2025 Wisconsin Craft Member
Biennial Exhibition
March 7 - April 25, 2025
Gallery 10 North, Plymouth Art Center - Plymouth, WI

We are excited to announce our Spring Biennial Member Exhibition is scheduled at Gallery 110 North in Plymouth, WI in the Plymouth Art Center!

A Call for Art has opened and applications will be accepted from October 3, 2024 - January 3, 2025.

Time to start planning what you might want to submit to our Member Exhibition! 

Learn More

Local artists are gearing up to open their studios to the public this weekend. It’s called MKE STUDIO TOUR. Twenty-two studio locations will be open throughout Milwaukee County.

In today’s Steph Connects, Steph takes us to the studio of a local quilt artist. Rosy Petri - Tour Stop 6, gives us a little taste of her North Side studio and her creative process. Petri describes her artistry as multi-disciplinary. That quilting journey is where we begin our connection.

Watch Interview

Listen to Radar Hess of Audacy Radio and 99.1 The Mix, chat with Jean Wells and Kyle Hendrix, both artists participating in the MKE Studio Tour talk about what you can encounter on the upcoming MKE Studio Tour!

20 minute interview
Listen Now

MKE Studio Tour: https://mkestudiotour.com
Saturday, September 30th & Sunday, October 1st, 2023

MKE Studio Tour
September 30 & October 1 - 10 AM - 5 PM Both Days

Join us for the MKE Studio Tour, a unique and self-guided journey that celebrates creativity and craftsmanship in Milwaukee County! Discover 67 artists at 22 tour stops showcasing exquisite handcrafted items for sale. Invite a friend for this fun filled weekend where ou will get the chance to meet artists in a relaxed atmosphere. Take a break to enjoy your favorite lunch spot, and then continue the tour, immersing yourself in the creative process and forging meaningful connections with the artists.

Tour Map and more information available at:

 MKE Studio Tour

MORNING GLORY ART FAIR
RETURNS AUGUST 12-13

Wisconsin Craft Presents Event to Support

Independent Artists 

MILWAUKEE (June 7, 2023) -- Exquisite pottery, mesmerizing photography, intricate woodwork, dazzling necklaces, whimsical sculpture and other beautifully crafted pieces will once again appear in Deer District as part of the Morning Glory Art Fair. The 48^th annual event brings together talented artists from Wisconsin and eight other states, August 12-13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., on thePlaza at Fiserv Forum, 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave, Milwaukee. 

The Morning Glory Art Fair is one of the area’s premier outdoor art events where 130 artists from near and far showcase their creations in 15 categories, including ceramics, digital art, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, wood and more. Each artist is individually juried into the fair, based on a committee review of their portfolio. The stringent review process ensures the highest level of fine craft and art are presented at Morning Glory.  

Morning Glory is free and open to the public and is hosted by Wisconsin Craft, one of the oldest fine craft organizations in the country. 

“Art can truly lift the mind, body and soul,” says Jean Wells, president of Wisconsin Craft. “Our organization is dedicated to making art accessible to all and to supporting the professional artists who create the pieces that enrich our lives.”

As part of its focus on supporting artists, each year Wisconsin Craft presents two signature events – Morning Glory Art Fair and MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour. The organization also offers an online directory so buyers can easily purchase signature items from more than 75 artists.

Photo Caption: The Morning Glory Art Fair takes place August 12-13 at Deer District’s Plaza at Fiserv Forum.

For more information on the Morning Glory Art Fair, visit MorningGloryArtFair.com. To become a Morning Glory volunteer, please Click Here.

For more information on Wisconsin Craft, visit wisconsincraft.org. For details on the MKE Studio Tour visit mkestudiotour.org.

2023 WI Craft Member Biennial Exhibition: Regeneration

Join us on Friday, March 31 from 5 - 7 pm for the Opening Celebration at The Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI!

Members, we also invite you to join us at 4:00 PM for our Annual Membership Meeting.  Register Here to let us know if you can attend the meeting.

Social media workshops are also taking place from Noon - 3:30. You can still Register to Participate Here.

The Center for the Visual Arts (CVA) is one of the leading cultural institutions in Central Wisconsin, with four professional gallery spaces featuring eighteen exhibits annually, a reputable school of art and a juried gallery shop. The CVA was founded and incorporated in l982 by a group of community members and artists who wanted to promote creativity and enhance the education and appreciation of the visual arts in Wausau.  

WI Craft is excited to have this opportunity for our members to show their work to a wider audience in the Central and Northern regions of WI.  

