SHAWANO, WI- With the installation of Shawano County’s 413th barn quilt on April 17, a community art project that began nearly 15 years ago has officially come to a close.
Local photographer Jim Leuenberger launched the Shawano County barn quilt project in June of 2010 without knowing how the idea would be received. Today, the county is home to nearly 400 barn quilts still on display.
“People will still be able to enjoy the nearly 400 quilts that remain throughout the county,” Leuenberger said. “We just aren’t going to be painting new ones.”
When the project first began, Leuenberger said he simply hoped the county’s strong agricultural roots would provide the right setting. Shawano County has long been known for its dairy farms and the many barns that still dot the countryside.
“Even though most of them don’t have cows in them anymore, many owners have maintained them and use them for storage,” he said.
What followed was overwhelming community support from barn owners, local businesses and sponsors.
“When I asked someone if they would like a barn quilt, practically no one turned me down,” Leuenberger said. “The same was true with potential sponsors.”
Leuenberger and his wife, Irene, painted most of the quilts in the basement of the Shawano Chamber of Commerce, with about a dozen created by local 4-H clubs. Over the life of the project, Leuenberger estimates they used more than 40,000 feet of painter’s tape, over 300 gallons of primer and more than 250 quarts of paint.
Each quilt was painted on two 4-by-8-foot sheets of ¾-inch plywood, forming an eight-foot square quilt block once mounted. All but three of the quilts were installed by employees of Raddant Electric in Shawano.
The final quilt, number 413, was designed by Lucas Hartwig, son of Dan and Diane Hartwig, and sponsored by Twig’s Beverage in Shawano. Lucas worked alongside Leuenberger to paint the quilt, named “Sundrop Country.” It is now displayed on a barn at W7041 County Road B, a property Dan and Diane Hartwig purchased in the spring of 2025. The quilt was installed by LeRoy and Carter Raddant of Raddant Electric.
The farm itself carries deep local history. Edward Zingler emigrated from Pomerania, Germany, in 1845 and purchased the original 120 acres. The farm was later owned by Leland and Isla Zingler, who raised their children, Vickie, Donna and Mike, there. The original farmhouse still stands across County Road B.
Leland and Isla operated a dairy farm with 28 Holstein cows, along with beef cattle, hogs and chickens. After Leland died at age 90 and Isla passed away last year at 95, the family chose to sell the remaining 20 acres and farm buildings.
While the painting of new quilts has come to an end, the Shawano County barn quilt trail will continue to serve as a lasting tribute to the county’s agricultural heritage and the community that helped bring the project to life.
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