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Wisconsin Designer Craft Council Starts Promotions in Light of Art Fair Cancelations Contact:  Jean Wells Board Chair, Wisconsin Designer Craft Council 414.651.0508 jean@jeansclaystudio.com For Immediate Release - April 27, 2020 -   Summer and fall are prime selling seasons for many fine craft artists.  With art fairs postponed and local shops closed due to the COVID emergency, the Wisconsin Designer Craft Council (WDCC), a statewide membership organization dedicated to fostering excellence in fine crafts, has responded with a new initiative to encourage supporting Wisconsin artists.   The WDCC  launched today “Shop Wisconsin Fine Crafts,”  an on-line shopping experience making it easier to buy from state-wide fine craft artisans.     Shop Wisconsin Fine Craft www.wdcc.org Mother’s Day Promotion   April 27 - May 10 Shop for Mom and Support Local Artists Shoppers can select from  jewelry (earrings, pins, necklaces, rings, bracelets), wooden jewelry boxes, ceramic mugs and bowls, gift cards, mixed media, leather bags, quilted table runners, and so much more.    All artists will donate a portion of their Mother’s Day Promotion sales to Arts Wisconsin, supporting state-wide arts organizations! WDCC Board Chair and Wisconsin Potter Jean Wells: “Our communities are responding positively to supporting artists and small businesses online. Many of our artists have had to hustle to make the switch to online sales; we hope the public will also make the switch to buying handmade online not only for quality gifts but also to support small business owners around the state.”  ### About the Wisconsin Designer Craft Council In existence since 1916, The Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council (WDCC) is a statewide membership organization dedicated to fostering excellence in fine crafts and making them more significant in the cultural life of Wisconsin.   WDCC hosts the annual Morning Glory Art Fair, a nationally-recognized juried exhibition attracting over a hundred fine craft artist, in Milwaukee     WDCC’s mission is to promote Wisconsin’s fine craft by: Providing public access to quality crafts through exhibitions, programs, and fairs. Sustaining appreciation for fine craft through educational outreach. Encouraging excellence in fine craft. Nurturing creative growth through an interchange of ideas. Supporting fellowship among Wisconsin’s craftspeople through the networking of members.

Most people are aware that the Democratic National Convention is coming to Milwaukee in July 2020. This is a great event and will bring thousands of people and millions of dollars to the city. The Milwaukee Bucks organization, owner of Fiserv Forum and the adjacent plaza where we held the 2019 Morning Glory Art Fair, were confident that there would be no impact on Morning Glory. What was not taken into consideration was the impact on many other large events in the city, and the need to reschedule them from their traditional times, to accommodate the DNC. Morning Glory finds itself losing our prime show space and being surrounded by potential competing activities.

Our primary concern of WDCC's Morning Glory is the success of our artists. After multiple meetings over the last weeks and discussion of all options, we were not able to develop a strategy that would work to host the Morning Glory Art Fair for this year. Accordingly, and with great reluctance, the Morning Glory Committee and the WDCC Board of Directors have made the difficult decision to not have a show in 2020.

Zapplication will refund artists who have submitted application and booth fees. Artists who were jury exempt for 2020 will be extended that status for 2021.

We are already planning for Morning Glory Art Fair 2021 at the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum for the weekend of August 14-15 and look forward to seeing you all then. In the meantime, we wish you a great season of success with your business and greatly appreciate your continued support.

Time to firm up your Wisconsin art fair plans!!!

WAAC Art Fair Off the Square .. Application deadline - March 2nd

Applications are now available on ZAPP for both the 41st Annual Art Fair Off the Square to be held July 11th and 12th and the 31st Annual Winter Art Fair Off the Square to be held on November 14th and 15th in Madison, Wisconsin.
These juried fairs are sponsored by the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt organization which promotes visual arts in Wisconsin.

"Makers & Masters.....Tradition in Transition"
Featuring pieces by 53 Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council members displaying the wide array of art being created in the Fine Craft fields from Wisconsin and the Mid-West.

Whether one is a fine craft artist through vocation or avocation, pursuing a career or a life enriching passion, the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council has served Wisconsin’s fine craft community for 104 years. In that time, the organization has changed and evolved, spurred by the needs of our members and the times in which they worked, while continuing to offer sales and exhibition opportunities, workshops and professional development programs.

