Refuge Foundation for the Arts

Ben Geyer is a painter who grew up here in Appleton, taught at Renaissance School of the Arts for a semester, went on a farming sabbatical traveling from farm to farm for 10 years, and then moved back to Wisconsin in April. Ben uses art as an incredible catalyst to have...

Manchester Orchestra We want to say thank you to all who attended An Evening with Manchester Orchestra Acoustic in our chapel on Sunday. Andy Hull and Rob McDowell performed for an intimate audience delivering an incredibly special evening at the Refuge. You can check out the first four songs here. Photo: Justus Poehls Featuring: Andy...

Manchester Orchestra Acoustic Performance On Sunday, January 21, join Manchester Orchestra for a special all-ages acoustic performance at The Refuge in Appleton, WI! All tickets are $50 and are General Admission on a first come first served basis, with proceeds benefiting Refuge Foundation for the Arts. Doors will open at 6:00pm, and...

Happy 2018 We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and start to the new year. We will be updating you shortly with some big announcements we have coming for the new year, including two album release announcements! For now, we hope you can come by The Draw for an event one...

See you in the light of 2018. Happy New Year, and thank you for your continued support of Refuge Foundation for the Arts.   Video: Justus Poehls, Oliver Franklin Anderson Singers: Adriel Denae, Erin Rae, Coco Reilly, The Dove & The Wolf Sound: Samuel James Farrell Song: “Rare Feeling” written by Twain Refuge Arts Logo: Chad Ó...

Two albums released by Refuge Foundation for the Arts are now available for purchase on vinyl! Co-founders Cory Chisel and Adriel Denae’s album Tell Me True, and friends Robert Ellis and Courtney Hartman’s album Dear John can be found at Exclusive Company in Appleton, WI. Mother Christmas Remember our friend J.S. Ondara who filmed...

Upcoming Events Co-founder Adriel Denae is playing at the Refuge Lounge TONIGHT! She will be sharing her beautiful voice and a new album she’s been working on that is being produced by Norah Jones. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, and the show starts at 7:00 pm – see...

We are excited to announce that our second album release from Robert Ellis & Courtney Hartman titled Dear John has been released today! The album is a tribute to GRAMMY award winning artist John Hartford. Best known for his solo performances where he would alternate between guitar, banjo, and fiddle while he tap danced and clogged on...

Past/Future Events: Tom Petty Tribute On Friday co-founder Cory Chisel hosted a Tom Petty tribute at the Refuge Lounge. Thank you to all those who were in attendance! We reached capacity over an hour before the event started, so we apologize to those of you who didn’t make it in. But YOU GOT LUCKY dear friends,...

Refuge photographer Justus Poehls has been working to creatively document the momentary passings and prolonged residencies of the talented artists that find respite within the walls of the Refuge. Justus has been experimenting with various digital and analog processes to chronicle this unique endeavor. His current photographic undertaking involves tintypes – a photograph...

Holiday Mischief Our Holiday Mischief show takes place on December 14th with Cory Chisel, Adriel Denae, the Appleton Boychoir, and other special guests welcoming the holiday season. We are offering a Sustainability Package that will include priority seating & early admission, a Holiday Toast with Cory & Adriel, a limited edition signed poster, and more! All...

Remember our friend Alex Ortega who stayed with us for Feed the Body, Feed the Soul and again for Homeland Experience? If not, he is perhaps best known as the Musical Director for the”Broadway at The W” concert series at The W Hotel in Times Square. While holding this title,...

J-Council Refuge Artists in Residence // J-Council have been busy: from hopping on a plane to New York City to take part in Love Thy Neighborhood Brewery Fest with our partners at Jameson Music, to launching the video for “We Gotta Move” on Indigenous Peoples Day. “It’s our show of solidarity with all communities out there struggling to...

Refuge Foundation is thrilled to celebrate co-founders Cory Chisel and Adriel Denae’s #1 Billboard Heatseeker debut for “Tell Me True” on September 25th! All proceeds for the album benefit Refuge Foundation for the Arts. The duo also had the chance to play with Ryan Adams and Emmylou Harris that week in Madison, and played two...