Award-Winning Student-Made Art On View in Annual Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum
Showcasing hundreds of artworks made by students in grades 7–12, the 2025 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition celebrates the next generation of the state's artists.
MILWAUKEE, WI—January 22, 2025—The Milwaukee Art Museum presents award-winning art made by Wisconsin students in the 2025 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition. Spotlighting more than 350 drawings, photographs, and pieces of jewelry, among works in other media, the annual exhibition will be free and open to the public February 1–March 16, 2025, in the Museum’s Schroeder Galleria.
“It’s a joy to host the state’s Scholastic Art Awards at the Milwaukee Art Museum and to provide an experience that emboldens these young artists at such a pivotal time,” said Amy Kirschke, Barbara Brown Lee Chief Learning and Engagement Officer.
The Scholastic Art Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Founded in 1923, the program supports emerging talent through exhibitions, publications, and scholarships. Since 1976, the Milwaukee Art Museum has hosted the Wisconsin region awards, sharing with the community the extraordinary talents of grades 7–12 students from across the state in an exhibition that celebrates their creativity.
The 2025 exhibition features 354 artworks juried by regional arts professionals, including artists, university faculty, and gallerists, on the merits of originality, skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision. From more than 2,500 entries across 16 categories, jurors selected award-winning pieces without knowledge of a student’s gender, age, ethnicity, or hometown. The 16 categories include Architecture and Industrial Design, Ceramics and Glass, Comic Art, Design, Digital Art, Drawing and Illustration, Editorial Cartoon, Expanded Projects, Fashion, Film and Animation, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. In addition, graduating seniors were able to submit their art portfolio for consideration. This year, 202 artworks were awarded a Silver Key, and 152 artworks were awarded a Gold Key. Pieces granted a Silver Key receive statewide recognition; pieces granted a Gold Key are automatically considered for National Awards.
“Teens are remarkably creative, and it’s a delight to see their incredible works of art on exhibition in the Museum for everyone to engage with and enjoy,” said Ahmari Benton, Associate Educator of Teen Programs.
The 2025 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition is free and open to the public February 1–March 16, 2025, in Schroeder Galleria, which is accessible from the Museum’s Windhover Hall entrance. The Milwaukee Art Museum will host Awards Day on Saturday, February 8.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Contributing Sponsors
Anonymous Donor
The Heller Foundation and Mary Ellen Heller in memory of Avis Heller
Peter and Debra Johnson
Vanguard Computers, Inc.
About the Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is an essential destination for art and architecture and a vital cultural resource that connects visitors to dynamic art experiences and one another. Housed in iconic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, Eero Saarinen, and David Kahler on a 24-acre lakefront campus, the Museum is Wisconsin’s largest art institution and home to both broad and deep collections, with exceptional holdings in American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; conceptual and minimalist art; prints and drawings; European art from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century; photography and new media; modern and contemporary design; folk and self-taught art; and twentieth-century Haitian art. A bold symbol of Milwaukee’s ambition and forward-thinking vision, the Museum is a place for community building, education, and celebration that fosters creativity, free speech, and critical discourse for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit mam.org.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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