The theme of “Regeneration” was chosen to highlight the regeneration of the oldest arts organization in the state as WI Craft. Additionally, the changes in our members’ personal and professional lives over the last several years have led to renewed sense of purpose and/or new directions in many of their individual art practices. Artists are encouraged to submit artwork that reflects ways in which they have regenerated their work or practices since our last Biennial in 2020.

Awards:  First, Second and Third Place cash awards will be announced at the opening, along with Honorable Mention awards chosen at the judge’s discretion.

WI Craft is happy to announce the selection of jurors for the 2023 Biennial Members Exhibition, “Regeneration”, to be held March 24 to May 27, 2023, at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. We have also selected our Awards Judge.

2023 Exhibition Jurors:

Cynthia Hayes 

Cynthia Hayes, who served as the Awards Judge for the 2018 Biennial at the Plymouth Arts Center, earned a BFA from UW-Milwaukee and MFA from Michigan State University.  She has been a faculty member at the UWM Peck School of the Arts since 1988, teaching courses in drawing and figure drawing, as well as 2D, color theory and painting.  Cynthia has also studied the art and architecture of India through Oxford University and has traveled extensively in India, Bhutan and Thailand in recent years, creating a series of work based on her travels and studies. Cynthia's Facebook Page

Shana McCaw

Shana McCaw, the Awards Judge for the 2020 Biennial at the Plymouth Arts Center, is an artist-curator with over twenty years experience researching, teaching and working in the Milwaukee area.  In addition to her experience as the former Senior Curator at the Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Art Museums, Shana’s past projects include curating and directing the Northwestern Mutual Gallery at Cardinal Stritch University, assisting in the design and installation of five exhibitions in partnership with the Chipstone Foundation at the Milwaukee Art Museum and teaching 3-D design and sculpture a UW-Milwaukee, MIAD and Cardinal Stritch University. Shana has developed an internationally recognized art practice with her husband and collaborator, Brent Budsberg, McCaw/Budsberg Collabortions.  

As past Awards Judges, both our jurors are familiar with the wide range of diverse work being created by our members and we are looking forward to another outstanding selection of Fine Craft for the upcoming Biennial.

2023 Awards Juror:

Elaina Johann

Elaina Johann received a Master of Arts Management (2020) from Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and a Bachelor of Fine Art (2015) in Painting from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in Milwaukee, WI. From 2015 to 2018, Elaina was one of eight members of After School Special, an artist collective that fostered community engagement through nontraditional art events and provided opportunities for under recognized, socially engaged young artists. Elaina resides in Wausau, WI where she works at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and makes artwork from her home studio. 

The artist application deadline is January 31, 2023.  You can view and download the complete prospectus at: https://wisconsincraft.org/2023-Biennial-Prospectus

Please direct any questions you might have regarding the Prospectus to:

Kathleen Eggert, Artist Coordinator, at eggertglassart@gmail.com

Sincerely,
The WI Craft Biennial Committee 

"REGENERATION" - WI CRAFT Biennial 2023

March, 24 - May 27, 2023 - The Center for Visual Arts, Wausau, WI

Application Deadline January 31,2023

Application Fee: $30 for up to three entries

The theme of “Regeneration” was chosen to highlight the regeneration of the oldest arts organization in the state as WI Craft. Additionally, the changes in our members’ personal and professional lives over the last several years have led to renewed sense of purpose and/or new directions in many of their individual art practices. 

Artists are encouraged to submit artwork that reflects ways in which they have regenerated their work or practices since our last Biennial in 2020.

The Center for the Visual Arts (CVA) is one of the leading cultural institutions in Central Wisconsin, with four professional gallery spaces featuring eighteen exhibits annually, a reputable school of art, and a juried gallery shop. The CVA was founded and incorporated in 1982 by a group of community members and artists who wanted to promote creativity and enhance the education and appreciation of the visual arts in Wausau.

Learn More

Thanks WISN 12 NEWS for hosting us on the morning new program on September 25, 2022!

Kate McLauglin from McLaughlin & Hayes Millinery and Jean Wells from Jean's Clay Studio and current President of Wisconsin Craft were interviewed about the MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour next weekend. We hope you can get out and explore some of the artists on the Tour!

Watch Now

Wisconsin Craft presents
MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour

Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

14 Various Locations around Milwaukee County

Grab a friend, the map and your phone to start planning your route for our
4th Annual MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour!
 

Explore Milwaukee County while visiting 14 artist studios in neighborhoods spanning Brown Deer, Shorewood, Wauwatosa, Historic Concordia, Bay View and South Milwaukee. Studios will also be featuring guests artists for a total of 40 participating artists!

Map and Artist Information