Wild Life Refuge is a small, evolving sanctuary for creative practice, embodied exploration, and meaningful human connection, located on rural land at the edge of SW Wisconsin’s Driftless Area.
It was born from a personal and collective longing: for spaces where people can slow down, feel more alive in their bodies, and reconnect with creativity, curiosity, and each other.
Wild Life Refuge is both a home and a host space. It is not a retreat center in the conventional sense, nor a venue for constant programming. Instead, it operates as a living ecosystem that opens selectively for gatherings, workshops, and co-created experiences aligned with the season, the land, and the people involved.
At its core, Wild Life Refuge supports practices that are embodied rather than abstract, relational rather than transactional, and process-oriented rather than outcome-driven.
Experiences here may include art-making, movement, shared meals, conversation, ritual, rest, and time in nature. Many gatherings are facilitated in collaboration with artists, movement practitioners, therapists, and educators who share a commitment to care, consent, and depth.
Dreams for the future include more art -making studios, outdoor nooks that make you want to stay a while and soak it all in, and structures for gatherings that feel both intimate and supportive of creative expression.
Learn more by exploring the image collections below.
As owner and curator, I acquired the property on Ableman Road in 2025. A lifelong multimedia artist with a passion for creative pursuits that bring people together, I’ve dreamt of combining my wide-ranging interests in a way that truly promotes joy and nourishes the soul. — Tona Williams
