In celebration of Expanding Perspectives by Mauree Childress and Door County Through the Eyes of Joseph Friebert and Betsy Ritz Friebert, an opening reception is scheduled for Friday, June 2 from 5:30 - 7pm. The reception is free and open to the public; music will be provided by Craig Schultz and Mike Miller and light refreshments will be served. The two new exhibitions open to the public on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10am.
Expanding Perspectives presents 35 artworks by Milwaukee-based artist Mauree Childress whose artwork magnifies issues of social equity for women and people living with disabilities. As a person living with a physical disability these two subjects have been, and continue to be, the focus of the artist’s sustained activism.
1. Mauree Childress, Homage Teacher, acrylic. 2. Mauree Childress, Yikes!, acrylic on dyed canvas. 3. Mauree Childress, Dreaming of the WASP, acrylic on dyed canvas.
A lifelong Wisconsinite, Childress received her degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse. She spent the early years of her career teaching, which preceded a 30-year period in television advertising. She went on to serve in development roles with the American Red Cross and later the Neville Public Museum Foundation in Green Bay. Now retired, she creates in her fully accessible home in Milwaukee and is actively engaged as a docent for the Milwaukee Art Museum where she contributes to Docent Learning Community workshops and Art for All, a docent committee dedicated to developing and promoting strategies and behaviors that encourage inclusivity for all visitors.
Childress’ Strong Women series, featured in the main gallery, presents paintings that highlight women who have contributed to making a difference. The series recognizes the importance of everyday women, who perform the necessary work to make our society function. From the 1942 machinist who worked in the factory during WWII to the 2021 essential worker, whose collective efforts in resilience saw the nation through the global COVID-19 pandemic, the series pays homage to the contribution of women’s work across history.
“I am interested in the everyday lives of people who push equality forward and expand our perspectives,” Childress states. “Since I was a young woman, I have been passionate about gender equality and women's rights.”
A collection of works in the west gallery on the main floor depict a variety of day-to-day experiences through the lens of people living with disabilities. These paintings invite the viewer to understand with a newly expanded perspective. The paintings are accompanied by a series of “groundscapes” that showcase the beauty and challenges of living with a mobile disability.
In 2013, Childress experienced an incomplete spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down. This forced her to transition her artistic practice from textiles, which required challenging physical ability, to painting and drawing. “Becoming disabled expanded my perspectives. I learned about the challenges of disability. I also discovered there is still value and beauty beyond, and through my artwork I portray aspects of my life. The groundscapes interpret and honor the often-overlooked precious ground we roll and walk on.”
Betsy Ritz Friebert, Man and Boats, Jacksonport, pen and ink, 1938. Joseph Friebert, Blue Landscape, gouache, 1966.
In tandem with Expanding Perspectives, museum visitors will have the opportunity to view Door County Through the Eyes of Joseph Friebert and Betsy Ritz Friebert featured on the second floor Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine. The exhibit specifically encompasses scenes of the Door Peninsula from distinguished Wisconsin artist Joseph Friebert (1908-2002) and the lesser-known but equally as important wife of Joseph, Betsy Ritz Friebert (1910-1963). 24 paintings and drawings and three sketchbooks created during their visits to Door County in 1937 and 1938 will be featured. Additional paintings made on later visits to the region will also be highlighted.
Joseph Friebert is widely considered one of Wisconsin’s most influential artists, whose 70-year career includes serving on the art faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1946-1976. The artist continued to work in his studio every day well into his 90s, creating artwork in a variety of media, including watercolor, drawing, and printmaking.
Friebert is best known for his Social Realist compositions depicting the human condition and the plight of the midwestern, urban industrial workers in the interwar period of the 1930s-1940s. His early work expresses a brooding quality that extends to his views of both Wisconsin’s rural landscapes and its cityscapes, dating to a deeply troubled period in world history.
During this period, Friebert and his wife, Betsy, made several creative sojourns to Door County, where together they rented a cabin in Jacksonport, interacted with The Clearing Folk School in Ellison Bay, and practiced painting and drawing en plein air.
“The exhibition offers the viewer a new perspective on the life and ambitions of Joseph Friebert and spotlights how Door County has contributed to the career of this important, historic Wisconsin artist,” says Curator of Exhibitions Helen del Guidice. “It is a great privilege to be exhibiting these works and share with our audiences how his master techniques traversed his subjects.”
The exhibit also honors a donation of several of the Friebert artworks to the Miller Art Museum’s permanent collection through the generosity of the Joseph and Betsy Ritz Friebert Family Partnership.
EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMMING
MEMBER AND VOLUNTEER PREVIEW TOUR
Friday, June 2 | 4 – 5pm
Join Curator of Exhibitions Helen del Guidice for an intimate guided tour prior to the exhibit opening to the public. Free with membership.
