Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (April 7, 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 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.
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.
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 mkimball@millerartmuseum.org 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.