Watercolor Wisconsin 2025

December 10, 2025 – April 18, 2026

Digital Entry Deadline: Monday, October 6, at 4:00 pm

Now in its 59th year, Watercolor Wisconsin is a juried exhibition that offers a glimpse at the breadth and depth of watercolor in the state. Limited only by their materials—aqueous media such as acrylic, ink, and watercolor—artists are free to create two- and three-dimensional works on paper.

Please note that Watercolor Wisconsin is shifting away from an annual format—the next exhibition will take place in 2028. Artists will still have many opportunities to participate in Wustum exhibitions, including in an expanded offering of annual Community Art Exhibitions.

Any Questions? Please contact RAM Assistant Curator Katelyn Mitchell via email at kmitchell@ramart.org or call 262.619.3541.

Kelly Witte
I Have an Egg and Some M&M’s. I Can Make an Omelette, 2024
Watercolor, acrylic, ink, glitter, linocut, and serigraph,
Racine Art Museum, Ruth Miles Memorial Purchase Award from Watercolor Wisconsin 2024
Award of Merit, Watercolor Wisconsin 2024
Photography: Tyler Potter

Watercolor Wisconsin 2025

December 10, 2025 – April 18, 2026

Digital Entry Deadline: Monday, September 30, at 4:00 pm

Kelly Witte
I Have an Egg and Some M&M’s. I Can Make an Omelette, 2024
Watercolor, acrylic, ink, glitter, linocut, and serigraph,
Racine Art Museum, Ruth Miles Memorial Purchase Award from Watercolor Wisconsin 2024
Award of Merit, Watercolor Wisconsin 2024
Photography: Tyler Potter

Digital Entry Deadline: Monday, October 6, at 4:00 pm

Now in its 59th year, Watercolor Wisconsin is a juried exhibition that offers a glimpse at the breadth and depth of watercolor in the state. Limited only by their materials—aqueous media such as acrylic, ink, and watercolor—artists are free to create two- and three-dimensional works on paper.

Please note that Watercolor Wisconsin is shifting away from an annual format—the next exhibition will take place in 2028. Artists will still have many opportunities to participate in Wustum exhibitions, including in an expanded offering of annual Community Art Exhibitions.

Any Questions? Please contact RAM Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell via email at kmitchell@ramart.org or call 262.619.3541.

Eligibility

  • Any artist 18 years or older residing in or maintaining a residence in Wisconsin.

Entry Fee

  • $35 jurying fee, which is waived for RAM members. This fee covers up to two works. You can pay the entry fee online using the ticket system further down this page.

Requirements and Specifications

  • One or two original works made after October 1, 2023, may be entered.

  • Work must be executed in an aqueous medium (for example: watercolor, acrylic, ink, or gouache). Artists may use the aqueous medium on its own or in combination with dry or mixed media. Work must consist of at least 50% aqueous media.

  • The museum cannot accept works that include food, soil, or living organisms.

  • All work must be on a paper surface, including 2-D, collage, book, or 3-D construction. Illustration board is acceptable.

  • Canvas, canvas panels/boards, yupo, wood panels, and other non-paper surfaces are unacceptable. Hand-colored photographs and digitally created media are also unacceptable. 

  • Hand-colored photographs and digitally created media are also unacceptable.

  • 2-D work, including the frame, must be a minimum of eight inches and a maximum of 72 inches in either direction. 2-D work must be framed properly with museum-quality frames, glazed with glass or Plexiglas®, and wired for hanging. Sawtooth hangers are not acceptable.

  • 3-D work must be no larger than 72 inches high x 48 inches wide x 48 inches deep. These works, including books and wall-hanging sculptures more than two inches deep, do not need to be framed but must be finished on all visible sides. Sawtooth hangers are not acceptable for wall-hanging sculptures.

  • RAM reserves the right to refuse works that do not meet the museum’s standards for quality, presentation, or framing.

  • Work must not have been created under the direct supervision of a teacher.

  • Work must not have been previously exhibited at RAM’s Wustum Museum or RAM.

  • Submissions must meet all requirements listed above. For further clarification on these rules regarding how they may pertain to more non-traditional artwork construction or alternative hanging methods, please contact RAM Assistant Curator Katelyn Mitchell before Monday, September 29.

  • If accepted, works must remain on display for the entire duration of the exhibition.

