The digital entry period for this exhibition has closed. In-person drop-off of works for jurying takes place at RAM’s Wustum Museum on Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Watercolor Wisconsin 2024

December 11, 2024 – April 19, 2025

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

Now in its 58th 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.

Richard Berns
Robert of Washington Island, 2023
Watercolor
16 x 20 inches
Racine Art Museum, Dr. Charles H. Patton Memorial Purchase Award from Watercolor Wisconsin 2023
Award of Merit, Watercolor Wisconsin 2023
Photography: Tyler Potter

Watercolor Wisconsin 2024

December 11, 2024 – April 19, 2025

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

Richard Berns
Robert of Washington Island, 2023
Watercolor
16 x 20 inches
Racine Art Museum, Dr. Charles H. Patton Memorial Purchase Award from Watercolor Wisconsin 2023
Award of Merit, Watercolor Wisconsin 2023
Photography: Tyler Potter

Now in its 58th 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 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, 2022, 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.

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

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

  • Two-dimensional work, including the frame, must be a minimum of eight inches and a maximum of 72 inches in either direction.

  • Three-dimensional work must be no larger than 72 inches high x 48 inches wide x 48 inches deep.

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

  • Images for digital entry must be saved as .jpg, .png, or .tif files at 300 dpi, at least 1800 pixels on the longest side, and 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 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 Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell before Monday, September 30.

2024 Jurors

Jurors select all the work exhibited in the show as well as recipients for $400 First Award, $300 Second Award, $200 Third Award, three $100 Merit Awards, and multiple Merchandise Awards.

Tony Armendariz Studio 2021

Tony Armendariz is a contemporary realist artist living and painting in Palatine, Illinois. His work focuses on figurative subjects rendered in watercolor. Armendariz has won numerous awards in regional and national competitions and has exhibited his work in many group and solo exhibitions. Armendariz is a signature member of many national societies, including the American Watercolor Society and the Illinois Watercolor Society, where he also served as director.

Shelley Gilchrist

Shelley Gilchrist is an award-winning abstract artist based in Evanston, Illinois, working in two and three dimensions in a variety of media, including acrylic. In 2006, her work turned toward abstraction when she began to shape her painting surfaces and explore line and color in her designs. Gilchrist has juried shows at Woman Made Gallery and ARC Gallery in Chicago. She is a member of Chicago Sculpture International and the founder of FUSEDChicago, a professional group for artists using encaustic.

Important Dates

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

Monday, September 30, at 4:00 pm

Ship work to Racine Art Museum, Attn: Madison Zapata, 441 Main Street, Racine, WI 53403

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

Friday, October 4, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Notification of Entry Status

Artists will be notified about entry status by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, October 8. 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

Friday, October 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 12, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

If opting to ship your accepted digital entries, work must arrive at Racine Art Museum, 441 Main Street, Racine, WI 53403, no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, October 11. Please mark shipments to the attention of Madison Zapata.

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony

Sunday, December 8, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Awards presented at 2:30 pm.

Pick-up of Accepted Works After Exhibition

Monday, April 22, 2025, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 23, 2025, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Submit Digital Entries

  • Please read the entire prospectus before submitting your entry. Submissions that do not adhere to the museum’s specifications and standards for quality, including digital image requirements, may be rejected. If you do not feel confident in your photography/photo editing skills, or if you feel that your work cannot be accurately portrayed in one image, you may find it more beneficial to drop off your work in person.

  • 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 return to this page to continue submission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Submitted works must be original pieces created with an aqueous medium, for example, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, or ink. Artists may use the aqueous medium on its own, or combine it with any dry or mixed media of their 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, and other non-paper surfaces are unacceptable.

As long as the work was made after October 1, 2022, 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.

Yes—work can be submitted digitally, dropped off in-person, or shipped to RAM. Please select the option that works best for you. Regardless of selected entry method, all entries will be viewed at the same time by the jurors.

If submitting digitally, please ensure the following requirements are met: Images must be at 300 dpi, at least 1800 pixels on the longest side, and with a file size no larger than 5 MB.

Check out some helpful hints for photography: https://www.ramart.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Digital-Entry-Photography-Tips.pdf

If you do not feel confident in your photography/photo editing skills, or if you feel that your work cannot be accurately portrayed in one image, you may find it more beneficial to drop off your work in person.

Accepted digital entries will be reviewed in-person to ensure they meet museum quality standards for framing and presentation. RAM reserves the right to turn away work that does not meet these standards.

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 2024? Become a RAM member today: https://www.ramart.org/memberships/

RAM members can access the submission form by logging in with their membership credentials on RAM’s website and navigating to the Watercolor Wisconsin 2024 Call for Artists page.

Non-members should navigate to the Call for Artists page and purchase 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.

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. While matting is not required, RAM recommends white or off-white matting. Books and other three-dimensional constructions do not need to be framed, but should be finished on all sides.

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 Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell the name of your alternate pick-up person.

Work can also be shipped back to you—please provide a prepaid return shipping label and packaging materials during drop-off. Works not picked up within 30 days of the designated pickup are considered abandoned and will be disposed of.

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 in the exhibition prospectus and 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.

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