Beloit Art Center is pleased to be participating in Beloit Heritage Days and to announce the September exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on September 5 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6 pm. Both exhibits will be open through September 25.

    In the Sveum Gallery, artists Beth Mastin, Mary Tilton, Marcia Smith, and Janine Bessenecker, all with the Crossing Paths, Traveling Together artist group will have their artwork displayed. This show is a collaboration of four artists who have been exchanging information, supporting each other, and critiquing each other’s work for the past eight years. While pursuing our own paths this collection honors our intersection: our Crossing Paths. As we present our individual views of the world as expressed through our artwork, we also celebrate generous spirits, individual accomplishment and - most of all - friendship. Thank you to this month’s September Sveum Gallery sponsor, DeGarmo Plumbing.

     In the Bell Gallery, artwork by Clarice Chicks, curated by her daughter Lugene Chicks, will be displayed. Clarice passed away peacefully in late 2024. She received several honors for her watercolors, pencil drawings, and pastel art work over the years. She also worked in stained glass and calligraphy. Thank you to this month’s Bell Gallery sponsor, Bagels & More.
Looking for more art in the community? Be sure to visit the Beloit Public Library to view artwork by Jean Apgar, Bagels & More to view photography by Jo Christofferson, and the Beloit Art Center Members Gallery to view artwork by Abbey Pixler.

    Ready for a brain-bending, piece-placing, fundraising showdown? Join us Friday, September 12 for a fun-filled Jigsaw Puzzle Competition Fundraiser where you and your team can flex your problem-solving skills and compete for some awesome prizes! The cost is $100 per team with up to four participants. The event kicks off at 6 p.m., with the competition starting sharp at 6:30 p.m. After a solid 45 minutes of puzzling, we’ll take a 10-minute break for a quick recharge. With your team of puzzle masters, you’ll work together on a Beloit Art Center Mural 500-piece puzzle (18x24) that’s sure to challenge your coordination
and creativity. All teams get to keep the puzzle and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams get prizes and bragging rights! Visit the Beloit Art Center website to sign up now - spots are filling up and there is a 12-team limit.

      Registration for the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) is now open. Beloit WRAP has a two-piece entry limit due to limited gallery space. The entry and payment deadline is Thursday September 25.  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 art for the love of art. Selected winning pieces at Beloit WRAP will be shown at the Annual State Exhibit.  Please visit the Beloit Art Center website for more information. Create - Share - Connect.

      Mosaic Steppingstone Class - Make a decorative steppingstone for your yard or garden on
Tuesday, September 16 from 5:30 to 8 pm. All materials are included in the $70 cost and students may choose from one of three options: dragonfly, butterfly, or hummingbird.

    Registration is open for Beginner Throwing on the Potter’s Wheel, Tuesdays October 7 through November 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost to participate is $140. Clay and glaze will be provided, and students will need to provide their own tools, apron, and hand towel.

     Registration is also open for Hand building Potter Class, Thursdays, October 9 through November 13, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The cost to participate is $165. Clay and glaze will be provided, and students will need to provide their own tools, apron, and hand towel.

      Ongoing programming at BAC includes the Open Studio Art Group on Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. ($7 per session), Photography Club on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. ($85), and Qigong on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. ($10 per session).

     Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit. The gallery is free and open to the public. Gallery and gift shop hours are Monday 10 am – 2 pm, Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm and Saturday 10 am – 2 pm.

This show is a collaboration of four artists who have been exchanging information, supporting each other, and critiquing each other’s work for the past eight years. Over that time, our individual art practices have developed, expanded, and grown in ways we could not have expected. We initially came together because of our shared interest in watercolor painting, but as we have journeyed together, we have experimented with other media, techniques and materials, and encouraged each other to refine and expand our individual vision.​

Crossing Paths is a reference to that journey. While pursuing our own paths this collection honors our intersection: our Crossing Paths.  As we present our individual views of the world as expressed through our artwork, we also celebrate generous spirits, individual accomplishment and - most of all - friendship. 

