Chicago-based artist Leah Mitchell took top honors in the 2023 Beloit & Vicinity Exhibition with her playfully reimagined portrait of a young French Doughnut Queen (aka Marie Andoughnette) adorned with the sweet treats from head to toe.

Rockford artist Beth Wemmer’s day before leaving for home 1949 - My American Gothic won second place. Susan Estelle Kwas, a Milwaukee artist, took third place for Moth Boy & Fossil Beds. Wisconsin artist Sue Herring garnered the People’s Choice award for her piece, Waiting and Watching. An honorable mention went to Kathy Kerner for her Sisters with a Hidden Agenda.

Visitors can see the 2023 Beloit & Vicinity exhibit at the Wright Museum of Art on Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., through Saturday, July 22. Top juror award winner Leah Mitchell will be featured in a Wright Museum of Art exhibit next year. Mitchell’s allegorical and narrative figures use symbolism and humor to view the ideals of feminine beauty and value reflected in Western art history, pop culture, and Christian iconography. The People’s Choice Award piece by Sue Herring will be on the front cover of next year’s exhibition catalog.

The 2023 Beloit & Vicinity Exhibition attracted artists from Wisconsin and neighboring states, with 25 works highlighting the depth and breadth of exciting art.

“It is a thrill for the Wright Museum of Art to showcase this diverse group of local and regional artists, says Wright Museum Academic Curator Christa Story.

Chicago-based artist Leah Mitchell took top honors in the 2023 Beloit & Vicinity Exhibition with her playfully reimagined portrait of a young French Doughnut Queen (aka Marie Andoughnette) adorned with the sweet treats from head to toe.This year’s jurors, Executive Director of the Rockford Art Museum Carrie Johnson and award-winning artist, educator, and former gallery owner, Frank Juarez, announced the winners at the June 3 exhibit opening event at Beloit College’s Wright Art Museum.

Visitors can see the 2023 Beloit & Vicinity exhibit at the Wright Museum of Art on Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., through Saturday, July 22. The Hollensteiner Gallery, and the solo exhibition of Ashley Dallas, winner of the 2022 Beloit & Vicinity Exhibition, will be open for viewing.

For more information, visit the Wright Museum of Art’s Facebook page.