“Art of Preservation” Includes Two Local Artists

“Lone Silo” by Cynthia Tumpach, Green Bay, was awarded the Best in Show award at the 2016 WEA Rahr-West exhibit. Submitted.

The Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc will host the Water’s Edge Artists’ (WEA) annual juried exhibit of plein air and studio art, titled The Art of Preservation, Oct. 1-29. A reception and awards ceremony for best paintings in various categories is set for Oct. 6, 5 – 7 pm. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at the reception which is free and open to the public.

WEA’s “painters for preservation” is an alliance of plein air artists dedicated to conservation, preservation and protection of scarce, endangered or threatened places in Wisconsin. The artists work in a variety of media, including oil, pastel, watercolor and acrylic. Members come from as far north as Michigan’s UP to Milwaukee in the south. They meet monthly at points in-between for plein air paint-outs at historic, conservation or popular “natural wonder” sites. Usually a percentage of the on-site art sales is donated to the preservation cause. The group has been featured in local and national media including a recent article in Plein Air Magazine.

Local artists Marina Beyer of Kewaunee and Madonna Siles of Sturgeon Bay were juried into the Rahr-West Art Show.

The juror for the 2017 WEA Show is David Carpenter of Manitowoc. He is a member of the art faculty at Silver Lake College.

The elegant Rahr-West Art Museum is a historic century-old mansion at 610 N. 8th St., Manitowoc. For more information, visit watersedgeartists.com or rahrwestartmuseum.org.