CLICK TO DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM! (Sturgeon Bay, WI) – November 20, 2020 — The Miller Art Museum is pleased to partner with the Door County Library to offer a visual arts component for the 2021 NEA Big Read program, which will focus on the novel titled Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel. The museum is seeking participation from the community to create works of art in response to the book that contemplates art in a post-pandemic America. Free copies of the books will be available starting on November 27 at all Door County Library branches (while supplies last), and also on Infosoup.org in regular print, large print, and audiobook, along with Overdrive/Libby (e-book). The Libraries are currently operating with restricted access so patrons are asked to call their local branch to schedule a pickup appointment. The free copies are made possible with support from the Door County Library Foundation and The Friends of Door County Libraries.
Station Eleven examines humanity’s struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. A desire for art and culture endures even among the direst of circumstances. In the novel, a Museum of Civilization serves as a fun collection of items for the young and nostalgic reminders of the past for the old. It is unofficially founded at the Severn City Airport when stranded airline passengers collect passports, electronics (cellphones, laptops), credit cards, newspapers, and other items rendered obsolete by civilization’s collapse after the Georgia flu outbreak. Survivors travel to the airport to trade or add items to the museum, reflect on the past, and educate children who were born after the pandemic. At one point the curator observes, “There seemed to be a limitless number of objects in the world that had no practical use but that people wanted to preserve.” (258) Thus, the museum serves its purpose by paying tribute to the pre-pandemic world, teaching children about humankind’s achievements and history, and offering survivors a haven for their nostalgia. What remains, not surprisingly in the wake of the flu devastating the world’s population, is art. It will endure as long as humanity does, and humanity will endure so long as art does. Because “survival is insufficient.”
“There is so much irony in the chosen book, which was selected far in advance of the onset of COVID-19, and some uncanny parallels to our lives at the present moment,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, Miller Art Museum executive director. “We’re excited to partner with the Door County Library and strengthen our partnership in this capacity by offering a unique avenue for interpretation of the book.”
(Sturgeon Bay, WI) – November 11, 2020 – The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay announced today that it will transition operations to an appointment-only model beginning on Thursday, November 12, 2020, in an effort to mitigate the spread of the surging coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Door County. The announcement came ahead of Governor Tony Evers announcement of Executive Order #94 yesterday and after the decision was made by the Door County Board of Supervisors to restrict access to County buildings and facilities in their Tuesday, November 10 meeting. The restrictions will be in place through the New Year or Thursday, December 31, 2020.
“With the spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks across the State and in our community here in Door County, these new restrictions put in place by the County are precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our community and to help mitigate the virus’ spread,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, executive director. “The cultural sector has been greatly affected by the onset and changing circumstances of COVID-19 and we will continue to work to the best of our ability to ensure access to the museum despite the restrictions.”
Visitors are encouraged to call the Miller Art Museum office at (920) 746-0707 to schedule an appointment for their visit. On view through Saturday, December 26 is Winter's Spring: An Ältere Garten by Leslie Iwai, which features nearly 30 works by Wisconsin installation artist Leslie Iwai and explores the connection between elders and youth with vibrant colors and sculptural creations, which unfold a joyful, metaphoric garden. To coincide with Winter’s Spring, the second floor Ruth Morton Mezzanine features botanical and aviary drawings and paintings from the permanent collection as an extension of Iwai’s garden. The museum will continue to provide programming virtually.
August 20, 2020 – The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay is set to open a new exhibition 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.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Sturgeon Bay, WI)—July 17, 2020 – The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay, which has remained closed to the public since March 18, will reopen its doors after a 4-month closure due to COVID-19, with limited hours beginning on Monday, July 27. The reopening, with new safety protocol in place, also marks the debut of new summer exhibitions: The Mavericks: John Colt, Kenn Kwint and Theodore Czebotar in the Permanent Collection in the main gallery and selections from the permanent collection on the second-floor galleries of the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine that highlight central genres traditional in nature, including portraiture, still life and black and white photography. Large-scale watercolor and egg tempera paintings highlight some of founder Gerhard Miller’s preferred subjects, including shorelines, forest floors, maritime and Door County homesteads.
The Mavericks: John Colt, Kenn Kwint and Theodore Czebotar in the Permanent Collection provides visitors the opportunity to see works that have never been displayed publicly by Wisconsin artists John Colt, Kenn Kwint and Theodore Czebotar. The collection consists of nearly 40 works that were gifted in 2019 by the Kohler Foundation Inc. of Sheboygan and offers viewers a meaningful representation of each of the individual artists and their careers.
“Traditionally our collecting focus has been on Wisconsin artists,” explains Miller Curator Helen del Guidice. “From that standpoint, this gift is particularly meaningful and exciting for us. Some of the works add to our existing holdings as is the case with John Colt, but other works provide us with the opportunity to introduce new, historically significant and influential regional artists with our audiences here in Door County and throughout the greater Northeast Wisconsin region. The new acquisitions by Colt, in particular, will allow us to better highlight the artist’s growth and changes from different points of his career. The gift also included several of the artist’s sketchbooks, which offer insights into the development of his work and will also be on display,” del Guidice continued.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Sturgeon Bay, WI) – July 17, 2020 – It’s an exceptional opportunity—and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some—for a student to have artwork displayed in an art museum and to be given the opportunity for celebration that is afforded through such a platform. This year, the Miller Art Museum celebrated their 46th year of showcasing the creative talent of Peninsula youth in their annual Salon of Door County High School Art.
The exhibit, which was scheduled to open in May with a reception and accompanying awards ceremony, was canceled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and presented online instead with the help of Curat10n, a London-based firm who built a virtual gallery that replicates the Miller Art museum. Viewers can experience the museum virtually through their computers and personal devices and see nearly 200 works by 103 students from students in grades 9 – 12 from the 2019-20 academic year, pre COVID-19, who attend school at the Peninsula’s five high schools—Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, and Washington Island. The exhibition can be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3fgFlmT.
“This year’s exhibition, by and far, was momentous in that it was not at all like any other student exhibition we have ever presented,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead. “The circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 closure required us to change course swiftly and we couldn’t be more pleased with the end result. I’m thrilled to announce this year’s award winners and recognize all student participants—the final product is something each student should be proud of and use as a means to further their creative pursuits.”
In total, 10 awards will be distributed. Award winners will receive their cash prize and recognition letter through the mail, which has been made possible through the generosity of sponsors John and Kathy Campbell, the Cordon Family Foundation, Dennis and Bonnie Connolly, Miriam Erickson, the Family of Glenn Gerber, Jacksonport Women’s Club, Carl and Ruth Scholz, Michael and Barbara Sweeney, The Townsend Foundation and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts and in-kind support from Third Avenue Playhouse.
Award of Excellence ($100 cash award) recipients are:
- Isabelle Vartanian (Grade 12, Gibraltar High School)
- Sophia Abel (Grade 10, Sevastopol High School)
- Annika LaLuzerne (Grade 12, Southern Door High School)
- Claire Tellstrom (Grade 12, Sturgeon Bay High School)
- Joseph Lux (Grade 9, Washington Island High School)
Honorable Mention ($50 cash award) recipients are:
- Eva Armbruster (Grade 12, Gibraltar High School)
- Jacob Anderson (Grade 10, Sevastopol High School)
- Abigail Neubauer (Grade 12, Southern Door High School)
- Katie Frank (Grade 12, Sturgeon Bay High School)
- Spencer Johnson (Grade 9, Washington Island High School)
Each year since the museum’s inception, many thousands of students in Door County have been given the opportunity to have their talents celebrated and recognized through this annual student exhibit. More information about the exhibit can be found here.