2025 Jurors

Jurors select all the work exhibited in the show as well as recipients for $800 First Award, $600 Second Award, $400 Third Award, three $200 Merit Awards, and multiple Merchandise Awards.

Jessica Cochran Photo Evan Jenkins
Photography: Evan Jenkins

Jessica Cochran is the Deputy Director of the Renaissance Society, an independent contemporary art museum on the University of Chicago campus. She has worked as a curator, administrator, consultant, and educator in the realm of contemporary art for 20 years.

Peggy Macnamara Artist Photo

Peggy Macnamara has served as the Artist-in-Residence at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History since 1990 and as an Adjunct Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2001.

Important Dates

Deadline to Upload Digital Images of Work

Monday, October 6, at 4:00 pm

Drop-off of Works in Person at RAM’s Wustum Museum, 2519 Northwestern Avenue

Friday, October 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Notification of Entry Status

Artists will be notified about entry status by 5:00 pm on Thursday, October 16. Please check the appropriate box in the Registration Form to denote your preferred method of contact. If left unspecified, all correspondence will take place via email.

Drop-off of Accepted Digital Entries and Pickup of Unaccepted Entries at RAM’s Wustum Museum

Friday, October 24, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 25, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony

Sunday, December 7, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Awards presented at 2:30 pm.

Pick-up of Accepted Works After Exhibition

Monday, April 20, 2026, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Digital Submissions

Please read the entire prospectus before submitting your entry. Submissions must meet all requirements or they may be rejected.

Images must be saved as .jpg, .png, or .tif files with a file size no larger than 5 MB. RAM also recommends that photos be saved at 300 dpi resolution and at least 1800 pixels on the largest side. Artists are responsible for ensuring their images meet format requirements and adequately represent their work. Resubmissions are not allowed.

There is an option in the digital entry form to submit one detail shot per work if you would like the juror to see a closer representation of your technique or multiple angles of your 3-D work.

Accepted digital submissions will be inspected for quality of the piece and framing upon drop-off. Physical works must match what is represented in this form—no alterations can be made to the work that differentiates it from the submitted photograph.

  • If you are a RAM member, log in to your website account using the email address and password you provided when you purchased your membership. The link to submit your digital entries will be immediately available to you to the right (on desktop) or below (on mobile), or under “My Account” in the top-right menu. Do not pay the entry fee if you have an active membership.

  • If you are NOT a RAM member, proceed with the $35 jurying fee. When you’re ready to submit payment, click/tap “Add to cart” on the entry fee (located to the right on desktop devices or below on mobile). Proceed with the checkout process. After the credit card payment is processed, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to submit images. Please note that some email providers do not automatically link the URL included in the confirmation email, so you may need to copy + paste it into your preferred internet browser.

  • Become a RAM member to waive entry fee. Pay for your membership first, then return to this page to continue submission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Submitted works must be original pieces created with an aqueous medium such as watercolor, acrylic, gouache, or ink. You may use the aqueous medium on its own, or combine it with any dry or mixed media of your choosing. Work must comprise of at least 50% aqueous media.

Please note that RAM does not allow the use of food, soil, or living organisms. Hand-colored photographs or other digitally created media are not acceptable.

All work must be on paper, regardless of whether it is two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Canvas, canvas panels/boards, yupo, wood panels, and other non-paper surfaces are unacceptable.

As long as the work was made after October 1, 2023, has never been exhibited at RAM or RAM’s Wustum Museum, and follows all of the other guidelines for the exhibition, works that have previously not been accepted can be resubmitted.

Digital submissions are preferred, and provide artists with the opportunity to submit a secondary detail photo of their works along with the primary image. This can be used to better represent technique or showcase multiple angles of 3-D pieces.

When submitting a digital entry, please ensure your images are saved as .jpg, .png, or .tif files with a file size no larger than 5 MB. RAM also recommends that photos be saved at 300 dpi resolution and at least 1800 pixels on the largest side. Higher-quality photographs provide the best representation of your work to the jurors.

Artists also have the option to drop off their work in person at RAM’s Wustum Museum on Friday, October 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. RAM cannot accept shipped works for jurying, but artists will have the option of shipping works accepted into the exhibition. If desired, shipping details will be included in acceptance emails.

RAM members can access the submission form by logging in with their membership credentials in the Digital Submissions section above. A direct link to the digital entry form will appear above the jurying fee.