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, June 2 | 5:30 – 7pm
Celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions and enjoy light refreshments, and live music by Craig Schultz and Mike Miller. This event is free and open to the public.
EXHIBITION TOUR
Saturday, June 3 | 2 – 3pm
Meet Judith Friebert and Susan Friebert Rossen, daughters of Joseph Friebert and Betsy Ritz Friebert, as they stroll through the exhibit and share stories of Friebert family sketching trips to Door County. This tour is free and open to the public.
PANEL PRESENTATION: THE ARTIST'S LEGACY
Monday, June 5 | 5:30 – 7pm
This panel presentation, held in conjunction with Door County Through the Eyes of Joseph Friebert and Betsy Ritz Friebert and moderated by Curator Helen del Guidice, will explore the Friebert story, their place in Wisconsin art, and offer insight into the important work of preserving an artist’s legacy with Graeme Reid, Director of Exhibitions at MOWA, Susan Friebert Rossen, former publisher at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Liesel Testwuide, Senior Manager of Art Preservation at the Kohler Foundation. A Q&A session will follow the presentation. This event is free and open to the public.
THE STUDIO DOOR WITH MAUREE CHILDRESS
Friday, June 9 | 5:30 – 6:30pm
A free artist talk, led by the Miller Art Museum Curator Helen del Guidice, that explores the careers, studio practices, and inspirations of local and regional artists.
EXPANDING PERSPECTIVES: THE FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Saturday, June 10 | 1 – 2pm
Artist Mauree Childress will discuss the progression of women’s rights in the United States through a historical timeline, illustrated by her surrounding artwork in Expanding Perspectives. All ages are welcome. This event is free and open to the public.
EXHIBITION TOUR
Saturday, July 10 | 11am – Noon
Meet Susan Friebert Rossen in the museum’s main gallery where she will share stories about the works included in the exhibition. This tour is free and open to the public.
Exhibition support for Expanding Perspectives by Mauree Childress and Door County Through the Eyes of Joseph & Betsy Ritz Friebert has been provided by Dennis and Bonnie Connolly, George and Kristi Roenning, and The Townsend Foundation with in-kind and grant support from Third Avenue Play Works and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The exhibitions will be on view at the Miller Art Museum, located in downtown Sturgeon Bay, through Saturday, July 15, 2023.
The museum is located within the Door County Library at 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay. Hours are Monday 10 am - 7 pm and Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 5 pm. Closed Sunday. Admission is free; an elevator is available to access galleries on the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine. For more information about the exhibits or the museum, call (920) 746-0707 or visit www.millerartmuseum.org. Find the museum on Instagram at @MillerArtMuseum or Facebook at Miller Art Museum.
The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay announced at a free public reception held Monday evening April 17, the award winners for the 49th Annual Salon of Door County High School Art, on display now through Saturday, May 27, 2023. The multi-media exhibition features original artwork by 116 students in grades 9 – 12 from the 2022-23 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 or Honorable Mention were announced and presented by Museum Curator Helen del Guidice during the reception. Awards of Excellence, a $100 cash prize, were presented to: Lilly Cihlar (Sturgeon Bay), Victoria Fiscus (Sevastopol), Joseph Lux (Washington Island), Emily Purdy (Southern Door), and Gwendolyn Sohns (Gibraltar).
Six $50 Honorable Mention awards were presented to Dasia Daubner (Gibraltar), Rayna Hoffman (Sturgeon Bay), Anna Ibarra-Gallardo (Sevastopol), Dezaray LeRoy (Southern Door), and Rita Valentincic (Washington Island).
Image Credit: 49th Annual Salon of Door County High School Art award winners pictured from left to right: Rayna Hoffman (Honorable Mention, Sturgeon Bay), Victoria Fiscus (Award of Excellence, Sevastopol), Anna Ibarra-Gallardo (Honorable Mention, Sevastopol), Joseph Lux (Award of Excellence, Washington Island), Gwendolyn Sohns (Award of Excellence, Gibraltar), Emily Purdy (Award of Excellence, Southern Door), and Dezaray LeRoy (Honorable Mention, Southern Door).
In addition to cash prizes, the museum, through a generous financial gift from the Cramer Family Fund in memory of long-time art supporter Tricia Cramer, provided awardees certificates for art supplies from the Artists Guild in Sturgeon Bay and instruction to further their individual artistic endeavors through workshops at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek.
Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead had the honor of presenting Sevastopol High School sophomore Amolia Jefferson with the Mr. Rericha Legacy Award, a $100 cash prize, for her work titled “Hot Buttered Toast.” Mr. Rericha was a longtime art teacher and theater director at Sevastopol who had a significant impact on the lives of those he taught and mentored; he passed away in September 2022 and an anonymous financial gift made the establishment of the award possible.
