By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Linda Whittenburg has been in Boone County all of her life. She was born here, grew up and taught school here, and started a business here.
Cabin Arts Gallery (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)
For 30 years people have enjoyed visiting her authentic 200 year old cabin, and reveled in the variety of fabrics that she stocked the shelves with to keep on hand for customers.
In 2019, Whittenburg decided she needed a change.
“I just decided to retire,” she said. “But then, after more thought, I thought I would re-invent myself. I turned 67 in 2019, and I didn’t want to work 5 to 6 days days a week anymore.”
She said she taught for many years, at Simon Kenton, and the School for Performing Arts, as well as at the library and her own Cabin, and though she felt that she was encouraging art in others, in retrospect she felt that she was stifling her own art.
“At the end of the day, I was tired,” she commented. “I was not in the state of mind to be creative. I didn’t have any energy left for my own creations.”
December art show in the Gallery. (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)
She has always been intrigued with fiber and thread art, because she thought it brought a new dimension to her art, and it combined her two great loves, sewing and art.
Whittenburg belongs to several groups, one of which is the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists and another is the Boone County Visual Arts Association.
All of the members of the groups are artists in their own rights, and Whittenburg thought it would be great if she could showcase the works of the various artists in the area.
Thus the Cabin Arts Gallery was born.
Whittenburg and her husband Dan renovated the cabin, taking down all the shelves and storing the remaining bolts of fabric.
“When we closed, we had 5,000 bolts of fabric,” Whittenburg stated. “I thought, how about if I did just pop up-type shows, maybe every quarter. Three or four a year. I have a lot of art friends, and this would have limitless possibilities for artists.”
The grand opening of Cabin Arts Gallery was in December, and then she kept the store open on the 15, 16, and 17, as well as the 22nd and the 23rd so that people could have a chance to view the creations of the BCVAA artists.
“It was good to be able to serve our community once again, and visit with new and old friends,” said Whittenburg. “Our future plans include a show in late March/early April with three more local artists, and then a variety of shows throughout the year.”
Linda Whittenburg’s own creation, ‘Nature’s Way of Telling You’ that she entered in a show in October. (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)
In addition to showing other artist’s creations, Whittenburg has finally been able to have enough time to start creating her own art. Last October she entered a piece called ‘Nature’s Way of Telling You’ in a show at the Cincinnati Nature Center put on by the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists. It is a beautiful, intricately designed piece that Whittenburg obviously spent a lot of time creating.
“I am happy to have this new environs to help my reinvention,” said Whittenburg. “The cabin has always been beautiful, but now you can see the beauty of the logs. This gallery is something new in Boone County. There are some galleries in Kenton County and Campbell County, but I am proud to have such a unique gallery to showcase art in Boone county.”
