Nicolet College Art Gallery
CONTACT
Katherine Ralph, Art Gallery Director
Learning Resource Center
Phone: 715-365-4556
Email: kralph@nicoletcollege.edu
Nicolet Art Gallery Facebook Link
The Nicolet Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Learning Resources Center on the Rhinelander Campus. The gallery serves as a teaching gallery with Nicolet art classes continuously using the current displays for reference and study. It also serves as a place for professional artists from the Nicolet District and beyond to display their work. Gallery hours are listed below and the gallery is also open during most Nicolet Live! theatre presentations. The gallery schedules shows each year which function as a learning service to the area's elementary and secondary school students. In 1988, Nicolet and the Northern Arts Council began hosting the Northern National Art Competition.
Gallery Hours
Fall and Winter Hours
Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday - Saturday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Summer Hours
Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
2011-2012 Exhibits and Events
24th Northern National Juried Art Competition
July 26 - September 9, 2011
The Northern National Art Competition is a juried art exhibition co-sponsored by the Nicolet College Art Gallery and the Northern Arts Council. Hundreds of artists nationwide submit works to be considered for the competition. A different judge is selected each year. Typically, the judge is a working artist with a university or gallery affiliation who is experienced in critiquing other artists' work. The exhibit strives to encompasses cross-section of contemporary art in a variety of two-dimensional mediums. The art reflects many aspects of life and is always both intellectually stimulating as well as being a visual delight.
Drawing Water
The Melding of Art, Science, and Poetry
Friday, September 16 - Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Opening reception and presentation: September 24 at 7:00 pm
Speakers will include John Bates (poet and naturalist), Mindy Schnell (watercolor painter) and Noah Lottig (scientist from UW-Trout Lake). The project is sponsored by Trout Lake and is funded by a National Science Foundation Grant.
Art and science come together in this fascinating traveling exhibit that spotlights the lakes of Wisconsin’s Northern Highland region. The exhibit includes the works of five visual artists and one poet, who team up with six scientists. They investigate and communicate the past and future of an ecological region renowned worldwide for the density of its lakes. Each work expresses a different aspect of the lakes, and is accompanied by a concise explanation of the science behind the art. The exhibit, initiated by the Wisconsin Association of Lakes, is the product of a year-long collaboration between the artists and scientists.
Fiber Art and Photography:
Toni Bergeon and Nancy Pierce
Friday, October 14 - Sunday, November 13, 2011
Meet and greet the artists on November 5 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm,
before Rocketman in the Nicolet College Theatre
The natural world, color, texture, and shape inform the realistic and abstract fiber designs of the two artists featured in this exhibit. Toni Bergeon, a Rhinelander native who lives in Green Bay and Minocqua, has been making original art quilts since age 10. Photographer and fiber artist Nancy Pierce of Green Bay is fascinated by color. Both artists work from memory and photos to create detailed fabric scenes, nature representations and portraits. As part of the exhibit, the artists will display art quilts and the photography that inspired each quilt, giving the viewer an appreciation of the creative process.
Creative Power:
VSA Wisconsin's Traveling Exhibit
Friday, November 18 - Tuesday, December 13, 2011
In this exhibit sponsored by VSA Wisconsin-The State Organization on Arts and Disability, viewers experience how art truly is the universal language that can inspire diverse peoples, cultures, and generations to connect to one another in a way that promotes acceptance and inclusion in all aspects of life. Each year VSA Wisconsin issues a statewide call for art from youth and adults with disabilities. The submissions are reviewed by a panel of professionals. Each year ten new pieces are selected for the exhibit. Their high quality demonstrates how art is the universal language that connects diverse peoples.
Wild Florida in the 20th Century
Monday, December 19, 2011 - Friday, January 27, 2012
From the collection of the late George Cornwall, a Florida ecologist, this exhibit features Pat Elliott, an acrylic painter who beautifully and accurately illustrated the lush swamplands, marshes, fields, and woods of his native Florida, before they were paved over with tract homes, strip malls, amusement parks, and industrial complexes. Elliott researched the ecosystem and its inhabitants, then made numerous sketches and copious notes, took photos, and gathered specimens. He absorbed the habitat with mind, body and spirit. In the midst of a Northwoods winter, his paintings provide a sensory experience that transports viewers to a place of tropical warmth.