Image credit: Miller Art Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead congratulates Amolia Jefferson (Sevastopol) as she receives the inaugural Mr. Rericha Legacy Award.
“I am not alone in saying that he was one of the best,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, executive director. “He was an incredible artist in his own right, with a quirky sense of humor, and a mentor and friend to all the students whose lives he deeply touched, including mine. It was an exceptional honor to select and present Molly with this award; her work embodies the characteristics, most prominently a hint of whimsy, that Jim so loved. I hope this award provides motivation for the chosen student to continue pursuing art, just as Mr. Rericha always pushed his students to do¬¬.”
In addition to the student awards, the museum also presented monetary awards to each high school art department, made possible through gifts from the Cramer Family Fund and DCAL. DCAL was a longstanding coalition of artists and art lovers who were committed to promoting the creative arts in Door County and supporting each other through mentoring, exhibitions, workshops, and fellowship. Upon the dissolution of that organization in 2016, the museum was gifted of a portion of these funds specifically so that it could serve as a conduit for the support of students through the exhibit.
The awards, unless otherwise stated, are given as recognition for achievements in art class, and have been made possible by the following exhibition sponsors: Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Door County Medical Center, and Hermke & Elke Timm with additional financial support provided by Blue Moon Framery, John and Katherine Campbell, Dennis and Bonnie Connolly, Chris Cramer, the Jacksonport Women’s Club, Barb and Mike Madden, and Ruth Scholz with in-kind and grant support from Third Avenue PlayWorks, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The 49th Annual Salon of Door County High School Art will be on view at the Miller Art Museum through Saturday, May 27, 2023.
The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay celebrates 49 years in 2023 of honoring Peninsula student artists with its 49th Annual Salon of Door County High School Art. The exhibition, opening on Saturday, April 15, showcases a variety of creative work from 116 students ranging in age from freshmen to seniors. A free public reception will be held on Monday, April 17 from 7 – 8:30 pm in celebration; the event is open to all—students, families, guests, and the general public—and light refreshments will be served.
Image Credit (left to right): Tia Marie LeMieux, Dancers; Joseph Lux, Carier; Hallie Henkel, What Do You See; Maddie Finger, Hand Study.
Remarks are scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm when art teachers will present Certificates of Participation to all student artists; the Miller Art Museum will present five Awards of Excellence and five Honorable Mentions, all cash awards. Accompanying the monetary awards, Awards of Excellence winners will receive certificates for the Peninsula School of Art courtesy of the Cramer Family Fund in memory of Tricia Cramer, a long-time supporter of the arts in Door County, and one Sevastopol High School student will be the presented a $100 cash award in memory of beloved art educator James Rericha. The presentation will conclude with each art department receiving a $100 cash award for the purchase of art supplies, a perpetuating gift made possible by the Door County Art League, which dissolved in 2016 after 30 years of providing instruction, networking, and exhibition opportunities throughout the Door to novice to professional artists.
For nearly fifty years, the Miller Art Museum has continued the tradition of providing a platform for celebrating the creativity of Door County’s young artists through this exhibit, a vision of museum founder Gerhard Miller, who championed the artistic work of young people in the Door County community. It was created in partnership with the County’s art educators and annually highlights an incredibly diverse range of media from 100+ students. This year’s exhibition features 164 imaginative and diverse works in a broad range of mediums from 116 students across the five partnering public schools: Sturgeon Bay, Southern Door, Sevastopol, Gibraltar, and Washington Island High Schools.
Image credit (left to right): Simon Hall, Portrait with Halo; Jacquy Sandoval, Birthday Picnic; Rita Valentincic, Embodiment of Me; Cameron Munao, Squishy.
In 2022, the museum took to further honor Gerhard’s vision by using the Salon as a vehicle to develop additional opportunities for young people to be involved with the museum, including the Alumni Exchange and Art Ambassadors Program.
“Our monthly meetings have been an awesome opportunity to see each student’s process up close, be witness to and encourage their developing styles, and support their involvement with new initiatives through events like the Sturgeon Bay Art Crawl,” says Education and Outreach Coordinator Marie Kimball. “M3, our satellite education space, is beginning to formulate a path of opportunities for creatives in our community, especially these young artists, and in the year ahead we look forward to engaging with them more deeply,” she continued. Anyone interested in supporting the Art Ambassadors Program or the Alumni Exchange is encouraged to reach out to Kimball at 920.746.0707 or for more information and to learn about mentor or volunteer opportunities.
“The support received from the community in the form of exhibition sponsorships makes this platform for honoring the accomplishments of young artists in our community a reality and we remain ever grateful for the continued community support,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, executive director. “It allows us a place to celebrate and promote their work and the exceptional art educators who work with them and encourage them day in and day out.”
