2007 State Day Awards List

The Lodi Art club has sponsored these awards since 1983 and was the first local art club to establish a state day award.  The club hopes the award recipients will use the funds as a means to continue art training or education. The first award is given for excellence in 2-D artwork (any medium) and the second for excellence in 3-D artwork.

Originally established by James Schwalbach in 1969 in memory of Alice Weber, since 1984 these awards have been sponsored by Mathilda Scwalbach in memory of her husband, Professor James Schwalbach.  The three awards are given for artistic creativity and are open to non-WRAA members as well as WRAA members.  The first award is for painting, the second for crafts and the third for graphics/photography.

This is the first award to be given by a non arts related business and was established in 1994 by Joan & William Latz of Adaptive Micro Systems in Milwaukee.  The two awards are given for any type of artwork displaying creativity and craftsmanship and are open to both non-WRAA members and WRAA members.

This award has been sponsored by the Waukesha Creative Arts League since 1993.  It is given for outstanding work in any medium and is open to both non-WRAA members and WRAA members.

Sponsored by the Walworth County Arts Council , this is an unrestricted award available to non-WRAA members as well as WRAA members.  It has been given since 2002 for outstanding artwork in any medium.

This award is sponsored by Friends of Our Gallery (FOG), the support organization for the Rountree Gallery in Platteville which has hosted WRAP shows since 2002.  The award is open to WRAA members and non-WRAA members alike and is given for outstanding work in any medium.

This is a new award in 2007 sponsored by C.K. Chang and Jean Lang to recognize outstanding work by young artists under the age of 25.

These awards were established by WRAA in 1976 to recognize meritorious work in any of the visual fine arts.  Up to 10 certificates may be awarded each year.

The most prestigious award given by WRAA, the John Steuart Curry medal has been given since 1958 in recognition of outstanding work in promoting art in the recipient’s area - not for profit, but for the joy of helping others. It is named after the first Artist in Residence at UW Madison.  The recipient is selected by the WRAA Board of Directors at its spring meeting from nominations from the membership.

Sponsored by Trelay Farms of Livingston WI, this award was established in 2005 in memory of Ada Biddick, wife of Trelay founder Elmer Biddick and an avid painter and active WRAP participant.  The award is given for excellence in painting, any medium.

First established in 1977 by well known Wisconsin artist Aaron Bohrod, this award is now a memorial award honoring Aaron Bohrod and his wife Ruth.  It is currently sponsored by Katherine Schmitt and her sisters whose father, Joseph Burk was a good friend of Aaron Bohrod.  It is given for "outstanding excellence in painting" and active participation in WRAA.

In 2003 the family of Joseph E. Burk established this memorial award to be given to a WRAA member displaying talent in the area of drawing and painting.  Joseph E. Burk was a commercial artist by trade, an instuctor at the Waukesha Technical School and past president of WRAA.  At age 92 he entered his last art show with a pen and ink sketch at the annual WRAA exhibit and although he won no special recognition that year, he was proud to still be able to produce work worthy of exhibit.

This award was established in 2007 with an endowment from Eva Beining of Platteville.  Eva and her late husband Carmen began oil painting in 1979, attended many state shows and won many awards.  It is given for landscape, floral or nature painting (not abstract).

This award is funded by an endowment established in 1985 by Harold C. Berkholz of Fond du Lac WI and is given for creative achievement, excellence in execution and demonstrated artistic creativity without the use of "gimmicks".

This service award is given to an individual or local art group in recognition of achievement in promoting WRAA membership.  The recipient is selected by the WRAA Board of Directors at its spring meeting from nominations from the membership. 

These awards are sponsored by the Chang family of Madison and are given for outstanding work in painting.  They were first awarded in 2003.

This award is funded by the members of the Curry Committee and is given to a WRAA member for outstanding work in any medium.

This is the fourth year that the Fond du Lac Artists Association has sponsored this award for painting.

This is a new award in 2007 sponsored and selected by Mary Lou Lindroth for outstanding work in any medium.

The Lakeland Art League established their award in 1987.   Now two awards, they are given for outstanding work in any fine arts or craft medium that does not employ "gimmicks".  It is hoped that the recipient will use the award as a means of continuing art training or education.

The Sponsor Awards were established in 1998 to recognize the contribution of the WRAP regional workshop sponsors.  One award is given for the highest number of participating artists and one award is given for the largest increase in participating artists over the previous year.  The awards are sponsored by C. K. Chang.

This award has been given since 2003 and is funded by the Catherine Hundt Scholarship Fund.

Since 1991, the LaCrosse Society of Arts and Crafts have sponsored an award for outstanding work in any medium and having a conventional nature without the use of  "gadgets" or  "gimmicks".  In 2006 they increased their sponsorship to two awards.