Janine Bessenecker
Art in any form has always been interesting and important to me. I spent a lot of my childhood drawing and making designs with color. I received my BA in Interior Design from Iowa State University and moved to Madison where I worked for an architectural firm for several years. While my children were growing up, I started teaching art to middle and high school students in the Madison home school community. I also took classes myself, studying watercolor through MSCR and Madison College. I have participated in WRAP (Wisconsin Regional Arts Program), and am a member of Madison Watercolor Society.
For me, painting is a way to pause, reflect and take notice of what is meaningful and beautiful around me. I love the watery pigment and transparency of watercolor as a vehicle of expression. I hope that my work will cause viewers to see, pause and notice too.
 
Beth Mastin 
I have always been an artist at heart, raised in a home where art and creativity was encouraged. Still, after majoring in art, the demands of adulting left my art calling to me from the far end of my do list.  It was a time when I could doodle on conference calls, but where there was no time or place for intentional art. Over the last decade my art has moved to the top of the list, and I find that the doodles came along for the ride. 
 
I often begin with broad gestural paintings, executed in an improvisational manner, often in short bursts. Some paintings are completed in one sitting, while others are revisited or become a series over the course of months. I favor line and movement over depth in composition. My subjects range from vast open landscapes with broad backlit horizons to individual flowers. I think about portraiture when I paint flowers, trying to evoke the essence of a single flower. Both subjects allow me to bring my eye to ethereal color shifts, ideal for wet on wet washes.   
 
Marcia Smith     
I find birds fascinating to paint. In outline they have a relatively simple shape, but in texture and color they can be very intricate, sometimes demanding colors so bright that they are impossible to mix with watercolor. It intrigues me that that simple shape lends itself to so much expression of personality with a small cock of the head, or a change of position of the feet or the tail.
 
Crows are particularly interesting to me. Black birds, whose feather texture often cannot be seen because they are so dark, they are lively and engaging and individual when watched. We had a large maple tree in our backyard which was
the 5 o’clock gathering place for a murder of crows one winter. They would settle on the bare branches and gossip away until suddenly all would take to wing, soon settling again with different friends, making sure everyone was told the news. Captivating!
 
My husband and I travel extensively, and everywhere I take phone snapshots of the birds we see, a practice that doesn’t lend itself to detail. These paintings, therefore, are more about personality than realism. The birds I’m showing here are mainly from the States, Europe and Africa, and are mostly commonly known to us all: I’m not a dedicated bird watcher searching out the unusual, just an observer of these miracles, attempting to pass on my pleasure.
 
Mary Tilton
I am fortunate to live in this state of Wisconsin which has endless and quiet beauty to inspire paintings. I am drawn to the outdoors for many reasons but when I started painting, I noticed things in a new way. The open space between tree branches, a bright spot of sun, or the rolling hill are all shapes and values that make up a composition. I often paint from photos, but most recently I have begun painting on location. I usually find that the most successful paintings come from those started on site and completed from memory in my studio. I can get as lost in my studio as I can in the woods as I recall the sights, smells and sounds of a place.
 
I paint in both watercolor and oils, with oils being better behaved when outdoors. The paintings in this show are a selection painted in the past couple of years with this realization of the importance of being both physically present and lost in the moment.

July 27, 2025 - Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center announces August Gallery Exhibits
Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the August exhibits which will open with a First Friday
Gallery Reception on August 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6 pm.
Both exhibits will be open through August 28, 2025.

In the Sveum Gallery, the photography of Steve Toole will be on display. Award winning
photographer Steve Toole’s photos have been said to capture the essence, beauty, and sometimes the
desolation of the heartland of America. His photos and digital media work range from realistic monochrome
landscapes to themed abstracts. Toole will also give a Gallery Talk on August 27 at 6 p.m. in the Sveum
Gallery. Thank you to Doug Wetzel of Ashton North LLC for sponsoring the Sveum Gallery August artist.

In the Bell Gallery, artists Lynn Kline and Terry Brabazon will be featured. Kline loves the art of
being creative and paints in acrylic and makes leaded stained glass artwork. Brabazon believes that anything
you do in life can be elevated to art and her paintings and stained glass will be on display. Thank you to
State Farm Oldenburg Agency for sponsoring the Bell Gallery August artists.