The 49th Annual Salon of Door County High School Art is made possible with support from presenting exhibition sponsors Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Door County Medical Center, and Hermke & Elke Timm with additional financial support provided by John and Katherine Campbell, Dennis and Bonnie Connolly, Chris Cramer, the Jacksonport Women’s Club, Barb and Mike Madden, and Ruth Scholz with in-kind and grant support from Third Avenue Playworks and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Miller Art Museum, located inside the Door County Library’s Sturgeon Bay Branch at 107 S. 4th Avenue. Hours are Mondays 10 am – 7 pm and Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 5 pm. Closed Sunday. Admission is free but freewill donations are welcomed and encouraged; an elevator is available to access galleries on the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine. For more information call (920) 746-0707 or visit www.millerartmuseum.org or find the museum on Insta @MillerArtMuseum or on Facebook at Miller Art Museum.
EXHIBITION-FOCUSED PROGRAMMING
Member and Volunteer Preview Tour
Friday, April 14
4 – 5 pm
Location: Miller Art Museum | 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Awards Reception
Monday, April 17
7 – 8:30pm | Remarks and Awards at 7:30pm
Location: Miller Art Museum | 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
The Miller Art Museum will host a free, public artist reception featuring exhibiting artists Robert David Jinkins and Lee Mothes in conjunction with current exhibitions Horizon Line and Oceans and Beaches. The event will take place from 5:30 – 7 pm on Friday, March 3, and will be preceded by an in-depth conversation between Jinkins and Curator Helen del Guidice in The Studio Door from 4 – 5 pm. An audience Q&A will follow the conversation. Both events are free to attend and light refreshments will be served. Music during the reception will be provided by Craig Schultz.
Robert David Jinkins, a portrait of the artist next to his mixed media acrylic work, Harvesting the Winter Wheat.
The Studio Door will provide guests with a behind-the-scenes look at Horizon Line. Curator Helen del Guidice will discuss with Jinkins his philosophies, worldviews, and artistic practice behind the creation of the 17 large-scale paintings on display that the artist describes as “…A eulogy, in a traditional sense, to the inevitable passage of time, exploration of place, and an investigation of personal intergenerational narratives.
Jinkins, who is a Wisconsin native holding a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Wisconsin Platteville and a master's in fine art from Iowa State University, writes of his work, “… My pieces are labor intensive and take months to create—using an Apelles-inspired palette of natural earth tones, I use fine-hatching in graphite or delicate washes of acrylic, glazes of inks, traditional acrylics, and hand-mixed paints utilizing potters' pigments to create meticulous works...”
The artist’s panoramic, striking rural landscapes, inhabited by formidable characters, are depicted in a combination of American Regionalism and Surrealism, illustrating the artist’s admiration and reverence for his ancestral land. “The paintings are less idyllic and more forthright, about the rural environment and its proximity to life and death. Jinkins connects the perimeters of the paintings as an object to the panoramic storytelling, through long panels, diptychs, and triptychs, which provides the viewer a visceral sense of place,” says del Guidice. The exhibition is the first major museum exhibition for the artist.
Lee Mothes, a portrait of the artist next to his acrylic work, Pacifica Morning.
Horizon Line and Oceans and Beaches are supported, in part, by Barb and Mike Madden and a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibitions will be on display at the Miller Art Museum, located inside the Door County Library’s Sturgeon Bay Branch at 107 S. 4th Avenue through Monday, April 3, 2023. Hours are Mondays 10 am – 7 pm and Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 5 pm. Closed Sunday. Admission is free but freewill donations are welcomed and encouraged; an elevator is available to access galleries on the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine. For more information call (920) 746-0707 or visit www.millerartmuseum.org or find the museum on Insta @MillerArtMuseum or on Facebook at Miller Art Museum.
The Studio Door | Robert David Jinkins
Friday, March 3
4 – 5 pm
Location: Miller Art Museum | 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Artist Reception | Featuring Robert David Jinkins and Lee Mothes
Friday, March 3
5:30 – 7 pm
The Miller Art Museum is pleased to announce that the open call for applications for its third-year artist residency program is now open. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2023.
The Dome House Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist Residency was established in 2021 and has served three Midwest artists in its two inaugural years. If selected for the 2023 program, one artist will be provided with an 8-week opportunity to reside at the iconic Dome House, a twin-lobed (one side for a residence, the other for a studio) domed concrete structure built into sand dunes abutting Whitefish Dunes State Park and situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. The experience offers artists a unique respite from day-to-day life and the sights and sounds of nature provide a haven for the development of creative work, given the proximity to the parks and surrounding natural areas. The program is also a conduit for community engagement with a diverse offering of programming and events throughout the residency period. The resident artist is required to actively engage the public through outreach for a minimum of 5 hours per week, on or off-site. Midwest artists residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin can apply online at https://www.domehouseart.org/apply. The 2023 program is scheduled to run from August 1 - September 25, 2023.