April 17, 2026 - The Miller Art Museum is pleased to announce a special Potter’s Panel on Saturday, May 9, at 4:00 PM, held in conjunction with one of the museum’s five current exhibitions, Abraham Cohn | Maker’s Mark. The panel will be followed by a public reception at 5:00 PM.
The event brings together four master potters—John Dietrich, Reneé Schwaller, Chad Luberger, and Steven Cohen—each of whom was uniquely shaped by the example, mentorship, and lasting presence of the late Abraham (Abe) Cohn (1925–2013). Through conversation and reflection, the program offers a rare opportunity for the public to hear firsthand accounts of a practice grounded in discipline, observation, and the traditional passing of knowledge from hand to hand.
About the Exhibition: Abraham Cohn | Maker’s Mark, on view through May 23, 2026, traces the arc of a life dedicated to clay. The exhibition presents Cohn’s iconic pottery alongside early paintings and archival materials from his historic Fish Creek studio, The Potter’s Wheel. Supported throughout his career by his wife Ginka, Abe stands as a foundational figure in Door County’s craft community. Rather than teaching through formal declaration, he led by example and repetition, leaving a "maker’s mark" that extends far beyond the vessels he created. "Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher," notes an ancient Japanese proverb. This gathering reflects that truth, highlighting how Abe’s generosity and daily practice influenced a generation of artists.
Event Details:
- What: Potter’s Panel & Exhibition Reception
- When: Saturday, May 9, 2026. Panel at 4:00 PM; Reception to follow at 5:00 PM
- Where: Miller Art Museum, 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI
- Cost: Free and open to the public.
The exhibition and panel together illuminate the lasting value of sustained practice and the ways artistic knowledge is carried forward across generations.
April 17, 2026 – Young artists in grades 9 – 12 from throughout Door County were celebrated at a free public reception held on April 6 for the 52nd Annual Salon of Door County High School Art. The Miller Art Museum announced the award winners and honored all student participants during a special awards ceremony at the opening celebration.
This year’s exhibition features original artwork by 105 students from the 2025-26 academic year who attend school at one of the Peninsula’s five high schools: Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, and Washington Island. Certificates of Participation were presented to all student artists by their respective art teachers. Students receiving an Award of Excellence, Honorable Mention, and the Jim Rericha Legacy Award were announced and presented by Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead and Curator of Exhibitions and Collections Suzanne Rose during the reception. This year’s award winners are:
Awards of Excellence:
- Abigail DeMeuse, Gibraltar High School
- Lilian Saltou, Sevastopol High School
- Audrie Schley, Southern Door High School
- Rowan Ploor, Sturgeon Bay High School
- Thomas Pratt, Washington Island High School
Honorable Mention:
- Molly Virlee, Gibraltar High School
- Lola Georgenson, Sevastopol High School
- Angelina LeCloux Herrera, Southern Door High School
- Ryan Felhofer, Sturgeon Bay High School
- Teagan McGrane, Washington Island High School
Jim Rericha Legacy Award:
- Gianna Roman, Sevastopol High School
Award of Excellence winners received $100, and Honorable Mention awardees $50. In addition to cash prizes, Award of Excellence and Honorable Mention awardees receive a certificate for instruction to further their artistic endeavors through a workshop at PenArt in Fish Creek.
The Miller Art Museum is excited to announce the opening of its 52nd Annual Salon of Door County High School Art, a vibrant showcase of creative expression from Door County’s talented young artists. This favorite annual exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, April 4, 2026, with a celebratory reception honoring the young artists on Monday, April 6, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM at the museum, located inside the Door County Library in Sturgeon Bay.
The annual exhibition, the Miller Art Museum’s longest-running exhibit, will feature more than 100 works by young artists from schools across the Door Peninsula, including Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, and Washington Island High Schools. Working with their art teachers, the students demonstrate creativity, enthusiasm, and technical ability across diverse media, ranging from painting to sculpture, drawing, and photography.
“The High School Salon is one of our most anticipated and attended exhibitions every year,” said Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, Miller Art Museum Executive Director. “Providing students with the unique opportunity to display their work in a professional museum setting is an experience that can be both transformative and confidence-building. Through this opportunity, together with the Peninsula’s talented art educators, we’re fostering that confidence, self-expression, and the realization that art is a powerful means of communication and a viable career path.”
January 29, 2026 - The Miller Art Museum announced today that the Dome House Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist Residency will return for its sixth year, with the 2026 residency scheduled for August 2 through September 27, 2026. The application deadline is Friday, April 17, 2026.
Launched in 2021 in partnership with the Quinlan/Wagner family, the eight-week residency offers Midwest visual artists a fully immersive live/work experience at the Dome 
House, an iconic, artist-designed structure nestled in the dunes along Lake Michigan near Whitefish Dunes State Park. The program supports focused creative development while emphasizing meaningful public engagement through workshops, artist talks, open studios, and other unique programming.
Over the course of five years, the program has evolved into a sought-after opportunity for emerging and mid-career artists, attracting applicants who are interested in producing ambitious new bodies of work deeply informed by place, process, and public engagement. The program has become a pillar of the Miller Art Museum’s mission to connect artists and community through meaningful opportunities to explore, celebrate, and advance the visual arts.
November 7, 2025 – The Miller Art Museum is pleased to announce the opening of Measured Light, a sublime solo exhibition by Ellison Bay–based master photographer Daniel Anderson, on view in downtown Sturgeon Bay November 22, 2025 through March 28, 2026. Featuring 11 black and white landscapes, Measured Light inaugurates the museum’s newly reimagined Gerhard CF Miller Gallery, which has shifted to advancing contemporary art. The exhibition honors Anderson’s lifelong exploration of light, form, and precision, an artistic journey that bridges the darkroom and the digital studio with equal mastery. An opening reception will be held Friday, November 21, 2025, from 5 – 7 pm to celebrate the exhibition in tandem with the opening of Patrick Farrell | Ever After. Light refreshments will be served and live music will be provided by Craig Schultz.
Master photographer Daniel Anderson charts a lifelong arc from large format analog craft to exquisite digital control with unwavering clarity. Focused on landscape, whether vast vista, midground focus, or detailed study, his work celebrates the grandeur of natural space through tonal precision, compositional discipline, and deep reverence for light. Across more than fifty years of pursuit, Anderson has refined a vision that bridges the alchemy of the darkroom with the refined control of the digital studio. His black and white landscapes transform the natural world into a study of structure and stillness, each tonal shift deliberate, every highlight precisely tuned.