The artwork of Abbey Pixler will be on display in the Members Gallery. Looking for more art in the
community? Be sure to stop by the Beloit Public Library to view artwork by Jean Apgar, and Bagels and
More to view photography by Jo Christofferson.

Mosaic Pot Class with Nancy Mayhew will be held Tuesday, August 12, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Make a funny pot person or a decorative pot. All materials are included and the cost to participate is $80.
New Dates for Intro to Digital Photography II! This course is for those with any type of digital
camera who would like to improve their photography skills. With a review of exposure, an exploration of
light, and learning how to use and control light in a scene, this course will be held Mondays from 5:30 to
7:30 p.m. on August 18, September 22, and October 27. The cost to participate is $65 and you will need tobring your own camera and camera manual.

Ongoing programming at BAC includes the Open Studio Art Group on Thursdays from 5:30 to 8
p.m. ($7 per session), Photography Club on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. ($85), and Qigong
on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. ($10 per session).

Save the Date - Scoopie Night! Come out and support the Beloit Art Center by doing something you
love - having dinner at Culver’s of Beloit. Eat-in and drive-through orders will benefit BAC on Monday,
August 18, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Save the Date - Join us for a fun-filled Beloit Art Center Puzzle Competition Fundraiser where you
and your team can flex your problem-solving skills and compete for awesome prizes! The event kicks off at
6 p.m., with the competition starting at 6:30 p.m. With your team of puzzle masters, you’ll work together on
a Beloit Art Center Mural 500-piece puzzle (18x24) that’s sure to be a challenge. The cost for a team of up to
four puzzlers is $100 and each team gets to keep the puzzle. Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
place teams. Plus, there will be refreshments and water (feel free to bring your own snacks too!), and
beverages available to purchase to keep your energy up! So grab your team, bring your A-game, and let’s see
who can piece it all together! Registration opens August 1, 2025.
​
Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit. The gallery is free and open
to the public. Gallery and gift shop hours are Monday 10 am – 2 pm, Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm and
Saturday 10 am – 2 pm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center announces June exhibits.
 
Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce An Evening of Art in Downtown Beloit featuring  our 25th Anniversary Finding Creativity Within exhibit which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on June 6th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and run through July 24th. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 7:00 p.m. An opening reception for the 67th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibit at the Wright Museum of Art at Beloit College will also be held from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Juried artwork featuring artists who have exhibited at Beloit Art Center over the past quarter century will be on display in both the Sveum Gallery and the Members Gallery. Nearly 90 pieces of art from nearly 50 artists will be on display, representing exhibitions from 2000 to 2025 and several in memoriam pieces loaned by private collectors will be included. Media will include watercolor, acrylic, oil, ink, colored pencil, charcoal, wood and stone sculpture, film and digital photography, pottery, fiber, mosaic, collage, and assemblage. Genres range from traditional, to whimsical, to dark art, showcasing a broad spectrum of the work featured over the years. An encore exhibit of some of the featured art will be on display at Blue Moon Gallery in Grayslake, Illinois from August 2nd to the 23rd. We are proud to honor the artists who have shaped the Beloit Art Center’s creative legacy and to celebrate the value of arts in the Beloit Community. Thank you to our June and July Sveum Gallery sponsor Nowlan Personal Injury Law.

The artwork of Molly Dillon will be on display in Bell Gallery for the month of June only. Dillon’s mixed media works use classic advertising, movie, and comic book imagery derived from the 1950s through the 1980s, combined with patterns and colors reminiscent of the same period to create a narrative. “Much of my art… also includes primitive, folk, and tribal art and designs from across the world”. Thank you to our June Bell Gallery sponsor I-43 Storage.
           
Looking for more art in the community? Be sure to stop by the Beloit Public Library to view featured art by Cindy Vondran, and at Bagels and More to view featured art by Marek Kossiba.

Join us for a family-friendly morning of art activities, live painting featuring Cheria Gillespie, Qigong with Nancy Mayhew, and a Make Music Beloit performance by Abbey Pixler on Saturday June 21st from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. Check out the progress on the mural on the back of the building and stroll through the 25th Anniversary exhibit inside the building. 

