Young Artists, Big Ideas: A Celebration of Student Creativity in Downtown Sturgeon Bay
May 23, 2025—The Miller Art Museum is honored to announce the acquisition of Sabbath at Sea (1991), a major oil painting by the late celebrated Door County artist Charles L. “Chick” Peterson (American, 1927–2022), into its permanent collection. The work, a masterful evocation of reverence and reflection aboard a Grand Banks schooner, was generously donated by Janet and Peter Nixon and stands as a significant addition to the museum’s holdings of Peterson’s work and legacy.
The painting is currently on view in downtown Sturgeon Bay as the centerpiece of Magnus Opus: Masters of the Figure from the Permanent Collection, a special anniversary exhibition featuring more than 20 works from the collection that honors five decades of the museum’s work collecting, curating, and celebrating the visual arts in Door County. Guest Curator Suzanne Rose reflects on "Sabbath at Sea" as a masterwork of quiet conviction, underscoring Peterson’s lifelong commitment to craft, observation, and narrative. The painting anchors Magnus Opus, which highlights the figure not just as subject, but as an enduring artistic practice. Rose describes the exhibition as a celebration of mastery born from repetition and devotion—a tribute to artists who return again and again to the human form in pursuit of truth and empathy.
“This is a landmark moment for the Miller Art Museum,” said Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead. “Sabbath at Sea not only reflects the profound artistic vision of our friend Chick, a foundational figure in our organization and the regional art community, but it also fulfills his expressed wish that the Miller Art Museum serve as the repository for his life’s work. We are deeply honored to steward this legacy into the future.”
Painted in June 1991, Sabbath at Sea debuted in the prestigious Mystic International Exhibition at Mystic Seaport Museum’s Maritime Gallery in Connecticut, where it received the Thomas M. Hoyne III Award for best painting in the Grand Banks fishing category. Juror William F. Buckley praised the work as having “an almost palpable sense of piety.”
At its heart, the painting depicts a moment of quiet worship aboard a fishing schooner: over a dozen sailors gathered on deck for Sunday scripture. There is no storm, no spectacle—only stillness, intention, and the dignity of pause. Peterson, a seasoned sailor himself, drew from a lifetime of nautical knowledge, extensive visual research, and a profound personal ethos: that truth in art emerges through study, labor, and emotional fidelity.
“Inspiration comes from work,” Peterson wrote. That belief animates not only this painting, but his entire career. The museum has paired Sabbath at Sea with his sketchbook from the period between 1989-1991 that depicts preliminary sketches of the piece, which has been graciously loaned by the artist's family. The sketches illuminate Peterson’s artistic process, providing visitors with a rare glimpse into the rigorous and reflective practices behind his finished works.
Donors Janet and Peter Nixon shared the following reflection:
“We purchased the painting Sabbath at Sea at the beginning of COVID-19 and hung it over our mantel where it provided great solace during those uncertain and frightening months, reflecting, as William F. Buckley said, ‘an almost palpable sense of piety!’ We had the privilege to speak with Chick before his passing, who shared the inspiration for the painting: a mysterious intervention during a WWII Pacific crossing. It was a profound moment for him and remains so for us.”
Wisconsin Fiber Artist Mary Burns and Regional Figurative Masters Take Center Stage in Downtown Sturgeon Bay in Exhibits Opening May 24, 2025
May 15, 2025—The Miller Art Museum is pleased to announce the opening of Women and Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World, a compelling exhibition by Wisconsin fiber artist Mary Burns, opening May 24, 2025. This exhibition, featuring 29 handwoven Jacquard portraits, is guest curated by Wisconsin artist and photographer Suzanne Rose, and 
celebrates women from around the globe who are dedicated to water advocacy, science, and stewardship. An artist reception is scheduled for Friday, May 30, 2025, from 5 – 7 pm to celebrate the opening of the exhibit and Magnus Opus: Masters of the Figure from the Permanent Collection, featured concurrently on the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine. The event is free and open to the public.
Magnus Opus: Masters of the Figure from the Permanent Collection, a special exhibition honoring the museum’s 50th anniversary, features a curated selection of figurative works by Rose, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, that includes a stunning new acquisition by the late celebrated maritime artist Charles L. Peterson (1927-2022). The oil painting, titled Sabbath at Sea, will be featured along with work by other celebrated regional artists including James J. Ingwersen (1929-2025), Lester W. Bentley (1908-1972), William Mueller, Shirley Darch (b. 1950), Robert C. Heuel II (1919-2009), Emmett Johns (b. 1940), Willard H. Kolstad (1960-2023), and Robert Leibold (1926-2013). Together, these exhibitions offer a dynamic curatorial dialogue between global and regional perspectives on the figure and legacy.
April 18, 2025 – The Miller Art Museum proudly announced the student award recipients of the 51st Annual Salon of Door County High School Art during a free public reception held on April 7, 2025. The celebratory event recognized the creative accomplishments of young artists ages 14 – 18 years from all five Door County 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, honoring the creativity demonstrated across the nearly 150 works on view. Certificates of Excellence, Honorable Mention awards, and the Rericha Legacy Award were presented by Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead during the event, all highlighting outstanding artistic achievement.
Image credit left to right: Ombeline Finck, Untitled, charcoal (GHS, grade 12); Rowan Ploor, Rabbit, mixed media (SBHS, grade 10), Anna Massart, Dancing in the Kitchen, mixed media (SDHS, grade 11); Corbin Kellerman, Lines, acrylic (WIHS, grade 10), and Angeni Herula, XXX Tentacion, oil pastel (GHS, grade 11).
March 29, 2025 – The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay is excited to announce the opening of its 51st 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 5, 2025, with a celebratory reception honoring the young artists on Monday, April 7, 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, this year features the work of 114 young artists from schools on the Door Peninsula. Working with their art teachers, the students demonstrate creativity, enthusiasm, and technical ability across diverse media, ranging from painting to sculpture, drawing, and photography. This year’s exhibit will feature 122 pieces from students attending Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, and Washington Island High Schools.
February 20, 2025—The Miller Art Museum is honored to announce that it has been awarded a Creation and Presentation grant in the amount of $3,000 from the Wisconsin Arts Board for the fiscal year 2025. The grant program provides artistic program and operational support to established nonprofit arts organizations whose primary mission is to create or present ongoing arts programming that significantly impacts the cultural life of Wisconsin.
The Creation and Presentation Program is designed to sustain the vitality of Wisconsin's arts sector by supporting organizations that demonstrate strong operations, stable management, and high artistic quality. By investing in these institutions, the Wisconsin Arts Board ensures that communities across the state have access to enriching artistic experiences.
“The visual arts are essential to a thriving, healthy, and vibrant community,” said Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, executive director. “This grant supports our vital programming and contributes to ensuring the visual arts and the creative history of the Peninsula remain a vital part of our lives here in Door County. We are incredibly grateful for the support, which strengthens our ability to connect artists and community.”