Since 1998, the Manito Art League has sponsored this award for any fine art medium.

Barbara Goy, formerly of Madison but now residing in Portland, Oregon, has sponsored this award since 2004.  It is given for fiber art, woodworking, or other artistic media.

The Five Painters group from the Madison area, David Scheifel, Donna Miller, Bonnie Johnson, C.K. Chang and Mary Dimon, have sponsored these two awards since 2003.  The awards are given for painting only.

In 2006, the Five Painters group of Madison began sponsorship of a new award called the Five Painters Choice Award.  The recipient of this award is selected by the Five Painters themselves rather than the show judge.

This is a one time award sponsored by the Five Painters artist friends of David Whitish-Scheifel in memory of his mother.  The award is to be given for a painting with a floral motif, as Carrie so enjoyed flowers during her lifetime.

Originally a one time award established in 2006 by Pat Mosher in memory of her husband and his support of her artwork, in 2007 Pat made this an annual award given for excellence in painting or sculpture.

This award for "out-of-the-box thinking with an unusual twist in color, form, line, texture or composition" has been sponsored by Mary Ann Inman's School of Eclectic Art since 2004.

New in 2007, this award is sponsored by Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts, a nonprofit arts education center in Mineral Point.  It is given for creative use of materials or design elements.

The Stateline Artists group has sponsored these two awards since 1999.  One award is given for outstanding 3-D artwork and one for outstanding 2-D artwork.

A new award for 2007 sponsored by Jean Lang, this award is given to an artist depicting life or scenes of rural Wisconsin - in the old WRAP tradition.

The Chinese Fine Art Association is a Madison based nonprofit organization whose focus is to promote and raise awareness of the various Oriental arts, particularly Chinese brush painting and Chinese calligraphy.  They have sponsored an award since 2003 and currently give two awards, one to a CFFA member and one to a non-member.

The artists of the Headwaters Art League in the Land O' Lakes area of northern Wisconsin began sponsoring this award in 2006 for outstanding artwork in any medium.

The Rural Rembrandts Art Club from the Wautoma area has sponsored an award since 1995 and currently gives two awards, one for excellence in 2-D work and one for excellence in 3-D work.

This award was established in 1984 to honor past presidents of WRAA.  It is sponsored by Billy Moy who was then president of WRAA.  It is given for outstanding work in any area of the visual arts.

The Treasurer's award was established in 1988 by Donna Miller upon her retirement from the WRAA Board of Directors, having served as Treasurer for 12 years.  It is funded by interest on an endowment from Donna.  It is given for meritorious work in any painting medium.  The artwork must be conventional fine art and not bizarre or experimental.

The John Barton Awards were established in 1966 by Lela Smith to honor Professor John Barton, Professor of Sociology at UW, who was deeply involved and influential in furthering the cultural welfare of the people of Wisconsin.  The awards consist of a $25 art book selected by the winner of the award to be given to the library of their choice in their name.  One award is given for painting or sculpture and the other for crafts.  The awards can not be given to the same person two years in a row.

The Lancaster Art Club has sponsored these two awards since 1994 to celebrate their long existence as a club, being one of the oldest local art clubs in the state.  One award is given for oil painting and one award is given for watercolor.

Helen Croft, who served as Awards Chair of WRAA for 9 years, began these awards in 2001 to provide encouragement and recognition to fellow artists and to communicate to the recipients that fine art is greatly appreciated by peers.

A one-time award in 2007 sponsored by Leslee Nelson who found herself stopping and imagining lilac fragrance every time she passed by the winning piece.

Funded by WRAA, these awards were originally the Andrew Clark Award established in 1966 and named for a charter member who was deeply interested in the purposes of the organization.  Renamed the WRAA Awards in 1980, one award is given for painting or sculpture and the other for crafts. Recipients can not receive the awards two years in a row.

The three WRAA Memorial Service Awards were established after three board members, Lela Smith, Grace Pendleton and Modesta Macke were killed in an automobile accident on the way to a board meeting.  The awards honor them and all WRAA members who have since died and are given in recognition of meritorious service in promoting the aims and activities of WRAA.  Recipients are selected by the WRAA Board of Direcotrs at the spring meeting from nominations from the membership.

The Contour Notes Cover Award has been given since the early 1960's and is now funded by WRAA.  At the fall board meeting, the WRAA Board of Directors votes on entries submitted by the membership.  The four works receiving the most votes each appear on a cover of Contour Notes in the following year, and the top vote getter receives a $25 award.

The Contour Notes Centerfold Award began in 1983 and is funded by WRAA.  At the fall board meeting, the WRAA Board of Directors votes on entries submitted by the membership.  The four works receiving the most votes each appear in the centerfold of a Contour Notes issue in the following year, and the top vote getter receives a $25 award.