Driscoll Afghanistan Banner
Home/Artist Resources/Call for Artists/Call for Artists: Watercolor Wisconsin

Watercolor Wisconsin 2022

December 14, 2022 – April 15, 2023

Digital Entry Deadline: Wednesday, September 28 at 4:00 pm

Now in its 56th 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 Kendra Voelz via email at [email protected] or call 262.619.3541.

Bruce Hustad
Moon Growing Over Garden Globe, 2021
Watercolor
Third Award, Watercolor Wisconsin 2021
Photography: Jon Bolton

Watercolor Wisconsin 2022

December 14, 2022 – April 15, 2023

Digital Entry Deadline: Wednesday, September 28 at 4:00 pm

Bruce Hustad
Moon Growing Over Garden Globe, 2021
Watercolor
Third Award, Watercolor Wisconsin 2021
Photography: Jon Bolton

Now in its 56th 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 Kendra Voelz 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 entry 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, 2020 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 28. 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.

2022 Jurors

Ratindra Das Headshot
Ratindra Das
Photography Courtesy of the Artist

Watercolor artist Ratindra Das is both a Dolphin Fellow and a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, a Master Signature member in Watercolor West, and a Distinguished Master in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Das has served as a juror for the American Watercolor Society’s annual exhibition and for many national organizations. He has conducted watercolor workshops and classes throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, China, Singapore, and Italy. Further career accomplishments include winning over 80 national awards, being featured in several books and magazines, and published two books, Watercolor with an Eye for Design and Watercolor Beyond Obvious Reality. Presently, Das is represented by the Blue Dolphin House and Gallery, Ephraim, Wisconsin, and Mullaly’s 128 Gallery, Elk Rapids, Michigan.

Ww22 Gomez Headshot

Gail Ana Gomez is the Associate Director of Exhibitions and Publications at the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art. There she has managed numerous projects since 2014—from locally focused, historic exhibitions such as The Time is Now! Art Worlds of Chicago’s South Side 1960–1980, to exhibitions with a global reach such as The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China. With a background in studio art and art history, she also works as an independent curator and researcher with a special interest in self-taught and neurodiverse artists. Her newest research explores inclusive language and inclusive interpretative practices in museums.

Important Dates

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

Wednesday, September 28 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 30, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 1, 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 4.

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

Friday, October 7, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 8, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony

Sunday, December 11, 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Awards presented at 1:30 pm.

Due to the changing health climate, the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony may be cancelled. If so, participating artists will be contacted and new detail will be announced here, at ramart.org, and on the museum’s social media channels.

Pick-up of Accepted Works After Exhibition

Monday, April 17, 2023, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 18, 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.

Love Art?  You’ll Love RAM!

The mission of the Racine Art Museum is to exhibit, collect, preserve, and educate in the contemporary visual arts. Stay up-to-date about special events as well as support the mission of the largest contemporary craft collection in America: