The art of the circus lives on in Baraboo


By Joel Waldinger | October 24, 2024

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Circus art is Joan Stevens’ specialty. Her precision brush work helps to restore and preserve the past. Stevens is passionate about restoring old circus wagons. She uses old trade skills that she has learned over the years and is still hand-painting, antiquing and gold gilding. She says a good day is when she can throw on some grubby blue jeans and sling some paint.

“I have to smell turpentine and have paint on my hands pretty much every day,” Stevens says. “Otherwise, it feels like something’s missing.”

Stevens has also had her own brush with fame. She restored circus wagons that appeared in the 2011 award-winning movie “Water for Elephants.” In some ways, Stevens personal storyline mirrors the movie, as she found herself seeking adventure. She ran away with the carnival as a teenager.

“It sounds good when you say it that way, but I took a job,” Stevens says. “I took off with a bag of clothes and enough money to get back home.”

That experience surrounded her with hand-painted signs and images. At that time even the rides were still hand-painted. She found an immediate connection to the art. Though she ran away in search of her dreams, she eventually discovered them right in her hometown of Baraboo. When she came home, she was determined to continue to paint signs. Circus World seemed like a pretty good fit.

Stevens is currently putting the finishing touches on a wagon for Circus World. She repainted the skyboards off of the #44 circus wagon called Gomer Lion and Tiger Tableau. It was a cage wagon turned into a baggage wagon, then used in parades. On any given day in the winter storage barn at Circus World, you can find more than 260 wagons. Stevens’ artwork can be found at every turn.

Throughout the years Stevens says her appreciation for the artistry of circus wagons has grown. Though more than 37 years have passed, she says: who’s counting?

Joel Waldinger

Joel Waldinger

Joel Waldinger is a reporter for the “Wisconsin Life” project and considers a sunset over the “big island” on Manson Lake to be a perfect ending to a day of fishing and fun in the Northwoods. 
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2024-10-25T14:55:59-05:00Tags: , , , , |

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