November 1, 2022 - Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center Announces November Exhibits and Classes
 
Beloit Art Center  is excited to welcome thirty-seven regional artists to the Main Gallery in November for the Beloit Wisconsin Regional Artists Program (WRAP) Exhibit.  A First Friday Gallery Reception will be held November 4 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk will be held at 6pm.  The reception is free and open to the public.
WRAP originated in 1940 as an outreach program of UW-Madison and is now administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA). 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 creating art. Each location coordinates a juror, who gives critiques and awards at the local workshops. These events also include an art demonstration or lecture. The top one third of artwork advances to the state exhibit, which will be held at the Pyle Center in Madison in September 2023.

Vibrant color and stunning craftsmanship mark the paintings of Marek Kossiba, whose work will be featured this month in the Bell Gallery. Born in Poland in 1940, Kossiba knew from an early age that he wanted to be an artist as he watched his mother create her own works of art.  As an adult he joined the Polish Navy and served with various merchant marine companies.  He spent twenty years sailing around the world. During those years he visited many galleries and museums that fed his dream to be an artist. At that time, he used photography to capture the world around him and the photographs served as a stepping stone to the paintings he later created. Marek came to the united States in 1985 and eventually settled in Beloit, where he lived and worked as an artist until his death. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects from landscapes and seascapes, to provocative, imaginative pieces that draw the viewer through layers of meaning. Today, Marek’s art is well known regionally and is found in many private and public collections in the United States and around the world.

Beloit Art Center is also pleased to announce the return of pottery classes. For our second offering in the series of fall/holiday workshops with new instructor, Rebecca Rehpohl, students will have the opportunity to create Holiday Ornaments. Rebecca joins the Art Center with 38 years of experience as a public-school teacher and 22 years as a community education art teacher. She is excited about her new home and the opportunity to build a thriving “clay community” in Beloit. The workshop will be held on November 29 from 5:30-7:30 pm and additional sections will be added if the demand is great. Students will be creating tabletop holiday trees and sugar cookie hanging ornaments. Using slabs of clay, students will cut, form, and individually decorate the ornaments to create their unique and special holiday keepsakes. No previous experience is needed.  Come and start your holiday season off with this fun and creative class. The cost is $35.00 and includes materials.
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Mark your calendar for more pottery offerings. There will be a six-week evening course for beginning wheel thrown pottery starting January 10 and a six-week evening class for hand-built pottery starting March 7. Details coming soon!
Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more about Beloit Art Center visit www.beloitartcenter.com.  Gallery hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. ​

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 5, 2022
Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center announces October exhibits
 
Beloit Art Center welcomes the community to join us as we open our monthly exhibits with a First Friday Gallery Reception on October 7th  from 5-7pm. A gallery talk featuring artists Alicia Reid and Barbara Barnard will be held at 6pm. The exhibits will be open through October 29th.

Using acrylic paint, maps, musical scores, math textbooks, trail, correspondence, and other interesting morsels of information, Alicia Reid explores color, texture, and form. Previous lives as a band director and a geographer inform her use of music and maps, both being grounded in math. At their core, these paper tidbits are guides, frameworks, patterns, and paths, and Alicia uses them to fuel her imagination. Alicia is the owner of Raven’s Wish Gallery and Studio located in historic downtown Janesville. As an undergraduate, her minor was art and most of her formal training came during that period. Over the years, she has studied with artists from whom she wished to learn a technique or to explore a style. She enjoys travel, long walks with the family, and quiet weekends in the studio.

In the Bell Gallery the art center is pleased to present  Barbara Barnard.  Barb’s artwork is heavily influenced by the way light creates patterns, textures, and mood, as well as sensory inputs such as scents and sounds, creating strong feelings of belonging, even in places we have never experienced. Spending time in the winter landscapes of Iceland and Alaska, as well as the Badlands and northwestern New Mexico has deepened Barb’s relationship with the physical world and has pushed her to acknowledge the tension between what is familiar and what is unknowable, enabling her to honor mystery. Barb studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison College, and has participated in numerous workshops while maintaining a job and raising her family. “I’ve been painting for over 20 years and am continually challenged and inspired, by the generous mentoring of other artists.”

