What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
Twice a month, a small group gathers at the Tomahawk Public Library with Procreate tablets, paintbrushes, and a shared mission. They’re not just making art — they’re building something the Northwoods doesn’t always have enough of: a place where neurodivergent young adults can belong, create, and connect.
The Islands of Brilliance fellowship program landed in Tomahawk about a year ago, extending the Milwaukee nonprofit’s reach into rural Wisconsin. For participants like Marissa Moritz, Debora Begin, and brothers Kollin and Klayton Krueger, it’s become more than an art class. It’s a community.
“I think here is when we meet new friends and get to know each other,” the Krueger brothers shared, “and as long as you keep drawing and work hard no matter what.”
Deb Wall leads the Tomahawk fellowship with an emphasis on creativity as a gateway to something deeper. The group uses Procreate digital art tools alongside traditional drawing and painting, but the real goal is fostering self-advocacy and social connection.
“We use Procreate a lot, we use other forms of art, drawing, painting, but for really a sense of creativity and a sense of belonging,” Wall explained.
In rural areas like Lincoln County, specialized programs for neurodivergent adults remain scarce. Families often travel to Wausau or even the Fox Valley for services that urban communities take for granted. The fellowship fills that gap right here in Tomahawk, meeting where community already gathers — the public library.
“Do you guys have fun here? Yes, yes, we do, yes.” — Marissa Moritz and Debora Begin, fellowship participants
That simple exchange captures what makes the program work. It’s joyful. It’s theirs.
Islands of Brilliance started in 2001 when Milwaukee parents Mark and Margaret Fairbanks faced a grim prognosis for their three-year-old autistic son, Harry. Rather than accept limitations, they built programs emphasizing what neurodivergent kids could do.
Twenty-three years later, IOB has expanded statewide. Their new sensory-friendly studio in Milwaukee’s historic Eagleknit building serves as headquarters, but fellowship programs like Tomahawk’s extend that mission into communities where a single specialized resource can change lives.
Harry Fairbanks, the child whose diagnosis sparked it all, graduated with honors from UW-Milwaukee in 2020. His journey reflects what IOB believes: neurodivergent individuals thrive when given the right support and creative freedom.
The Tomahawk fellowship doesn’t run on goodwill alone. A recent $1,000 grant from the Tomahawk Thrift Shop helped sustain the program, prompting participants to create handmade thank-you cards as a gesture of gratitude.
“I hope we are going to make some happy cards for them so they can be super happy,” Moritz and Begin said while working on the project.
The library has also been instrumental, providing free meeting space twice monthly. In return, the fellowship is creating painted rocks with literacy quotes to gift back — a small but meaningful exchange that strengthens community ties.
These partnerships matter in small towns where resources stretch thin. The thrift shop’s grant, the library’s generosity, and the fellowship’s reciprocal creativity form a web of mutual support that defines Northwoods communities at their best.
For neurodivergent young adults in the Northwoods, isolation can be as harsh as winter. Employment barriers, limited transportation, and scarce social opportunities compound challenges that cities mitigate through sheer volume of services.
The Tomahawk fellowship addresses those gaps by offering:
Programs like this also ease family caregiving burdens. Parents and siblings gain respite knowing their loved ones are engaged, learning, and genuinely enjoying themselves.
In economic terms, the fellowship costs a fraction of what institutions charge, yet delivers measurable social and emotional returns. That efficiency matters in rural counties where every nonprofit dollar gets scrutinized.
The Tomahawk fellowship remains small by design — about five regular participants — but its impact radiates outward. Each painted rock placed at the library, each thank-you card delivered to the thrift shop, represents neurodivergent voices contributing visibly to community life.
Wall and her participants aren’t looking to become a massive program. They’re focused on depth over scale, on creating genuine relationships and meaningful work.
For neurodivergent young adults across the Northwoods, the Tomahawk model offers hope. It proves that rural communities can support specialized programs when libraries, nonprofits, and local businesses collaborate. It shows that belonging doesn’t require a big city — just people willing to make space.
The fellowship meets twice monthly at Tomahawk Public Library. Families interested in learning more about Islands of Brilliance programs can explore options statewide, from Milwaukee’s new studio to grassroots gatherings like Tomahawk’s.
Up here, we know that strong communities support all their members. The Tomahawk fellowship puts that belief into practice, one Procreate drawing and painted rock at a time.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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