Every year the Beloit Art Center participates with twenty four other regional sponsors hosting juried art shows statewide in what is called the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP). The Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin.  It is for people who have a serious interest in art and create pieces for the love of art. WRAP originated as an outreach program of UW-Madison but is now administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA) and is also associated with the University of Wisconsin Art Department. The Beloit Art Center’s regional show was held in November of 2020. 

WRAP encourages artists at all levels to practice their craft and show their work. In addition to the juried art show, 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 led by the exhibit judge.  Local award winners get to exhibit their work at the annual State Exhibit and are judged to win state level awards. This year’s WRAP/AWA State Exhibit & Conference started August 12 and runs through September 25. It is being held at the Pyle Center at UW Madison. Local award-winning artists will be recognized and receive their awards at the state conference awards presentation on September 25, at 1:00pm.

Beloit Art Center is proud to announce our local State Award winning artists from the Beloit Art Center’s Regional Show include the following: Tom Murn, Nancy Mayhew, Jacki Prisk, John Hines, and Turner High School student Maura Spain. Tom Murn’s entry “Blackbox2”, a 3D sculpture, was selected for the Shake Rag Alley Award.  Nancy Mayhew was awarded the Francis Kipp Award for Creativity for her mosaic piece titled “Into the Woods".  Jacki Prisk of Edgerton won the Marge Engelman award for her painting titled “Say Their Names”.  John Hines was chosen for the Aron & Ruth Bohrod Award for his painting titled “Time with Dad”.  Turner High School student Maura Spain was selected for the Duck Lake State award for her piece in the STAMP division (Statewide Teen Art Mentoring Program) sponsored by her teacher / mentor Annie Dudgeon.

Once again, this November, the Beloit Art Center will be hosting the Wisconsin Regional Art Program exhibit/workshop for our area. The next show for Beloit WRAP is coming up quickly. For any local artist that may wish to participate, use the online entry form at wiscartists.org . The fee to enter is $30 and should be sent to the Beloit Art Center, 520 E Grand Ave., Beloit, WI 53511. The deadline to enter is Saturday, October 23rd.  ENTRY IS OPEN NOW! Entrants should deliver their art to Beloit Art Center on Friday, October 29th (open 10AM close 5 PM) or on Saturday, October 30th (open 10 AM close 2 PM).
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The opening reception for the Beloit WRAP 2021 will be held on Friday, November 5th from 5 PM to 7 PM. The show is free and open to the public. The WRAP workshop and art pickup is on Saturday, November 27th. The workshop will run from 9 AM until 1 PM.  Art pickup follows until 2 PM.

Congratulations to June artist, Dava Dahlgran CPSA, CPXD, for having a color pencil piece she exhibited at the Beloit Art Center, Night Owl, accepted into the Colored Pencil Society of America 2021 Juried International Exhibit.

This year's exhibit is online because of Covid. To view the exhibit, visit  www.cpsa.org

Main Gallery 
ANITA WILDERMUTH

​Driven by her love for art, Anita Wildermuth became a teacher for 37 years.  Much of that time was spent as the supervisor of Elementary Art for the Beloit School District.  Inspired by her elementary art teacher Laurence Urbscheit and her father, Mrs. Wildermuth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Elementary education from Luther College, and a Master of Arts in teaching from Rockford College.  One of her accomplishments was making sure every child in the district got to go to the Milwaukee Public Museum and Milwaukee Art Museum before they left the elementary school.  ‘It was the first time many students had been in a museum, or to a large city. Some were so excited they went home and wanted to take their parents back to share what they had seen’, Wildermuth recalls. Another highlight of Anita’s career was being among 50 people invited by the US Government to go to China with the People to People Art Program in 1988 to study the Chinese Art Education Program. She met Art teachers from all over the USA and China.  

Outside of her career, Mrs. Wildermuth has been very active with the Turtle fire Department, where her husband Robert has also been a volunteer for many years.  She is involved in the Beloit Intermediate Women’s club and Altrusa and is a member of the Beloit Art Center, Janesville Art League and the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association.

In September Anita will have a solo art exhibit in the Main Gallery at Beloit Art Center, made up of many of the pieces she has created over her long career as an artist.  The exhibit will feature a variety of mediums, including paintings, photography, jewelry, and fiber art. 

In the Bell Gallery, the Art Center is pleased to feature artwork created by summer Art Camp students, as well as Mosaic Workshop students.  All work in this exhibit is new and created this summer. 

A First Friday Reception will be held on September 3, from 5 - 7 p.m.  and is free and open to the public.  The Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Avenue, Beloit, Wisconsin.   Hours are Monday 10am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  For further information please visit www.beloitartcenter.com

Bell Gallery 
BELOIT ART CENTER STUDENT SHOWCASE

Above: watercolor butterflies. Below: students learned calligraphy, mosaic work, caricatures and acrylic painting during camp, along with pottery including hand building and working on the pottery wheel.  To see more projects stop by the Bell gallery during the month of September. 

Beloit Public Library
MARICLARE SHEIL

In partnership with the Beloit Public Library, the Art Center also installs quarterly exhibits in the library entryway.  From July – September the featured artist is Mariclare Sheil.  A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mariclare’s paintings, drawings and murals can be found in corporate, public and private collections.  Mariclare is also the lead instructor of the Beloit Art Center Thursday Evening Open Studio Artist Group, which meets from 5:30-8:00pm each week.  Attendance is open to artists working in any medium.  At 6:00pm Mariclare leads a short time of instruction on varied topics.  The rest of the session is for working on projects and casual conversation.  This group has a come when you can, drop-in enrollment and meets on the second floor.
The First Friday Opening Reception on August 6 is from 5pm - 7pm at 520 E. Grand Avenue, Beloit, Wisconsin.  The event is free and open to the public. Both in-house exhibits will be open until August 27.  Gallery hours are Monday 10am - 2pm; Tuesday 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  For more information please visit: www.beloitartcenter.com