Tai Chi with Nancy Mayew will be held in the Sveum Gallery on Friday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. starting July 11th and running through August 15th. The cost for this six-week session is $60.

Hand Building Pottery Class for Teens four day class will be held July 21st through July 24th from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Students will explore the world of handbuilding with clay. Students will learn glazing methods needed to finish their unique pots. All skill levels are welcome. The cost is $120 and clay, glaze, and tools will be provided. Students will need to provide their own apron, and hand towel. Class size is limited to students ages 13 to 18.

Pottery Wheel for Teens four day class will be held August 4th through August 7th from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.. Students will explore the world of throwing on the potter’s wheel in this introductory class. Creativity will be encouraged. The cost is $120 and clay, tools, and glaze will be provided.

Save the Date! Join us on Friday, July 19th from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. for an unforgettable evening celebrating 25 years of art and community at the Beloit Art Center. We’ll have food trucks, live music, a brand-new mural unveiling, and the 25 Years of Art at BAC exhibit, featuring work from artists who’ve shaped our story. Meet us in the parking lot behind the Art Center - let’s make it a night to remember!

Gallery hours are Monday from 10am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday from 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information about Beloit Art Center visit: www.beloitartcenter.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center to feature area high schools in April.
 
The Beloit Art Center is pleased to present the 16th Annual High Schools Art Exhibit.  A First Friday Gallery Reception will be held on April 4th from 5 – 7 p.m.   Students, parents, teachers, and administrators, as well as the public are encouraged to attend to see the collective talent of the young artists in Beloit.  Participating schools are Beloit Turner, Beloit Memorial, Rock County Christian, and The Lincoln Academy.  The exhibit highlights artwork ranging from painting, digital art, mixed media, pottery, sculpture, and stained glass.  Several pieces will be selected to represent Beloit in the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA) Statewide Teen WRAP program. The work chosen will be exhibited and published at the Pyle Center on the UW Madison campus this August. Thank you to our April show sponsor, Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI), for their generous support of this exhibit and the youth in Beloit. The exhibit will be open through April 24th.

            Looking for more art in the community? Be sure to stop by the Beloit Public Library to view featured art by Cindy Vondran, and Bagels & More to view featured art by Marek Kossiba. Member Artists Pierre Charles and Colleen Roberts will have their works displayed at the Beloit Art Center.

            Calling all past Beloit Art Center (and BFAI) artists! 2025 marks a milestone - our 25th anniversary - and we’re celebrating in a big way! As part of this special year, we are hosting a Juried Anniversary Exhibition to showcase the incredible artists who have been part of the journey. Exhibition dates are June 6 through July 24. The opening reception will be June 6, 2025. The entry fee for up to two pieces is $25. The deadline for submissions has been extended through April 7, 2025. Artists selected for this exhibit can also opt in for an Encore Exhibit at our sister center, Blue Moon Gallery in Grayslake, IL, in August.

The Beloit Art Center will also be offering several classes and workshops in April.
 
Beginner Throwing on the Potter’s Wheel six week class Tuesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. April 15th to May 20th. Students new to wheel throwing or wanting to brush up on their skills will begin to explore the world of throwing on the potter’s wheel in this introductory class. Starting with cups and goblets, students will also develop the skills to throw during this class. The cost is $140 and glaze and clay will be provided. Students will need to provide their own tools, apron, and hand towel. Class size is limited to six students ages 17 and older.

Hand Building Pottery Class six week class Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. April 17th to May 22nd. Students will explore the world of handbuilding with clay by examining fundamental techniques including pinch, coil, and slab. Students will learn glazing methods needed to finish their unique pots. All skill levels are welcome. The cost is $165 and clay and glaze will be provided. Students will need to provide their own tools, apron, and hand towel. Class size is limited to eight students ages 17 and older.

Qigong for Fall Prevention in the Art Gallery on Mondays and Wednesday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. starting on May 5th. Taught by certified instructor Nancy Mayhew, Qigong improves muscle tone, flexibility and balance. The cost is $50 for a 6-visit punch card or $10 per drop-in.
​
Gallery hours are Monday from 10am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday from 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information about Beloit Art Center visit: www.beloitartcenter.com