As part of  Beloit Art Center’s mission to display and promote art in the community, the Center offers the public four art exhibits each year in partnership with the Beloit Public Library. This quarter will feature the work of the Beloit Art Center Photography Club. The club was formed in August of 2021 and is for photography enthusiasts of all skill levels. This group is for anyone interested in connecting with fellow photography fans, sharing their work, learning, and exploring new photographic techniques, as well as collaborating on group photographic projects. The Photography Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00. Five of the group’s artists will be sharing their work in the current show. They are Ellen Zarnick, Larry Horsfall, Beth Doerrfeld, Melissa Lauer, and Jo Ribordy-Christofferson. The photographs will be on display at the library through the end of December.
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Beloit Art Center is a not-for-profit organization located at 520 East Grand Ave in Beloit and is operated entirely by volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, there are several ways to be involved to match the time you have. Email info@beloitartcenter.com to find out more. The gallery is free and open to the public. Hours are Monday from 10am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday from 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm. For more information about Beloit Art Center visit www.beloitartcenter.com

August 29, 2022 – Beloit Art Center August announces September exhibits
 
Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the September exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on September 2nd  from 5-7pm.  A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6pm.  The exhibits will be open through September 29th.

Connie Gardiner of Beloit is the featured artist in the Main Gallery. Connie is relatively new to painting and is self-taught. Specializing in the essence of life, she has grown with each strike of her brush. Her current studio at Beloit Art Gallery, has allowed her to take the first step as a member of the art community.  Professionally, Connie is a nurse at a local skilled nursing facility, Autumn Lake in Beloit.  During the pandemic, she began sharing her artwork in the rooms of her patients and proudly gifting pieces to those returning home, or to the families of those who pass on. Her dedication to her profession as a nurse has extended to her artwork and will continue to grow throughout the next chapter of her life.
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In the Bell Gallery the art center welcomes Robert Wilkens.  Robert feels blessed to be a purgatory artist - seeing two worlds and trapped in neither. Hispanic by birth, his adoption at age eleven, provides his Anglo last name. Robert began his career as an artist at age 23. Inspired by Michelangelo and DaVinci, he began his work doing murals and trompe l'oeil. His commissions are in Texas churches, businesses, homes, and culminated with the Theater Room of the White House for First Lady Laura Bush. As his skills developed, his influences have expanded to include Doolittle, Dali, and Picasso. He remains open to a diverse range of styles, subject matters, and mediums, including sculpture, plein air, portraits, still life, and is known in San Antonio for his Day of the Dead paintings. Determined to find his own voice as an artist, his current work uses surrealism and expressionism in an attempt to expand consciousness and challenge intellectual reality. His work is collected throughout the United States and Mexico.

In July Beloit Art Center hosted an Art Camp for students ages 9 – 16.  A Student Art Showcase will be displayed in the open classroom space adjacent to the gallery.  Students learned about drawing, watercolor, acrylic, collage techniques, and pottery.  The showcase will feature several of these pieces and several of the young artists will be in attendance.

Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more visit www.beloitartcenter.com. The gallery is free and open to the public. Hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. 

Read the Beloit Art Center August newsletter here: 
​https://mailchi.mp/85817af56616/gallery-shows-at-beloit-art-center-6096179

Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the August exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on August 5th from 5-7pm.  A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6pm.  Exhibits will be open through August 25th.

In the Main Gallery we are pleased to present Points of View, Reprise.  Featuring all new work, Rockford artists Sue Abare, Jean Apgar, Jill Rae Martin-Golden, Beth Wemmer and John Wemmer are back with more colorful and delightful collections of work.  This exhibit will feature traditional watercolors, nostalgic acrylics, and bold oil paintings.  While each of the five artists have their own distinct style, you will note how well they complement each other as a group of artist.

In the Bell Gallery the Beloit Art Center is offering a selection of artwork from our collection which will be for sale. If you are looking to refresh your walls, this is a good time to stop by.  Beloit Art Center is always interested in donations of original or limited edition prints that we can offer for sale or fundraising.  Donations like this help support future gallery exhibits and scholarships for classes and art camp students, while also providing the opportunity for someone else to enjoy artwork which is new to them at an affordable price.

​ In July we also kicked off a new quarterly exhibit at the Beloit Public Library.  From now through September stop and see the artwork of Carol Spitznagel.  Carol grew up in Beloit and attended Beloit Memorial High School. Upon graduation she received a scholarship to Columbus College of Art and Design.  From there, she worked in marketing and advertising where her art training was put to good use. Spitznagel’s paintings often show people enjoying different aspects of their lives, creating inviting compositions through her use of color and subject matter. Carol has won top awards in the Beloit Art Center Annual Juried Exhibit, as well as state awards with the Wisconsin Regional Artist Program (WRAP).

Bidding is now OPEN for the 2022 FISH FRENZY FUNDRAISER.  If you haven’t seen the fish yet, stop downtown and look in the First National Bank Plaza, and in the windows of Walnut Creek, The Villager Art Gallery, and inside Northwoods Premium Confections and the Beloit Art Center.  Then head to www.beloitauction.com and get your bids in!  More than 50 artists members have shown their creativity, by decorating and donating the fish back to the Beloit Art Center to auction off.  100% of the proceeds will support free art and stress relief classes for patients undergoing cancer treatment.  Conceived by cancer survivor and Beloit Art Center board member Nancy Mayhew, this project been a wonderful example of what a community can do to support others who are going through tough times. Bidding for the Fish Frenzy will close at 7pm on August 15.
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Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more visit www.beloitartcenter.com. The gallery if free and open to the public. Hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. 

