Area Guide Spotlight: Alfred Art to Wear

Area Guide Spotlight: Alfred Art to Wear

159 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green, WI
(608) 239-5974 | alfredarttowear.com

On your next trip to APT, consider visiting, staying, shopping and eating local by consulting APT’s helpful Area Guide. APT’s Area Guide Spotlight series highlights all the things that make the Driftless area so incredible, including some of our favorite finds that should definitely be included on your summer itinerary.

Fiber artist Dennis Phillips has woven a legacy in the Driftless region and beyond with his creative and inimitable designs and creations. Phillips’ remarkable pieces are on display at Alfred Art to Wear, his studio and store located in Downtown Spring Green. Whether looking for a small gift on your way out of town or a bespoke item to add to your collection, Phillips creates and features truly unique pieces that let you bring a little bit of the River Valley home with you while supporting local, skilled artists and crafters.

Owner and artist-designer Dennis Phillips shared more about his impressive body of work and the connection he shares with others through beautiful fiber arts.

About Alfred Art to Wear

The primary focus of my business is my fiber studio where I design and construct natural fiber one-of-a-kind knits and silks. A new addition is Fine Craft @AlfredArttoWear. A Gallery/storefront for my work with art quilts, basketry, book bindery, functional wood work and other locally made fine hand craft.

I am the son of a tailor/seamstress, Elizabeth Phillips. I started crocheting before I learned to ride a bike. From making clothes for my 'Troll Dolls' and graduating to more difficult work, I started making clothes for my friends, then art fairs, part of other's shops and then to my own store. During this journey I studied weaving which introduced me to the home knitting loom. Loom knitting replaced loom weaving for my choice of loomed fabric.

An Artistic Home

Spring Green sits in the HeART of the Hills of Wisconsin. This unglaciated part of the Midwest was created during the Ice Age when the glaciers ran out of steam around this area leaving us these beautiful hills. This area has been used as a spiritual retreat for generations. It remains a natural setting for art and reflection.

As theatre is about storytelling, so too is there a story to each one-of-a-kind garments made at Alfred Art to Wear. From the design to the yarn and its color to why each customer is attracted to that particular piece, story plays a big part in "Alfred Art to Wear".