Inspiring, Enriching, and Educating the Community Through the Arts
Mission: Inspire, enrich, and educate the community through the arts
Vision: We strive to cultivate a community where each experience inspires connection, celebrates our roots, and nurtures lifelong appreciation for the arts
River Arts, Inc. (RAI) was formed in 1997 and in 1998 became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that served as the capital fundraising organization for the Sauk Prairie community’s River Arts Center. When that charge was completed in 2000, the organization restructured itself as an arts presenter. River Arts, Inc. produces an annual performance series, curates multiple art exhibits in the Sauk Prairie River Arts Center gallery and in the River Arts on Water gallery, hosts workshops for artists of all ages and abilities, along with several community events. The organization moved its administrative office and ticketing outlet to the River Arts on Water Gallery and Studio in 2011.
Opened in 2011, River Arts on Water Gallery and Studio is a beautiful space on the banks of the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Devoted to the cultural and ecological vitality of the community, it is a retail gallery, concert venue, gathering space and administrative office for River Arts, Inc.
In 2017, thanks to tremendous community support, River Arts Inc. became owners of their downtown property and now offer art workshops in the Studio for all ages.
The Sauk Prairie River Arts Center opened in 2000 as a fine arts center serving the greater Sauk Prairie community. The original building features a 492 seat proscenium theater and the art gallery.
In September of 2023 the Leola Hall addition opened, a medium sized performance and event space featuring flexible setup options and event seating up to 240.
Lydia Park
Executive Director
Lydia Park (she/her) is a cellist, educator, and arts administrator originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She began studying the cello at a young age and was an active participant in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and youth chamber ensembles throughout her formative years. Lydia earned undergraduate degrees in Cello Performance from Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. She later completed a Master of Music in Cello Performance and a Certificate in Cello Pedagogy at Colorado State University, where she also performed as a member of the CSU Graduate String Quartet and served as Managing Director of the Fort Collins All-City High School Honor Orchestra.
As a performer, Lydia has appeared with a variety of orchestras and ensembles across the Midwest and West, including Colorado MahlerFest, Opera Steamboat, Bel Canto Chorus, Longmont Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Front Range Chamber Players, and the Chippewa Valley Symphony. Her teaching experience includes private and community instruction programs in Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Fort Collins, Colorado; and at the String Academy of Wyoming in Laramie.
In addition to her work as a musician and educator, Lydia has built an extensive career in arts administration and nonprofit leadership. Her previous roles include Administrative Assistant for the Fort Collins Symphony, Communications Specialist for the Front Range Chamber Players, Music Director for the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony, and Special Events Manager and Director of All Ears Listening Sessions for Forage.
Now based in southwestern Wisconsin, Lydia is proud to serve as the Executive Director of River Arts, Inc., where she is excited to support and strengthen the vibrant arts community of Sauk Prairie through innovative programming, community partnerships, and accessible arts experiences.
Maggie Mulcahy
Exhibition & Education Manager
Maggie is a 2014 alumni of Sauk Prairie High School, where her passion for the arts began both on stage and behind the scenes at the Sauk Prairie River Arts Center. From performing in show choir to painting theatrical sets, she developed an early appreciation for creative expression and community-based art.
After graduation, Maggie spent time working alongside her father, Bernie Poff, at Polliwog Studio, where she built a strong foundation in large-scale design and public art. She expanded her artistic path beyond her hometown, gaining experience that would shape her voice as an artist. Over the past two years, she has worked full-time as a mural artist, creating vibrant pieces throughout Wisconsin and Colorado. She often invites community members to take part in the painting process, encouraging connection and a shared sense of ownership over the spaces they help transform. Her work focuses on turning everyday spaces into opportunities to celebrate the identity and energy of the communities they serve.
Now returning to the place that first inspired her, Maggie brings that experience back home in her role as Exhibitions and Education Manager at River Arts, Inc. “The art and music scenes here have shaped who I am as an artist and as a person. I’m looking forward to being a part of this incredible team and for the opportunity to give back to our flourishing art community.”
Kristin Enge
Gallery Assistant
Kristin (she / her) isn’t a Sauk Prairie native but she’s been in and around this community for 20 years. Make no mistake, she is a born and raised city kid so think more Green Acres than Little House on the Prairie. However, after all these years of country life, she couldn’t imagine going back to the city.
Like many folks, she wears many hats. In addition to being the gallery assistant, she is a local yoga teacher, birth & postpartum doula, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and very part time tractor driver. While she is passionate about supporting the birth community and new families. She is equally excited about supporting the River Arts, Inc. community of makers, performers, and creators that fill these incredible spaces.
When she’s not working, she’s hanging out with her two kids and partner on their little farmette nestled in the Baraboo Bluffs where they raise chickens, ducks, two cats, and a dog.
The prospects for a performing arts center in Sauk Prairie looked bleak after three failed referenda in 1995 and 1996. But a serendipitous conversation between Dr. John “Dusty” Koch and his patient, Ramona Kramer, changed all that. They concluded they wanted to help revive the effort by utilizing their contacts from a lifetime of living in and serving the community.
What emerged from that initial exchange was a working group that charted a course to first study the feasibility of and then execute a plan to bring a performing arts center to the community.
The basic plan called for a grassroots effort to identity donors, large, medium and small, to create the funding and develop the community support for the project.
River Arts, Inc., a non-profit, was to be a crucial vehicle for their efforts. It served as the organization through which the generosity of the community was expressed.
From the outset the middle school and high school were to be a featured element in any performing arts program because both had nurtured interest in music and theater. Because of the community’s strong commitment to its students, and viable project needed to partner with the school system. Fortunately, the School Superintendent, Richard Magnuson, and the School Board chaired by Dr. John (Tony) De Giovanni, were strongly supportive. The combination of leadership, hard work and the grassroots convergence of these and a few other factors eventually led to a successful project. The referendum that ultimately passed included the promise of substantial fundraising from the community to which the school district would add funds. A state supplement to the building program reduced the cost to taxpayers of the community and furthered the successful referendum effort.
While thousands of members of the community gave their support, the most vital contributors of money and effort were Darlene Ballweg, the Bank of Prairie du Sac, Culver’s, and those leaders like Dr. Dusty Koch, Tony DeGiovanni and Ramona Kramer who imagined what was possible and then helped to do what it took to make it happen.
Today, the Sauk Prairie River Arts Center, with the continuing support of River Arts, Inc., hosts performances, visual arts exhibits, community and school plays, as well as countless school district and community events.
