45th Juried Annual Virtual Exhibition
Click here to view the virtual exhibition.
A new exhibition debuted on Saturday, August 29 featuring contemporary artwork by artists from the Northeast Wisconsin Lakeshore region, including Door County. The 45th Juried Annual—on display through October 19 in the main galleries of the museum—highlights work by 45 artists residing in Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Oconto, and Sheboygan counties. This year’s jury panel was comprised of industry professionals Tedd Lott, Artist, Designer (Grand Rapids, MI); Annemarie Sawkins, PhD., Independent Curator (Milwaukee, WI); and Elizabeth Wiza, Preservation Coordinator, Kohler Foundation, Inc. (Sheboygan, WI).
Like any good juried exhibition, the 45th Juried Annual is about diversity and quality rather than theme. “Artwork representing a vast range of styles and techniques was selected, illustrating a wide range and mastery of medium,” says Curator of Exhibitions Helen del Guidice. “And, as is expected, the jury panel exhibited great respect and consideration to each submission and offered poignant, independent perspectives on the works.”
Examples include Zebra, a black and white scratchboard rendering, by Jeff Logic and Wonder Woman, a paper and fiber collage portrait by Liz Maltman. Other techniques presented include: the use of arylic and epoxy on mirror in Wood Ducks by Gary Gossens, raw-edge fiber collage in Gathering by Susan Hoffmann and oils on copper-relief in It’s Spring by Kandy Otto. While Brian Pirman’s computer generated work Corona II reflects on elements of chaos created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Randall Dettmann’s works The Root of All Evil and Bubbles of Bliss vigorously defends nature and the environment. Subjects and genres are wide-ranging and include wildlife, still life, portraiture, comical surrealism, abstraction and collage. Artist statements will enhance interpretation of the works both in the physical exhibition and in the virtual experience, with many artists reflecting on the subject of isolaton as a result of the pandemic.
The second-floor galleries of the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine feature a new selection of portrait and still life works from the Museum’s permanent collection. Highlighted are a series of black and white photographs by David Parris (b. 1935), who offers an atypical view of Venice, Italy in the early morning hours before its iconic piazzas and canals are filled with activity, people and pigeons.
“Along with the isolation many have felt during the time of quarantine, the possibility of pleasure travel or taking that bucket-list trip to exotic far-off places seems more and more remote. We invite the public to the museum to be transported through art; these works offer a visual journey at a time when we cannot physically go ourselves,” del Guidice continued.
Also on view from the permanent collection are beachscapes rendered with macro-perspectives including Beach Debris by Tamlyn Akins and Racing the Dunes by Lynn Gilchrist. Founder Gerhard Miller’s work can also be viewed in the Miller Gallery, also located on the mezzanine.
Following is a complete list of exhibiting artists in the '45th Juried Annual': Cristian Andersson, Alexis Arnold, Cheryl Becht, David Bueschel, Ginnie Cappaert, W. Joseph Christiansen, Daniel Cross, William Dais, Randall Dettmann, Kristine Diekman, Richard A. Geudtner, Gary Gossens, John Guger, Karen Hertz-Sumnicht, Phyllis Hoopman, Robert Hoopman, Thomas Jordan, Anne Kelly, Patrick Kennedy, Jim Leatham, Mitch Leavitt, Jeff Logic, Mary Ann Logic, Stephanie Lord, Liz Maltman, Janel Maples, Katy Moore, Hans Nelson, Abigail Newman, Dennis Ninmer, Kandy Otto, Sophie Perry, Brian Pirman, Susan Reynolds-Smith, Nancy Sargent, Mac Schueppert, Arlene Stanger, Seth Taylor, Hermke Timm, Christine Van Sickle, Linda Welch, Sara Willadsen, Patricia A. Williams, and Archelle Wolst.