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.