Beloit Art Center announces July Exhibits
 
Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the July exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception, open to the public, on July 1st from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6:00 pm. Both exhibits will be open through July 28th.

 The Main Gallery will feature the work of watercolor painter, Ken Marsden. Trained as an engineering draftsman and illustrator, he later obtained a business degree from the University of Illinois and spent his working years in marketing and sales, eventually becoming president and CEO of several national companies. In spite of managerial responsibilities, Marsden produced a wealth of paintings during this period. Now retired, he is devoted to fly fishing for trout and watercolor painting. His paintings have been exhibited in Wisconsin, his birth place of Galena, Illinois, and locally in Rock County. “My painting tends toward realism without getting too detailed. I use transparent watercolors, only using opaque (gouache) rarely.”
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In the Bell Gallery you will see a historic collection of artwork by Dr. Glen Heggy, which has been loaned by collector Judy Warner. Dr. Heggy practiced dentistry in Beloit for years, first in downtown Beloit and then out of his home on Denture Lane just south of the Butterfly Club. After his retirement, he devoted his time to painting landscapes, still life, portraits and seascapes. He also taught painting at Beloit College and Blackhawk Technical School. Dr Heggy was featured in Robert Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” book and syndicated column for having made a set of dentures for his eight-month-old son, David. He was a senior member of the Beloit Rotary Club, joining in 1923. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for fifty years and a veteran of World War I. Both Hazel and Dr Glen Heggy are buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. Visit us at www.beloitartcenter.com. Gallery hours: Saturday & Monday 10am – 2pm; Tuesday through Friday 10am – 5pm.

GLEN HEGGY
Artwork on loan from Judy Warner

Beloit Art Center presents artists Suzanne Stewart and Patsy Lauer in June.
 
The Beloit Art Center First Friday Reception for the new exhibits will be held on June 3rd from 5 to 7. This reception is open to the public, and refreshments will be served. Come hear the artists, Suzanne Stewart and Patsy Lauer, talk about their creations starting at 6:00 p.m. Have some room on your wall? Many will be available for purchase.
 
Suzanne Stewart will be featured in the Main Gallery. She has lived in Illinois most of her life. After graduation from Galesburg High School, she attended Olivet Nazarene University where she studied art. She finished an Associates of Arts degree at Miami Dade Community College. As a mother of four, art took a back bench for ten years, but then she got a BA degree majoring in Studio Fine Art and Educational Studies from Knox College in Galesburg.

She taught art at the elementary, junior high and high school levels for over 20 years, most recently at Rock County Christian Elementary School. She has shown her work at the Galesburg Civic Arts Center, Junction City Arts Fair in Peoria, the Loft in Morrison, and the Villager Gallery here in Beloit.

“I have loved doing art since I was a small child and my grandmother gave me a pair of scissors and a Montgomery Wards catalog and let me cut pictures to my heart’s content. That and the paint-by-number sets my mother bought me hooked me into loving the process of making art. I went from drawing to quilting, sewing and woodcrafts until the age of 36 when I decided to return to college. It was there I fell in love with the fine arts and have been on this journey of discovery and learning and experimenting with a variety of mediums.
 
“As a teacher, I have had to diversify my skills and practice many art methods. I heard this old saying again recently: “A Jack of all trades and a Master of none is still always better than a Master of One.” Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad that my portfolio of art was so varied. After all, variety is the spice of life.”
 
Featured in the Bell Gallery in June will be Patsy Lauer from Milton, now living in Beloit. With a career as hairdresser behind her, she searched for a new passion in retirement. At first, she painted on old windows and put them in her salon. She then enrolled in a watercolor class but quickly switched to oil paints, learning that she was able to work on a painting and change things where she wanted. She paints landscapes, flowers, and some animals. She says, “I have been motivated by the Open Studio group at the Beloit Art Center on Thursday nights. My two grandchildren love to come to Grandma’s. The first thing they say is, “Can we paint?” They really enjoy it, and it has given them an outlet they can also pursue.”
 
The June exhibits will be available to view through June 24th.  The Beloit Art Center is free and open to the public.  Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking is in the street. For more about current exhibits and upcoming classes visit https://www.beloitartcenter.com/gallery-exhibits

Coming in May, Beloit Art Center is pleased to host a painting exhibition of two sisters, LuAnn Widergren and Lynette Redner, who often plein air paint together. A First Friday Gallery Reception will be held May 6 from 5-7pm, with an ArtTalk, at 6pm.  Join LuAnn and Lynette as tell of some of their adventures and what they've learned out in the field.