2020 Wisconsin Artists Biennial Features 42 Works by 39 Artists

WEST BEND, Wis. (January, 6, 2019):  The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) and Wisconsin Visual Artists (WVA) are pleased to announce the selected artists for the 2020 Wisconsin Artists Biennial. This year’s exhibition features 42 works by 39 artists hailing from throughout Wisconsin. The exhibition opens with a party at MOWA on Saturday, January 25, from 1-5 p.m. with a juror talk at 1-2 p.m. Remarks and awards take place at 3–3:15 p.m. The Biennial will be on view January 25–March 29, 2020.

The Biennial selections represent a wide spectrum of media and perspectives. The exhibition will fill the Hyde and Horicon Bank Galleries. Combustible Dust, the solo exhibition of work by the 2018 Biennial first-place prize winner, Mark Klassen, will be installed in the State Gallery.

Biennial jurors are Amy Baur and Brian Boldon from In Plain Sight Art Studios in Minneapolis, a dynamic duo who specialize in architectural and sculptural commissions and mixed-media public art, and Tylonn J. Sawyer, a figurative artist and freelance curator in Detroit whose work addresses themes of identity, politics, race, and pop culture.

2020 Biennial Artists

Benjamin R. Balcom, Milwaukee Jordan Acker Anderson, Wauwatosa Krista V. Allenstein, Elm Grove Trenton Baylor, Caledonia Siara Berry, Milwaukee Martha J. Coaty, Racine Scott Espeseth, Madison Daniel A. Fleming, Milwaukee Nina Ghanbarzadeh, New Berlin Madeline Glaspey, Milwaukee Janelle M. Gramling, Milwaukee Alexander Hopkins, Green Bay Niki L. Johnson, Milwaukee Frank Juarez, Sheboygan Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Milwaukee David Najib Kasir, Whitefish Bay Daniel Klewer, Green Bay Michael F. Knapstein, Middleton Pat Kroth, Verona

Debbie Kupinsky, Appleton Diane Levesque, Kenosha Lisa Mathewson, Wauwatosa Rob Neilson, Appleton Angela Piehl, Milwaukee Brian J. Pirman, De Pere Denise Presnell, Eau Claire Pete Railand and Jenna Valoe, Milwaukee Christian A. Ricco, Milwaukee Susan I. Rice, Mequon Patrick Robison, Elkhart Lake Laura Schneider, Mount Calvary Jill Sebastian, Milwaukee Shelley Smith, Milwaukee Christine Style, Green Bay Victoria L. Tasch, Hartland Amanda Urmanski, Green Bay John Whitney, Baileys Harbor Xiaohong Zhang, Fort Atkinson

Opening Party
Saturday, January 25, 2020 | 1:00–5:00
Juror Talk at 1:00–2:00
Remarks and Awards at 3:00–3:15
Celebrate today’s most inspiring Wisconsin artists! Arrive early to hear from jurors Amy Baur, Brian Boldon, and Tylonn J. Sawyer as they discuss the process for selecting work for the Biennial. Meet the artists and explore their work, make art in the studio, and see what’s trending in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Artists Biennial is co-sponsored and organized by Wisconsin Visual Artists and the Museum of Wisconsin Art. The exhibition’s onsite organization is provided by Graeme Reid, MOWA’s director of collections and exhibitions.

Support for 2020 exhibitions at MOWA is provided by James and Karen Hyde, Pick Heaters, Inc., and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART 

The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) is the place for art and the art of place. Its “Everyone’s a Member” model welcomes each visitor to the museum as a member. It’s a model that defies the idea that museums are exclusive or elitist. Museum admission fees are actually low-cost memberships that allow unlimited access to the museum for a full year. This philosophy encourages frequent participation in 18 rotating exhibitions and 175+ free-for-member programs that take place throughout the year. The result is a welcoming and engaged community—a community where everyone is a member.

MOWA explores the art and culture of Wisconsin. Founded in 1961, the museum’s permanent collection consists of over 5,000 works of contemporary and historic art by more than 350 Wisconsin artists. The 32,000-square-foot wedge-shaped structure opened in 2013 and houses five permanent collection galleries and four temporary exhibition spaces, as well as classrooms, visible art storage, a shop, and a large atrium for public events.

The museum overlooks the Milwaukee River and is situated along the Eisenbahn State Trail. In 2018, the  surrounding four-acre green spaces transformed into spectacularly landscaped gardens, featuring a tree-lined field for activities and festivals, 750 quaking aspen trees, 1,200 hydrangea plants, several outdoor sculptures, and interconnected walkways perfect for wayfinding or meandering to nearby shops and restaurants. It’s a must-see destination in the heart of downtown West Bend.

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.