Non-members must first submit the $35 entry fee by clicking/tapping “Add to Cart” and proceeding with the checkout process. A confirmation email with the link to the digital submission form will be sent after the payment is processed. Please note that some email providers do not automatically link the URL included in the confirmation email, so you may need to copy + paste it into your preferred internet browser.  If you have not received the link within 24 hours of purchase, please email Info@ramart.org.

All photos should clearly show the work being submitting, free of any shadows, blur, or glare. Photographs of two-dimensional work should be taken straight-on, not at an angle. RAM prefers photographs of work that do not include the frame or matting unless that is an integral part of the piece.

A photography studio—complete with camera, tripod, backdrops, lighting, etc.—is available for rental at RAM’s Wustum Museum to provide artists with tools to capture images of their own work. Artists can schedule a time by calling RAM’s Wustum Museum at 262.636.9177, and it is required they bring their own SD card.

No. Digital entries are treated the same as in-person submissions, and are viewed by the jurors at the same time. Accepted works can be dropped off or shipped to RAM following jurying.

Jurors will view images of each digital submission, along with optional detail shots, on a large projector screen. Digital and physical submissions are juried simultaneously in a single session.

Since images will be projected at a large scale, it is in the artist’s best interest to submit the highest quality photograph possible. RAM recommends files be saved at 300 dpi resolution and at least 1800 pixels on the largest side. Additionally, submitted photographs should accurately represent the color and detail of the physical piece.

No. The $35 jurying fee is per entrant, not per work. Artists may submit up to two works for juror consideration with payment of their entry fee.

The entry fee is waived for RAM members, regardless of submission method:

  1. Membership status will be checked at drop-off, or upon receipt of shipped works.
  2. Members can access the digital entry form for free after logging into RAM’s website (see below).

Interested in receiving waived entry fees to juried exhibitions like Watercolor Wisconsin 2025? Become a RAM member today!

Work must be display-ready and up to museum standards. Two-dimensional work should be framed and glazed with either glass or Plexiglas® and a wire on the back for hanging. RAM cannot accept works that hang from a sawtooth hanger. Works are not required to have a mat, but many artists prefer one. Books and other three-dimensional constructions—any work that is more than 2 inches in depth from the surface—do not need to be framed, but should be finished on all sides.

Artists should frame their works in accordance to requirements outlined in the prospectus, with a focus on durability.

When framing work, artists should consider the duration of the exhibition. Economy or budget frames often lack the stability needed for proper installation. Thin Plexiglas® used in economy frames also tends to scratch and takes away from the quality of the work.

Please note that poor framing could result in work being turned away from the exhibition.

If you do not want your work to be for sale, RAM asks that you provide an insurance value so your work can be properly insured while it is in the museum’s care. While RAM is not able to help you decide this value, artists typically take into account what they would price their artwork as if it were for sale and how much they have sold similar works for in the past.

If you are unable to pick up your work in-person, arrange to have another person attend the pick-up days in your place—please email RAM Assistant Curator Katelyn Mitchell the name of your alternate pick-up person.

Accepted work can be shipped back to you at the conclusion of the exhibition. Please provide a prepaid return shipping label and packaging materials during drop-off.

Work not picked up within 30 days of the designated pickup is considered abandoned and will be disposed of.

Yes. Accepted work must be displayed for the entire duration of Watercolor Wisconsin 2025, December 10, 2025 – April 18, 2026.

If work cannot be displayed continuously throughout this period, please do not submit work for this exhibition. RAM’s Wustum Museum offers multiple opportunities to participate in juried or community shows, and asks that you would wait to submit your work to a show you could fully participate in.

A number of factors are taken into account when selecting work for a juried show. Works are chosen based on individual merit as well as how all selected works will present together as a group in this particular exhibition space.

Presentation, such as framing and matting, is also taken into account when selecting works. Jurors are asked to read the exhibition prospectus prior to selecting work and ensure that all works included in the show fall within the requirements outlined by RAM.

RAM changes jurors annually, as their personal preferences may impact the works they gravitate towards. Short biographies of the jurors are included on RAM’s website if you are interested in learning more about who is selecting the show.

Please note that RAM staff and jurors are unable to provide individual feedback on why works were not selected for the show.

Stay in Touch

The Racine Art Museum and RAM’s Wustum Museum work together to serve as a community resource, with spaces for discovery, creation, and connection. Keep up to date on everything happening at both museum campuses—and beyond—by subscribing to our email newsletter:

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