The Wisconsin Regional Art Program is delighted to announce our new collaborative relationship with the Wisconsin Academy of Science Arts and Letters to coordinates exhibitions in their Steenbock Gallery at 1922 University Avenue in Madison Wisconsin.  The Steenbock Gallery is in the lobby of the building that houses the Administrative Offices of the Wisconsin Academy.  The gallery will be open all weekdays that the WASAL is open for business.  A 'Gallery Is Open' sign will outside the front door every weekday, excluding holidays.

WRAP will develop and coordinate quarterly exhibitions representing WRAA and WRAP participating non professional artists from across the state of Wisconsin. (WRAP defines 'non-professional' as those artists who do not make the majority of their income from their art.

Our first collaborative exhibition, currently on display, is a group exhibition representing most of the current and recent members of the board of the Wisconsin Regional Artist Association, including:
Sherry Ackerman, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Beverly Balakhovsky, Madison, Wisconsin
Bruce Braun, Fitchburg, Wisconsin
Cheryl Breunig, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin 
Rebecca Herb, Madison, Wisconsin
Mary Ann Inman, Clinton, Wisconsin
Marilyn Knipfer, Deerfield, Wisconsin
Jean Lang, Middleton, Wisconsin
Gail McCoy, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Marcia Nelson, Middleton, Wisconsin
Sharon Stauffer, Mineral Point, Wisconsin 
Vina Yang, Verona, Wisconsin
And WRAP Director Helen Klebesadel, Madison, WI

These artists are committed to their own art making and to creating opportunities for other creative artists in Wisconsin to come together, share their artworks, and grow from the experience.

The Wisconsin Regional Artists Association (WRAA), a non-profit organization, started in 1954 with just 36 members. WRAA’s mission then and now is to support Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP). In 2014 the WRAA's celebrates its 60th Anniversary promoting creative growth for Wisconsin's artists. Today with over 600 members, WRAA members continue to participate in and promote WRAP exhibits and the annual WRAP State Exhibit and Conference. WRAA publications include Contour Notes, WRAP State Exhibit color catalog, WRAP Timely Treasures calendar, and brochures. In addition, WRAA also kicks off the WRAP State Exhibit and Conference weekend by hosting Evening with the Arts artists’ reception showcasing WRAP State Award art, WRAA sponsored Statewide Teen Art Mentor Program and WRAA Tiny Treasures Exhibit, Competition and Sale. WRAA also solicits and distributes over $4500 in awards given out at the annual award ceremony, which follows the annual WRAP State Exhibit Conference.

We are delighted to work with the Wisconsin Academy of Science Arts and Letters and to be a part of their mission to bring people together at the intersection of the sciences, arts, and letters to inspire discovery, illuminate creative work, and foster civil dialogue on important issues. They connect Wisconsin people and ideas for a better world.  An independent, nonprofit organization, the Wisconsin Academy is separate from state government and the university. They are funded by grants, by private endowments, and by their members and donors.

The WASAL is a resource for informed and engaged citizens who appreciate the value of discovery and learning. Their goal is to foster a rich and lively creative culture that enhances our quality of life so that Wisconsin is economically, socially, and environmentally resilient.

Their public programs include:
~the James Watrous Gallery in Overture Center for the Arts, a gallery by and for Wisconsin artists;
~Wisconsin People & Ideas, their quarterly magazine about Wisconsin thought and culture;
~Academy Evenings, a statewide series of public forums; and
~Wisconsin Initiatives, a program to explore major issues and solutions—currently including Waters of Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s Climate and Energy Future.

The Wisconsin Academy also sponsors the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, the State Natural Areas Preservation Council, the Hessen-Wisconsin Writers Exchange Program, and many other positive endeavors that elevate Wisconsin thought and culture.  The WASAL Calendar of events can be found here. 

Check out the exhibition during January and see all the art in this wonderful exhibition by leaders dedicated to furthering the visual arts for all of our Wisconsinites who are brave enough to explore their creative impulses.  Also plan to join us for the closing reception for Mixing It Up on February 1, 2014, 1:00-3:00 to meet the artists.

The Schauer Arts and Activities Center in Hartford, WI and the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac both invite participation in Wisconsin Regional Art Program  exhibition/workshops starting in January 2014.  The non-profit membership organization Wisconsin Regional Artists Association in collaboration with Wisconsin Regional Art Program administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, will be sponsoring the WRAP exhibits that feature the works of non-professional Wisconsin artists at both venues.   WRAP organizers invite any non-professional artist from Wisconsin to submit artworks for the exhibitions. (For our purposed 'non-professional' is defined as someone who does not make their primary income from their art.)

