Opening Reception & Awards
Sunday, August 30th, 2026 | 2-5 pm
Be part of the best of the best at our
Annual Juried Exhibit (AJE)
August 29 to October 11, 2026
It’s one of our most prestigious events of the year, not just because it is a juried show but because it features the work of our extraordinary CAG members. The Annual Juried Exhibit (AJE) attracts Midwest collectors seeking unique works. This show showcases the work of our esteemed CAG members across a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, metal, photography, pottery, glass, textiles, wood, mixed media, painting (oil, acrylic, watercolor, etc.), and much more.
Digital submissions are open from July 1st to July 31st.
You're Invited to a Showcase of Artistic Excellence!
August 29 to October 11, 2026
Join us for one of the Cedarburg Artists Guild’s most celebrated events of the year—the Annual Juried Exhibit! This highly anticipated show features an incredible collection (over 150 pieces) of original artwork created by our talented Guild members, thoughtfully selected by a professional jury.
Explore a vibrant mix of artistic styles and mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, glass, textiles, wood, ceramics, mixed media, and more. Whether you’re an art lover, a collector, or simply curious, this exhibit offers something to inspire everyone.
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the creativity, passion, and talent that make our local arts community so special!
Winners of AJE 2025
BEST OF SHOW
Greta Grazing
Oil Painting by Marie Myler
Greta Grazing earns Best of Show for its brave simplicity and masterful restraint. From across the room, we read three calm bands of space and one exquisitely placed subject, a single Holstein bowed to the work of morning. The design is airtight: an 80/20 sweep of meadow, a quiet hedgerow, and a deep violet wood that holds the air. Story arrives
gently, solitude that isn’t lonely, a small life sustained by light. Freshness shows in the confident edges, the honest brushwork of grass, and temperature shifts that create believable atmosphere. Nothing is extra; everything is chosen, and that clarity makes the ordinary feel sacred.
BLUE RIBBON 2D
Calm Before the Storm
Oil Painting by Carrie Nygren
Calm Before the Storm takes a Blue Ribbon for clarity, scale, and control. From across the room, the design is unmistakable. One commanding mass of horse and harness sits against a quiet ground, and a rhythm of straps guides the eye from withers to bit. Up close, the story lands. This is readiness, the breath before work. The leather carries miles of use, and the steady eye carries character. Freshness shows in honest surfaces, varied edges, and a crop that feels modern without gimmick. Every choice serves the subject, from value grouping to the placement of highlights and the cadence of lines. Strong at a distance and rewarding in detail.
Summer Lilies
Watercolor Painting by Bruce Hustad
Summer Lilies earns a Blue Ribbon for clarity, balance, and quiet confidence. At twenty feet, we see a graceful arrangement of large, light petal shapes set against a clean ground, with stems guiding the eye in an easy arc. Up close, the story deepens. A bud, a listening bloom, and a full voice suggest time, patience, and care. The watercolor handling stays fresh. Whites are preserved, glazes are clean, and edges shift just enough to turn form without losing the breath of the paper. A single hit of pink at the stamens gives life to the whole. It is poised, contemporary, and beautifully observed.
Frida in Fish Creek
Acrylic Painting by Patrick Doughman
Frida in Fish Creek takes a Blue Ribbon for its bold design and
charged quiet. At a distance, we feel a clear split between a
commanding portrait and a stacked townscape. The crop, the
strong line, and the rhythm of signs and poles give the image a
steady beat. Up close, the story opens. An iconic presence stands
inside a familiar street. Identity and place share the frame.
Layered strokes and warm against cool color keep the light alive
without noise. The sharpest notes land in the eye and mouth, and everything else plays support. It is confident, thoughtful, and inviting. A true conversation between person and town, art and everyday life.
