When sending a huge egg in the mail, careful packing is paramount. But when the egg in question isnāt just a chicken egg, or even a goose egg, but a giant egg made of polystyrene and covered in original artwork that took 110 hours to complete, the stakes are even higher.
Sun City resident Sue Lee sent such an egg at the end of April. Destination: Egg Harbor in Door County, WI.
āI just take it to [the package delivery service] and tell them, āPack it up please, and try not to damage it or Iāll hurt myself … and you!āā
The egg is part of a juried art installation of 30 unique eggs, designed by artists, to be displayed in the Village of Egg Harbor throughout the summer of 2019. At the end of the exhibit, the art will be auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting the artists and future public arts project in the Village of Egg Harbor.
The event, EGGstravaganza, began in 2014 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Egg Harbor, a popular destination point in Door County. In 2014, Sue Lee was one of 50 artists to be chosen from over 100 submissions to design an egg. Her egg was one of 25 to be auctioned off. Her 2014 egg touted a black and white design and eventually sold for $4,000.
ā[The auction of the eggs] earns a lot of money for both the artist and the Public Arts Initiative of Egg Harbor,ā says Lee. āItās a philanthropic organization.ā
Her black and white egg is now displayed in a garden of a private residence, where Lee can see it when she goes boating in Green Bay.
This yearās EGGstravaganza will feature only 30 eggs. The 2019 design by Lee is a bright floral design with āEgg Harborā written on the front. Inspired by the exquisite flowers of Egg Harbor, Leeās egg incorporates elements of art, music, design, and weaving into the bold and brilliant leaves and petals of the flowers.
Leeās egg is done in acrylic paint and India ink, which is then covered in a clear coating to make it durable, easy to clean, and fade-resistant.
Lee has always been interested in art, but her career was primarily as a cardiac nurse, at one point even serving as a flight nurse. Now retired, Lee is able to devote much of her time to artwork, especially painting, jewelry making, and weaving. She describes herself as self-taught, although she likes to take classes periodically to āspruce upā her skills or to learn new techniques, like metal-smithing.
āArt has been very good for me,ā she says.
Lee and her husband will travel up to Egg Harbor in June or July to see her egg displayed with the others, then go up again in August to attend the live auction. She and her family often spend time in Door County, at her in-lawsā family home in Baileys Harbor, about ten miles from Egg Harbor.
āWe like to hang out on the beach and enjoy the family home,ā says Lee. āIāve attended art classes at the Peninsula School of Art. Itās a very artful community. Door County really has a draw – itās just a beautiful part of the state. Painters, potters, weavers, any kind of artists – you name it – they are there.ā
EGGstravaganza begins May 24 in Egg Harbor. The art auction is August 17. For more information, click here.