Hartford WRAP Exhibition & Workshop~Entries by 12.30.13
Entry Blank Due: Monday, December 30, 2013
Artwork due: Tuesday, January 7, 2014, 2-5:30 pm (limit 2 pieces per artist)
Artists' Reception: Friday, January 31, 2014, 6:30-7:30 pm
Workshop: Saturday, February 15, 2014, 10 am-2 pm
Place: Schauer Arts and Activities Center, 147 N. Rural St., Hartford, WI 53027
Make check payable to sponsor: SCHAUER ARTS AND ACTIVITIES CENTER
Coordinator:  Greg Torgeson, 147 N. Rural St., Hartford, WI 53027, (262)-844-5257, Pawnee333@yahoo.com

Prairie Du Sac WRAP Exhibitions & Workshop~Entries by 1.10.14
Entry Blank Due: Saturday, January 10, 2014
Artwork due: Sunday, January 19, 2014, noon to 2pm or Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 10am-2pm (limit 2 pieces per artist)
Artists' Reception: Thursday, January 30, 2014, 5-7pm
Workshop: Saturday, March 1, 2014, 9am-3:30pm
Place: River Arts Center, Sauk-Prairie High School, 105 9th St, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
Make check payable to sponsor: David Carpenter
Coordinator:  David Carpenter, 53 Cherokee Circle, #201, Madison, WI 53704,  608-442-6958 or 608- 239-1310, dcarpenter3@charter.net

Start the new year right!

The fee to participate in either of the  WRAP exhibitions and workshop is $20.  Artists should send their entry fee with a completed Registration Form, found on WRAP's website, to the coordinators listed above by the listed due dates, and deliver their art to Schauer Arts and Activities Center on January 7th 2:00-5:30 pm and/or to the River Arts Center on Sunday, January 19, 2014, noon to 2pm or Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 10am-2pm.

Wisconsin artists from age 14 and up are invited to participate.  Artwork must be original and completed in the last two years. Entries will be juried and meritorious works will be displayed at a state exhibit in September 2014 at the Center for Visual Art in Wausau, where the artwork is eligible for cash awards.

Guidelines to participate encourage the exhibition of art in a variety of media including:  PAINTING: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor GRAPHICS: Drawing, Prints, Pastel SCULPTURE: Any Material, Mixed-Media CRAFTS: Clay, Wood, Metal, Fiber, Paper PHOTOGRAPHY: Black and White, Color, Digital: print or photograph. No giclee reproductions of paintings.  

Artists and art-advocates alike are invited to view the exhibitions free of charge.

Hartford WRAP Particulars
Sponsored by the Schauer Center, in cooperation with the Kettle Moraine Fine Arts Guild, and the UW-Madison Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, entries are currently being considered for inclusion in the exhibit.   The Suckow Family  Art Gallery  hosting WRAP is located in the upper level of the Schauer Arts and Activities Center. 

“This is the sixth consecutive year that the Schauer Center has sponsored the WRAP exhibit and workshop,” stated Schauer Center Executive Director Brenda Lee Johnston. “The continued growth in participation confirms that area artists have found the program a beneficial opportunity to showcase their work and develop their talents.”

The Art Gallery is open for viewing weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturdays from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, and one hour prior to performances.  Please stop at the Schauer Center Office prior to your gallery visit so someone may assist you. Admission is free to gallery receptions, which offer an opportunity to meet the artist and view the exhibit.  Light refreshments are available during most receptions.  Artwork is available for purchase, unless noted.

The 2014 WRAP exhibition will run Friday, January 10 – Sunday, February 15, 2014 There will be a reception: Friday, January 31, 2014 from 6:30-7:30 pm, prior to a theater presentation of  Church Basement Ladies.  (Plan to attend both!!!).

As part of the program, the Schauer Center is offering a public lecture/demonstration by artist Anne Raskopf, who is also director of the Delafield Arts Center,  on Sunday, February 15, 2014. After the workshop, exhibiting artists will have a chance to discuss their work and receive critique.  It is free to participation artists, and guests can attend for $5.00.  Contact Greg Torgeson f(see above) or more information.

Prairie du Sac WRAP Particulars
Sponsored by the River Arts Center and the UW-Madison Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, artists are invited to submit entries for inclusion in the exhibit which will run from January 24th -March 1, 2014.
There will be a public reception Thursday, January 30th 5pm-7pm

Black Earth artist Nancy Cox will be this year's exhibition juror and workshop presenter.  The workshop for  participating artists will occur on Saturday, March 1, 2014, 9am-3:30pm.  Exhibiting artists can participate for free.  There is a $5.00 fee for additional guests.  Contact WRAP Coordinator David Carpenter (see above) with questions.

