Belleville’s Art on the Square allows CAVE students to see artists in themselves

When Dick Cooley’s welding career began, so did his art career.

At 22-years-old, Cooley took a welding course at a local technical college. For one assignment, the students were told to take old parts and to make something creative. So, he made a 4-foot-tall rose.

Over 40 years later, Cooley is doing that same thing — using his welding skills to produce sculptures out of so-called junk — as the “Spark Plug Guy.” The moniker is a reference to the little spark plug characters seen in his pieces.

The West Bend, Wisconsin resident is among the artists at this year’s Art on the Square in downtown Belleville. The three-day show kicked off Friday and will continue through 5 p.m. Sunday.

Cooley showcased some of his sculptures to Belleville high school students at The Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence as part of Art on the Square’s Artist in Residence program. Students at The CAVE aren’t much younger than Cooley was when he made his first sculpture, and some are studying welding at The CAVE.

“I think it shed light on the fact that there are opportunities for them to use their welding skills to be creative,” said CAVE Director Jacob Strausbaugh. “It provided an opportunity for kids to think outside the box about what a traditional welder could use their skills to do.”

That imagination, Cooley said, fuels his work. After working as a welder by trade for 20 years while also producing his art, Cooley switched to making sculptures full-time.

Name anything, and chances are Cooley either has made a sculpture of it or could, and no two pieces are exactly alike. He’s turned an old lunchbox into a taco stand, made a fork lift with actual forks and transformed Masterlocks into a drum set.

“(People) can’t believe I’ve come up with all of these different ideas,” Cooley said, referencing the various art shows he’s done. “That’s the best part — it’s not the selling, it’s the smiles and the laughing and the ‘I can’t believe you did that!’ or ‘Can you make this for me?’”

Artist in Residence fits CAVE mission

The CAVE’s goal is to expose students to opportunities and programs they wouldn’t otherwise know about, District 201 Superintendent Brian Mentzer told the BND.

The Artist in Residence program is one example of The CAVE fulfilling that mission, Strausbaugh said, noting it wasn’t just welding students, but also those in other vocational programs, were invited to learn about Cooley’s art.

“You never know where the interest is going to be sparked in each particular student,” Strausbaugh said.

The CAVE also paints advancing education at a 4-year college or university as an option, but not the only path for high school students after they graduate. The CAVE students can use their skills to either directly gain employment, further their education at a trade school or community college or go for a 4-year degree, Mentzer previously explained.

Cooley said that’s important, as his career and passion stemmed from tech college.

For more on Cooley’s art, visit sparkplugguy.com.