(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.

Appointment only hours web banner“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 2020 Juried Annual opening invite webregion, 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.

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.

2020 SoHSA award winners1

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Sturgeon Bay, WI)—June 26, 2020 – The Miller Art Museum in downtown Sturgeon Bay announced today that it will be accepting donations for its late summer Art & Treasures Sale starting on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The fundraiser was initially set to take place from August 1 – 15 but due to the rapidly changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, event organizers are expecting a reduced schedule, which will be announced as more details emerge regarding the status of the pandemic. The museum is closely monitoring and will take all proper precautions to ensure the safety of the community.

“This fundraiser in particular impacts our ability to carry out our mission and our programming,” says Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead. “We, like everyone else, are pivoting from our usual mode of operations to ensure we are compliant with all recommended safety guidelines—the biggest will be a change in location from inside the museum to the former Healthy Way building located at 142 S. 3rd Avenue. This will allow us the space needed for social distancing and proper quarantining of donations as they arrive. We’re hopeful for a successful fundraiser in our 15th year this year despite the pandemic. The time has allowed many to clear clutter and organize while the Stay at Home order was in effect; with that, we’re hoping that the community will consider the Miller Art Museum as a home for their items which supports a continued presence for the visual arts in our community here in Sturgeon Bay.”

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