Over 40 local, non-professional artists gather to exhibit their original works of art in a variety of media. The Wisconsin Regional Art Program began in 1940 at the UW-Madison to encourage rural artists to make and exhibit their artwork and the River Arts Center helps to carry on the tradition this winter.

The River Arts Center Gallery was created as a result of a community referendum passed in 1998 that led to the construction of the 500-seat theater and gallery space. The River Arts Center hosts many school and community functions. The Sauk Prairie School District is committed to arts education and supports a strong music and art program within the district. River Arts Center is located at 105-9th St in Prairie du Sac is open 8am-8pm on school days.  Please enter through the high school main entrance (E-1) during schools hours or the RAC garden entrance (E-3) across from the garden on the North side of the RAC after school. If you would like a guided tour of the gallery, you may schedule a docent through info@RiverArtsInc.org.


Statewide Events:
The Wisconsin Regional Art Program consists of many artist workshop/exhibits that meet throughout the year statewide. Each one has a different artist demonstration or slide lecture and a different judge to lead the afternoon critique. Artists may enter as many Wisconsin Regional Art Workshops as they like.

Artists winning a State Exhibit Award are eligible to compete for monetary awards in the State WRAP Art Exhibition which will be held in Wausau in 2014 at the Center for Visual Art.   All award recipients are welcome enter one of their award winning artworks  in  State Exhibit.  Most monetary awards are reserved for members of the Wisconsin Regional Arts Association that partners with WRAP to offer the exhibitions, workshops, and state exhibition and conference.   You can join the WRAA at any time before the state exhibit by going to their website for membership.

Wisconsin artists may enter as many WRAP exhibition/workshops as they like, but if they receive award recognition in several of the workshops they enter they must choose one artwork to enter in the State WRAP Art Exhibition in August 2014.  You can find the WRAP Award Recipients from 2009-2013 here.

WRAP is developed and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts. WRAP exhibits and workshops began in 1940 to encourage the creative growth of non-professional artists from rural areas.

Join us!

Entry Blank Due: Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Artwork due: Saturday, January 4, 2014, 9:30-10:30 am
Workshop: Saturday, January 25, 2014, 9:30 am-2:30 pm
Place: Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190
Make check payable to sponsor: Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA)
Questions?  Contact Coordinator: Joyce Follis, 252 S. Armdor Dr., Whitewater, WI 53190, (262) 473-2360, follisj@charter.net

The Wisconsin Arts Alliance will be coordinating the first WRAP exhibition/workshop in 2014.  The Wisconsin Regional Artists Association will be sponsoring the WRAP exhibit that features the works of non-professional Wisconsin artists at the Whitewater Arts Alliance Cultural Arts Center,  from January 5 through January 26, 2014. WRAP organizers invite any non-professional artist from Wisconsin to submit up to three pieces for the show. For our purposed 'non-professional' is defined as someone who does not make their primary income from their art.

The fee to enter the Whitewater WRAP show is $20.  Artists should send that with a completed Registration Form, found on WRAP's website, to Joyce Follis, 252 South Ardmor Drive, Whitewater, WI 53190.  Participating artists should submit their entry form by January 1.

Art should be delivered to the Cultural Arts Center on January 4th from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Each individual can submit up to three pieces of art for the WRAP Show.

Wisconsin artists from age 14 and up are invited to participate.  Guidelines to participate encourage the exhibition of art in a variety of media including:  PAINTING: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor GRAPHICS: Drawing, Prints, Pastel SCULPTURE: Any Material, Mixed-Media CRAFTS: Clay, Wood, Metal, Fiber, Paper PHOTOGRAPHY: Black and White, Color, Digital: print or photograph. No giclee reproductions of paintings.  

Artists and art-advocates alike are invited to view the exhibit free of charge. The exhibit will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 5 p.m. beginning January 5 and ending with a workshop ($5 fee) on Sunday, January 26. The workshop on January 26 runs from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m., and anyone can attend the workshop for a $5 registration fee (exhibiting artists can attend for free). To register, please contact Joyce Follis at 262-473-2360.

In 2011 the Whitewater Arts Alliance won the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program (WRAP) award for the greatest increase in the number of artists participating in their regional exhibit.

The Wisconsin Regional Art Program was established to encourage Wisconsin citizens with a serious interest in art - people who make art purely for the love of it, rather than for fame and fortune. The purpose of WRAP is to encourage nonprofessional artists to develop their abilities.