International Study:
Reflections on London and Guatemala
Wednesday, February 1 - Saturday, February 18, 2012
Reception and slide presentation: Friday, February 17, 7:00 pm
Participants who traveled on one of the two Nicolet international study trips will display a collection of interesting artifacts and images from their adventures, giving the public an opportunity to share in their experiences. The London trip is designed to expand the traveler’s knowledge of art. Students visit many of London’s museums and galleries steeped in the history of European art and culture. The Spanish trip allows students to experience Guatemalan culture in the city of Quetzaltenango, take immersion Spanish language classes and/or do a service learning project. Students will talk about their experiences and share slides at the reception.
Nicolet Open: "Original Valentines -
Artful Expressions of Affection"
Saturday, February 25 - Saturday, March 17, 2012
Reception: Saturday, February 25, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
A call for artists! The Nicolet Open is a non-juried show for participants of any age. Artists are invited to use art and/or poetry to express their heart’s desire in a traditional style, or to move beyond hearts and flowers to create an artistic and uniquely authentic expression of affection. Participants can devise an artful valentine that communicates feelings to a loved one, or commemorates a person who has touched their life, or as an expression of devotion. The artist is free to interpret this in any way he or she wishes. Contact Art Gallery Director Katy Ralph at 715-365-4556 for an entry form.
Patterns and Complexity:
Mary Burns, Josh Waszak, Amy Higgason, M. Rene Iannarelli
Saturday, March 24 - Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Reception: Saturday, March 24, 5:30 pm
Four artists exhibit their love of color, attention to detail, and fascination with intricate patterns. Mary Burns expresses her connection to northern woodlands and waters through custom-designed, hand-woven rugs and wall pieces, tapestries, and felted work which reflect the hues and patterns of the natural world. Josh Waszak creates highly-detailed pen and ink drawings of colorful original patterns. Amy Higgason forms intricately-carved, vividly-toned functional pottery that also serves as fine art. M. Rene Iannarelli is a quilt artist and teacher skilled in the application of color theory and innovative design, whose quilts have been widely exhibited.
Art and Graphic Design Student Exhibit
Wednesday, April 25 - Saturday, May 19, 2012
On display are Nicolet student art work and works in progress, illustrating many of the skills involved in all the various art classes. The show includes exercises in shading, line drawing, understanding color, and basic compositional technique. A Portfolio Show takes place in May in the Learning Resource Center, culminating two years of work for Nicolet students graduating with graphic design associate degrees. Portfolios showcase original design work in print and digital media. Students in digital media will host a film festival in the Nicolet Theatre, featuring video and time-based animation works. The Portfolio Show is open to the public and refreshments will be served.
Wisconsin Regional Art Program - "WRAP"
Saturday, May 26 - Saturday, July 7, 2012
WRAP Workshop Day: Saturday, July 7, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
WRAA, a non-profit with more than 500 non-professional artists regional artists, and WRAP of UW-Madison, team up to promote the artistic development of rural artists through educational resources and exhibition opportunities. This exhibit includes a workshop day for participating artists and the public, in which a guest artist gives a lecture or demonstration, and the judge leads an educational critique about the exhibited artwork. Award winners have the opportunity to exhibit at the annual State Art Exhibition and Conference in Madison in September. All artists 16 and older are invited to submit their work. Contact Katy Ralph at 715-365-4556 for more information.
25th Annual Northern National Art Competition
Tuesday, July 24 - Friday, September 7, 2012
The Northern National Art Competition is a juried art exhibition co-sponsored by the Nicolet College Art Gallery and the Northern Arts Council. Hundreds of artists nationwide submit works to be considered for the competition. A different judge is selected each year. Typically, the judge is a working artist with a university or gallery affiliation who is experienced in critiquing other artists' work. The exhibit strives to encompasses cross-section of contemporary art in a variety of two-dimensional mediums. The art reflects many aspects of life and is always both intellectually stimulating as well as being a visual delight. Music, wine, and refreshments followed by commentary by the judge at Gala Opening. Tickets are required for the Opening.