Young Artists, Big Ideas: A Celebration of Student Creativity in Downtown Sturgeon Bay
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.
“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.”
The April 7 reception will provide an opportunity for student artists, their families, educators, and the public to come together in celebration of this special exhibition. Light refreshments will be served, and attendees will have the chance to engage with the young artists. The event is open to all—students, families, guests, and the general public. Awards will be presented at 7:30 pm; Certificates of Participation will be presented to all participants by their respective art teachers and will be followed with the presentation of Awards of Excellence and Honorable Mention by the Miller Art Museum. Additionally, $100 cash awards will be presented to each high school art department. One student from Sevastopol High School will be awarded the Mr. Rericha Legacy Award, also a $100 cash prize. Jim Rericha was a longtime beloved art teacher and theater director at Sevastopol High School 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.
“We hope the community will join us to celebrate and elevate the voices of Door County’s young emerging artists at our upcoming reception.” Gigstead continued. “Providing opportunities to young people was near and dear to Gerhard Miller’s heart, and it’s heartwarming we can continue to honor his legacy through this exhibit, especially in this momentous year for the museum.”
The 51st Annual Salon of Door County High School Art will remain on view through Saturday, May 17, 2025. Admission to both the reception and exhibition is free and open to the public.
Participating artists in this year’s salon include, from Washington Island High School: Kinsey DeJardin, Fisher Grandy, Corbin Kellerman, Madelyn Kellerman, Cydney Kickbush, Jaxin Lindgren, Jocelyn Mann, Teagan McGrane, Emily Nickchen, and Thomas Pratt; from Southern Door: Angie Kraemer, Charlotte Bloniarz, Layna Bosman, Claire Cmeyla, Marshall Cornette, Samuel Gebhardt, Jacobe Jonni, Addison Kluge, Anna Massart, Emma Moyer, Marisa Pitzen, Miya Sanchez-Gutierrez, Audrie Schley, Marissa Shefchik, Daylia Sund, Ana Torres Muniz, and Anna Wills; from Sturgeon Bay High School: Tiviana Andropolis, Jordis Brilla, Ryan Felhofer, Kaylus Ferrer, Sid Forest, Axel Howard, Heather Hubbard, Izzy Jimenez-Seyfer, Regan Kasten, Eli Klug, Hayden Luders, Malaya Martinez, Jaden McAfee, Garet Meleen, Spencer Miller, Evan Newman, Rowan Ploor, Claire Quaderer, Raven Rathmann, Malia Rothrock, Noelia Sanchez-Rodriguez, Anika Steinbach, and Mack Teska; from Sevastopol High School: Rayna Apsey, Kasey Bittorf, Hailey Bosman, Lily Daoust, Lucas Delsart, Paige Eicher, Caitlyn Fellner, Victoria Fiscus, Elizabeth Flok, Landon Frank, Carson Gaida, Anna Gallardo-Ibarra, Zackary Genske, Paulie Gnabasik, Amolia Jefferson, Darrel Lautenbach, Cora Maccoux, Rachel Rock, Gianna Roman, Nathan Sansom, Lilly Sawyer, Kylie Sikorsky, Liliahna Snyder, Pitipavit Tancharoen, Aaron Thomas, Isabella Wadkins, and Ruth Wilke; from Gibraltar High School: Noah Adler, Elizabeth Batista, Sonya Benzow, Lauren Bertges, Dasia Daubner, Isla Fagundes, Ombeline Finck, Megan Gallant, Emilie Glocke, Aaron Greene, Angeni Herula, Lauren Lautenbach, Alice Nelson, Lily Nostvick, Finn Salm, Jacquy Sandoval, Berkely Schwab, McCartney Schwab, Rose Stackhouse, and Molly Virlee.
The exhibition is presented with support from presenting sponsors Dennis and Bonnie Connolly, Hermke and Elke Timm, and the following supporting sponsors: Artists Guild LLC, John and Kathy Campbell, Chris Cramer, the Jacksonport Women’s Club, Barb and Mike Madden, the MMG Foundation, Peninsula School of Art, and Ruth Scholz with additional grant and in-kind support from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.