Photo via Kohler Foundation, Inc.
Mary Nohl with sculptures
Mary Nohl with her sculptures
When artist Mary Nohl died in 2001, she left a back yard full of multi-media art along with an estate worth millions. Her death sparked a civic feud as village politicians quarreled about the effect Nohl’s home and artwork might have over taxes, traffic, and most importantly, who decided how Fox Point residents should live.
Nohl’s home at 7328 N. Beach Drive was a private art gallery filled with original cast concrete figures and mosaics with distinct color patterns and repeating shapes. Her humanoid heads recalled the 1,000-year-old Moai sculptures on Easter Island; A couple seated on a bench paid tribute to the petrified bodies unearthed after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. As a wealthy woman, the reclusive artist did not have to court buyers or galleries. Instead, she repurposed broken glass, shards of pottery, discarded toys and other detritus into creations that pleased her
The contents of Nohl’s garden and the artist herself frightened some neighbors simply because they didn’t know what was going on. Curiosity gave way to unsubstantiated back-fence gossip, and branding Mary Nohl a “witch” was easier than confronting the unfamiliar.
Her passing in 2001 opened the floodgates for people to vent their long-suppressed anger. Power and money sharpened the fight. For as long as anyone could remember, she kept to herself and offered little community outreach. Now that she was dead, the “witch” stories and protest signs pushed uneasiness aside in favor of political action. When it was learned that Nohl bequeathed a multi-million-dollar gift to Sheboygan’s John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Art Reserve, concerns and anxiety rose another notch. Maybe the old bat wasn’t crazy after all. With a nationally respected art preservation organization now in control of significant funds, it seemed decisions were being made without input from local homeowners.
Photo by Adam Levin
Mary Nohl house
If Kohler succeeded in preserving the house as a local landmark, neighbors rightfully objected to shuttle bus traffic, loss of street parking and falling property values. They also feared similar non-residential expansion into single‑family areas.
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The Kohler foundation moved 80% of Nohl’s art to their Sheboygan galleries and made them accessible to the public. Today the Nohl property is listed on the National Register and visits are limited to appointments.
The controversy pitted election-year resolve against principled cases about preservation and privacy. In her lifetime, Mary Nohl kept people at arm’s length. It’s likely she loved being the “Witch of Fox Point”
