2009 State Day Awards List

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

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 their 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.

This award was established in 2008 by Mary and Allan Stegemann and the Lawyer family in memory of Mary's parents, Catherine and Frank Lawyer, and is given to a WRAA member for excellence in oil painting.

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 was established in 2009 by JoAnn Hegarty. Carol Betts Chaplin found great joy and fulfillment during her years of involvement with WRAA, especially the years she devoted to the group while serving on the Board. Carol enjoys many forms of art, but is especially drawn to portraits. She loves all living things and knows that portraits can show us the soul of these subjects, whether human or animal.

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.

This annual was established in 2008 by The Artizens, Joan Fernan, Carol Grovesteen, Joan Sable, and Mary Stegemann.  It is given to a WRAA member for excellence in oil painting.

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.

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

This award was established in 2008 by the Gardner family in memory of Ella Gardner, a long time member of WRAA and participant in WRAP.  It is open to both WRAA members and non-WRAA members and is given for 2-D work with a rural theme.

The Fond du Lac Artists Association has sponsored this award since 2004.  The award is open to non-WRAA members as well as WRAA members and is given for excellent work in any media.

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 or photography.

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

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 was started in 2007and is sponsored by Mary Lou Lindroth who selects the recipient for outstanding work in any medium.

The Oshkosh Fine Arts Association was founded to promote fine arts and crafts in the community.  They also sponsor the Winnebagoloand Art Fair which is one of the oldest in Wisconsin.  New in 2008, this annual award is given for excellence in any medium or subject matter and is open to non-WRAA members as well as WRAA members.

New in 2008, this award is open to both WRAA members and non-WRAA member and is sponsored by the Whitewater Arts Alliance. The mission of The Whitewater Arts Alliance is to support, promote, and develop the visual and performing arts through an alliance of artists, organizations, businesses, education, and individuals to foster creativity, diversity, and economic vitality in the Whitewater area.

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.

The Sisterhood h'Art Academy is a group whose members have greatly benefited from WRAA and in turn, are sponsoring an award.  Their award recognizes an artist whose work, in the opinion of the Sisterhood h'Art Academy, shows authenticity and captures its essence. In other words, has heart. The award recipient is selected by the Sisterhood h'Art Academy members. The award was established in 2008 and is open only to WRAA members.

Award established in 2008 by Lee Fenendael to honor Francis M. Kipp, a family member who although now on in years, often lead the family in exploring their creativity.  The intent of this award is to encourage participants to explore and expand their creativity.  The underlying vision is  "Show me something I haven't seen before."

Originally established as one award in 1987, the Lakeland Art League now sponsors two awards, the Lakeland Art League Memorial Award and the Phyllis Blazkowski Memorial Award (for a founding member of the League). 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.

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 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 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 given for meritorious work in any painting medium.  The artwork must be conventional fine art and not bizarre or experimental.

New in 2008, this award was established by Elizabeth Turner Katzelnick to honor a WRAA member artist deserving of recognition for their figurative work on canvas.  The recipient is selected by Elizabeth Turner Katzelnick.

The Five Painters group from the Madison area (David Scheifel, Donna Miller, Bonnie Johnson, and C.K. Chang) has 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

This award has been sponsored by Mary Ann Inman's School of Eclectic Art since 2004. It is given to a WRAA member for good use of line, color, texture, form or value.

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.

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 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.

New in 2009, this award is sponsored by Joan Latz and her sister, Janet Lillie, in honor of their aunt Milly and uncle Bob, who passed away in 2009. Art has been a key element of this entire family.  Milly & Bob were active in community theater and Bob was a commercial artist. Bob's widow, Erica, was a stained glass teacher, and Joan and Janet's grandfather, Robert Heuel, was a painter from Italy who has work in the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend.

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.  It is now sponsored by Joan and her sister, Janet Lillie. It is open to non-WRAA members as well as WRAA members.

A one-time award in 2009 to recognize the outstanding work of Bob Skowera as coordinator of the West Allis WRAP exhibit.

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.

Helen Croft, who served as Awards Chair of WRAA for 9 years, began these two 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. The awards are selected by Helen Croft and are given for excellence in watercolor or other water media.

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.

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 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.

This award was established by WRAA in 2007 and is given for meritorious service in support of Bridging Generations or other youth oriented arts programs.  The award is funded by WRAA and the recipient is selected by the WRAA Board of Directors at its spring meeting from nominations submitted by WRAA members.

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 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.  Originally the awards consisted of an art book selected by the winner of the award to be given to the library of their choice in their name.  In 2009 the awards were changed to a cash award.