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Watercolor Wisconsin 2023

December 13, 2023 – April 13, 2024

Digital Entry Deadline: Wednesday, September 27 at 4:00 pm

Now in its 57th year, the exhibition was started in 1966 to honor the depth and breadth of watercolor in the State of Wisconsin.

Any Questions? Please contact RAM Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell via email at [email protected] or call 262.619.3541.

Ricchio Don Asifiwe
Don Ricchio
Asifiwe, 2022
Watercolor and gouache
First Award, Watercolor Wisconsin 2022

Watercolor Wisconsin 2023

December 13, 2023 – April 13, 2024

Digital Entry Deadline: Wednesday, September 27 at 4:00 pm

Ricchio Don Asifiwe
Don Ricchio
Asifiwe, 2022
Watercolor and gouache
First Award, Watercolor Wisconsin 2022

Now in its 57th year, the exhibition was started in 1966 to honor the depth and breadth of watercolor in the State of Wisconsin.

Any Questions? Please contact RAM Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell via email at [email protected] or call 262.619.3541.

Eligibility

  • Any artist who is a resident of (or maintains a residence in) Wisconsin and is 18 years of age or older.

Entry Fee

  • $35 jurying fee, which is waived for RAM members. You can pay this fee online using the ticket system further down this page.

Requirements and Specifications

  • One or two works made after October 1, 2021 may be entered.

  • Work must be executed in an aqueous medium or water-based medium combined with dry or mixed media; for example: watercolor, acrylic, ink, or gouache.

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

  • Canvas, canvas panels/boards, yupo, and other non-paper surfaces are unacceptable.

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

  • Frame(s) of two-dimensional work must be a minimum of eight inches and a maximum of 72 inches in any direction. Sizes outside these requirements are unacceptable.

  • Work must be framed properly, glazed with glass or Plexiglas®, and wired for hanging. Sawtooth hangers are not acceptable. RAM recommends white and off-white matting. Consult staff for deviations from these rules before Wednesday, September 27. RAM reserves the right to refuse works that do not meet the museum’s standards for quality, presentation, and framing.

  • Digital entries must be saved as .jpeg files at 300 dpi and at least 1800 pixels on the longest side, with a file size no larger than 5 MB.

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

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

  • Submissions must meet all requirements listed above.

2023 Jurors

Allison Peters Quinn Headshot
Allison Peters Quinn
Photography: Courtesy of the Artist

Allison Peters Quinn is a curator and writer based in Chicago, where she is the Director of Exhibitions and Residency Programs at Hyde Park Art Center. Her work over the past ten years has focused on projects that address intersections between art, public space, and civically minded practices. Quinn held the International Curator Residency at Fire Station Artists’ Studios in Dublin and is the recipient of a Ramapo College Curatorial Prize.

Beth Shadur Headshot
Beth Shadur
Photography: Courtesy of the Artist
Beth Shadur is an artist who has exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions. She has created over 150 murals as public, private, and community art projects in both the United States and Great Britain. Since 2012, Shadur has served as the Gallery Director at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Illinois State Museum and the Board of the National Watercolor Honor Society.

Important Dates

Deadline to Upload Digital Images of Work OR Arrival of Shipped Works via USPS/UPS

Wednesday, September 27 at 4:00 pm

Ship work to Racine Art Museum, Attn: Kiefer Waterman, 441 Main Street, Racine, WI 53403

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

Friday, September 29, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Notification by Phone About Entry Status

Artists will be notified by phone about entry status by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, October 3.

Drop-off of Accepted Digital Entries and Pick-up of Unaccepted Entries

Friday, October 6, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 7, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony

Sunday, December 10, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Awards presented at 2:30 pm.

Pick-up of Accepted Works After Exhibition

Monday, April 15, 2023, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 16, 2023, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Submit Digital Entries

  • Please read the entire prospectus before submitting entries. Entries that do not follow exhibition guidelines may not be considered.

  • 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).

  • If you are NOT a RAM member, proceed with the $35 jurying fee. When ready to submit, 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.

  • Become a RAM member to waive entry fee. Pay for your membership first, then come back to continue submission.

  • All digital entries must be saved as .jpeg files at 300 dpi and at least 1800 pixels on the longest side, with a file size no larger than 5 MB.

Diverse Voices

RAM is committed to supporting diverse voices—whether that diversity reflects race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, social standing, or world perspective. To better understand the community RAM serves, artists entering Watercolor Wisconsin are invited to designate how they identify their ethnicity/heritage and preferred pronouns.

This self-identification is 100% voluntary and will not impact the juror’s decision-making process as the selection is anonymous. This data is used solely for grant writing and reporting, and the museum’s biographical records for artists whose work is purchased for the permanent collection.

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