their young daughter in a three-bedroom house. Sigi and Nelly owned a car, which was rare for postwar Europe. Sigi had several uncles already in America, and his mother thought it would be a good opportunity for the young family too. They sold their furniture to buy passage on the ship. When we got close to land, we had to stay on the boat because of a hurricane warning. The waves went up and down. I thought we’d end up at the bottom of the ocean. I’ve never wanted to go on a cruise. Sigi got a job at Allen Bradley in Milwaukee, and the family started off in a small apartment and not much more than a hand-me-down dresser and bed, plus Nelly’s most prized possession – a crib for her daughter. Nelly had made the move to America thinking it would be a two-year adventure. But when Sigi was out driving one day and saw the perfect house for sale they debated. Should they buy the house? Or should they go back to Switzerland? We stayed. I was homesick for fifteen years. Nelly’s priority was to stay home and raise the children, but she also wanted to make some money. She was thinking “what is a job that people don’t like to do for themselves?” The answer was to iron clothes. Wealthy clients had baskets of white shirts dropped off. When she wasn’t taking care of her family, Nelly would iron.

guests from Monroe and New Glarus had been invited to join in for a Swiss birthday luncheon. (Yes, there was fondue.) Among the locals were two of Monroe’s finest Swiss ladies wearing their “Swiss Chicks” aprons. Soon, Nelly was in an apron to match. A bit of yodeling may have happened. After lunch there was a visit to the Swiss Center where Nelly was reunited with her dolls. A few tears may have been shed. The Artist When Nelly broke the molds, literally, for the doll heads, she didn’t stop creating. She simply went in a different direction as a painter. Her friend Irene (one of the Three Musketeers) took some of Nelly’s work to a gallery owner and he said to bring in everything she had. Most days she still makes her way to her basement workshop to paint – pastoral scenes, whimsical animals, and memories from Switzerland. Nelly’s home is filled with art. Her life is filled with art. She fills her friend’s lives with art. And a shining example of her life’s works of art now have a forever home in New Glarus.

Hall of Monroe and currently serves on the board at the Swiss Center of North America in New Glarus. She’s prolific in stitching and designing with textiles, and is well-known for

her beautifully embroidered

Terry, Nelly, and Kirsten

Edelweiss flower designs. For many years, Terry was the proprietor of an exclusive ribbon and gift shop located in Colorado. Doll making was such a part of my past, and the beginnings of my wonderful life as a shopkeeper. When Kirsten told me about the dolls, I needed more information. Without closeups showing the details and quality of the dolls, the purchase wouldn’t have happened. After that, the only thing holding me back was where to display them. The price for the collection was of course far below their individual worth. Now they’re in the perfect spot at the Swiss Center of North America, in New Glarus.

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