Statewide Events:
The Wisconsin Regional Art Program consists of many artist workshop/exhibits that meet throughout the year statewide. Each one has a different artist demonstration or slide lecture and a different judge to lead the afternoon critique. Artists may enter as many Wisconsin Regional Art Workshops as they like.

Artists winning a State Exhibit Award are eligible to compete for monetary awards in the State WRAP Art Exhibition which will be held in Wausau in 2014 at the Center for Visual Art.   All award recipients are welcome enter one of their award winning artworks  in  State Exhibit.  Most monetary awards are reserved for members of the Wisconsin Regional Arts Association that partners with WRAP to offer the exhibitions, workshops, and state exhibition and conference.   You can join the WRAA at any time before the state exhibit by going to their website for membership.

Wisconsin artists may enter as many WRAP exhibition/workshops as they like, but if they receive award recognition in several of the workshops they enter they must choose one artwork to enter in the State WRAP Art Exhibition in August 2014.

WRAP is developed and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts. WRAP exhibits and workshops began in 1940 to encourage the creative growth of non-professional artists from rural areas.

Join us!

The Wisconsin Regional Arts Blog is a collaborative project of the Wisconsin Regional Artist Association (WRAA) and the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program (WRAP), which offers 20+ art exhibitions/workshops a year for Wisconsin artists who love the creative process and aspire to reach their greatest creative potential but do not identify as professional artists.

We aspire to make Wisconsin Regional Arts Blog the 'go-to' page for Wisconsin's non-professional artists (defined as artists who makes wonderful art but for whom art is not the major source of their income or economic support.)  We will share WRAP and WRAA art exhibition and educational opportunities from across Wisconsin, as well events, exhibitions, and other programming sponsored by Wisconsin's visual arts institutions and organizations.  We will particularly feature the programing of those art institutions and organizations  that sponsor WRAP exhibitions and workshops.

Originally the Wisconsin Rural Art Program, the Wisconsin Regional Art Program exhibitions and workshops started in 1940 to encourage the creative growth of Wisconsin non-professional artists from rural areas.   Under the guidance of the well known American artist  John Steuart Curry, the exhibit grew rapidly, expanding from 30 nonprofessional artists in 1940 to over 100 by 1947. The energy and enthusiasm of Curry's successor, Aaron Bohrod, the past WRAP directors, James Schwalbach, Ken Kuemmerlein, and Leslee Nelson continued the development of opportunities for the creative growth of Wisconsin artists with the help of the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association.   WRAP and WRAA continued to make the WRAP exhibition and workshops cornerstones of activity for nonprofessional artists throughout the state.

WRAP is now  administered by the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies and is directed by artist Helen Klebesadel.  WRAP has since expanded to include urban areas. WRAP exhibit/workshops are held throughout the year in over twenty locations all around the state. Regional exhibits include a workshop day for participating artists and the public in which a guest artist gives a lecture or demonstration followed by an educational critique of the exhibited artwork lead by the exhibit judge. Participants may exhibit up to three pieces of art in any or all WRAP exhibit/workshops, but only one piece can be exhibited in the State Exhibition. State Award works are eligible to exhibit at the Annual State Art Exhibition and Conference held in September each year.  You can view the state WRAP award winning art since 2009 on the WRAP website here.

In 2014 the State Conference and Exhibition will be held at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau. In 2015 the State Conference and Exhibition will be back at the Pyle Center in Madison.

WRAA is the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association, a non-profit organization, started in 1954 with just 36 members. WRAA’s mission then and now is to support Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP). In 2014 the WRAA's celebrates its 60th Anniversary promoting creative growth for Wisconsin's artists. Today with over 600 members, WRAA members continue to participate in and promote WRAP exhibits and the annual WRAP State Exhibit and Conference. WRAA publications include Contour Notes, WRAP State Exhibit color catalog, WRAP Timely Treasures calendar, brochures and www.wraawrap.com. In addition, WRAA also kicks off the WRAP State Exhibit and Conference weekend by hosting Evening with the Arts artists’ reception which showcases WRAP State Award art, WRAA sponsored Statewide Teen Art Mentor Program and WRAA Tiny Treasures Exhibit, Competition and Sale. WRAA also solicits and distributes over $5000 in awards given out at the annual award ceremony which follows the annual WRAP State Exhibit Conference

Watch here for events and opportunities in the arts in Wisconsin.  Also join us on the Wisconsin Regional Arts Facebook page and share your art events and opportunities too!