Come and see what our current members are creating! For the first time, participating members were encouraged to create collaborative works for the Exhibition. 12 collaborations were created.
Voting for the People's Choice award for Best Collaboration will begin January 24 and remain open through March 6. The winners will be announced at the WDCC Annual Members Meeting on Friday, March 20th at the Charles Allis Art Museum in Milwaukee.

January 24 - March 6, 2020
Plymouth Art Center, 520 E Mill Street, Plymouth, WI 53073

WDCC Members at Third Ward Gallery Night
Friday, January 17th, 5pm - 9pm, Milwaukee

The Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council is partnering up with the Hudson Business + Lounge to present the diverse work of 6 WDCC artist members:

• Jan Hubbard - Jewelry
  
• Prudence Canfield - Mixed Media
• Jacqueline Bevan - Mixed Media
• Maria Knier - Mixed Media
• Jean Wells - Ceramics
• Rebecca Nicholas - Ceramics

along with a special preview of work from the Biennial Members Exhibition, which opens on Friday, January 24th at the Plymouth Arts Center featuring a special group of Collaborations between members created especially for the Biennial.  Voting for the People's Choice Award for Best Collaboration will begin on Gallery Night.  Join us then for a chance to participate in choosing the award winners.

The Historic Third Ward is Milwaukee's Arts and Fashion District. It offers the city's most dynamic array of restaurants, spas, theaters, galleries, and boutiques. The neighborhood was named a Top 12 ArtPlace in 2013. Hudson is located at the heart of the Third Ward on the corner of Buffalo and Broadway.

Food and Beverages will be for sale at the cafe.

Downtown Milwaukee's Gallery Night has been taking place for over 30 years. This wonderful premier art event is a great chance to know and connect with local artists and art supporters.

On Friday evening, July 19, the Hudson Business + Lounge is pleased to welcome artists from the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council (WDCC Org) again!

The WDCC presents diverse work from the following featured members:
Georgia Stenz (sculpture), The Pressed Poppy
Rebekah Nicholas (Pottery), RLNicholas Art
Kathleen Johnson (Quilts)
Claudia Winter (Jewelry), Baubbly
Frank Scott (Glass beads, Marbles, Jewelry)
Lyn Chevrier (Jewelry), Indulgences Wearable Art
Kathy Eggert (Glass), Eggert Glass Art
Joan Kennedy (Fiber), Journey Fiber Arts
Andrew Linderman (Pottery), Andrew Linderman Pottery
Linda Franzblau (Jewelry)

Visit #HudsonMKE to discover, explore, and support local art in our #Milwaukee community!

Hudson Business + Lounge - MKE
https://thehudson.org
(414) 220-9460

concierge@thehudson.org

For more information, please visit Historic Third Ward:
https://historicthirdward.org/experience/events/gallery-night-and-day/

Congratulations to Michael and Mary for receiving the Award of Excellence in Jewelry at the Naperville Fine Art & Artisan Fair sponsored by the Naperville Woman’s Club. This was the top award in the Jewelry category. Check out their beautiful work at our upcoming Morning Glory Art Fair August 10th and 11th on the Plaza outside the Fiserv Forum.  

WDCC members Michael Thee and Mary Wohlgemuth of Flow Studio Jewelry are in their fifth year of teaching metalwork workshops at the big consumer jewelry-making show in Milwaukee, the Bead&Button Show. This year the pair are offering classes where students learn how to fabricate a pendant, stacking rings, and interlocking rings, and they are also leading an etching class where students will make their own patterns to impress on metal in the rolling mill. 

Workshops at the show begin June 2, and there’s still time to sign up for classes. To find Michael & Mary's classes, go to www.beadandbuttonshow.com and go to Classes>Teachers and search on Thee or Wohlgemuth. Registered class attendees are invited to a show floor preview Thursday evening, June 6, where they can shop for jewelry-making supplies, tools, and artisan-made components. The show floor opens Friday, June 7, to the general public.

Sarah will be presenting her workshop....

Necklaces: From Pendant to Chain to Clasp

at Wisconsin's Peninsula School of Art this coming August.  CLICK HERE for complete information on the workshop. 

Find out more about Sarah on her website:

www.MannStudio.com

Check out some of the planned exhibit/sell opportunities coming up for WDCC members in 2019. Lots to do, and more to come! Click on the image for the opportunity newsletter.