BLUE RIBBON 3D
Carved Leaf Vase
Ceramics by Kandy Gibson
Carved Leaf Vase takes the Blue Ribbon in 3D for grace, clarity, and
beautiful craft. The profile is tall and assured, with a flared lip and a
steady taper that sits strongly on the pedestal. Carved leaves wrap the
form, and the fine vertical channels create a rhythm that plays with
light. Two small loop handles widen the stance and add a gentle pause for the eye. The satin green glaze pools in the cuts and breaks
at the edges, which gives depth and movement without noise.
Throwing, carving, and glaze all work together. It feels both functional and ceremonial, a vessel that
carries the garden into the room with quiet confidence.
RED RIBBON 2D
Self Portrait
Oil Painting by Leslie Paulus
Self Portrait receives a Red Ribbon for its clear design and open heart.
From across the room, we see a warm golden shape of coat and scarf
that leads to a turned head catching light. The value grouping is
disciplined, which lets the features carry the focus. Up close, the story
feels personal and immediate. A child turns, meets our gaze, and
smiles. The background stays clean, so we can enjoy the person
without distraction. Freshness comes from confident edges, honest
brushwork, and a few well-placed highlights. The small blue in the tie is a perfect counterpoint to the golds. The result is simple, direct, and full of life.
Lion's Den Gorge
Watercolor Painting by Tom Kubala
Lion’s Den Gorge receives a Red Ribbon for a design that is both bold and true to experience. From a distance, we read a sweep of dark trunks set against a bright green opening, with the hillside sliding our eye toward distant light. Up close, the story settles in. We are standing in shade and looking toward promise, a cool pool of daylight beyond the trees. Watercolor handling stays fresh. Canopy shapes are glazed with patience, textures arrive by spatter and lifting, and the forest floor is suggested with broken marks rather than explained. The strong grouping of values and the living rhythm of trees create depth, air, and an invitation to step forward.
Pastoral Scene
Oil Painting by Carol Weiss
Pastoral Scene receives a Red Ribbon for a design that welcomes
us and holds us. The curved furrows carry the eye into the picture and aim us at a glowing field, while tree masses frame the view like open gates. Value families are clear. Darks anchor the foreground, middle values shape the trees, and a bright field with lively clouds brings the light. Up close, the story is simple and true. This is cultivated land at rest, the calm after labor. Freshness shows in broken color on the grasses, soft transitions in the distance, and clouds that feel breathed rather than blended. The result is inviting, confident, and full of quiet joy.
RED RIBBON 3D
Peacock Serving Bowl
Ceramics by Michelle Shaw
Peacock Serving Bowl receives a Red Ribbon for harmony of form and glaze. The profile is confident and open, with a clean rim that invites touch. Inside, blues and greens radiate toward the center like a slow turn of stars, and small ochre blooms sparkle in the pooled glaze. The exterior stays quieter, which lets the interior do the speaking. The proportions between the foot, belly, and lip feel generous and practical, so the bowl succeeds as an art object and as a useful piece for the table. Glaze flow is controlled, the foot is tidy, and the overall read is clear from every angle—a graceful meeting of everyday function and a sense of wonder.
HONORABLE MENTION 2D
Sandhill at Villa Grove Park
Photography by Fred Thorne
Sandhill at Villa Grove Park earns an Honorable Mention for a clear
design and a beautifully timed moment. A wide field of quiet water
holds a single event. The crane steps onto a sunlit log, and its reflection drops through the frame like a soft mirror. The diagonal of the perch, the lift of the wings, and the forward beak create a graceful line that is easy to follow. Warm light shapes the bird and keeps the background calm. Up close, we enjoy feather detail, small droplets near the feet, and the tiny red crown that locks the focus. It is patient seeing, cleanly framed, and full of quiet grace.
Bosnia
Acrylic Painting by Miranda Kempf
Bosnia earns an Honorable Mention for its confident structure and sense of lived history. From across the room, we see three clear bands. Dark river and trees below, a rich
belt of stone buildings in the middle, and a bright sky that feels freshly cleared. Rhythm in the stacked roofs pulls us uphill, while the pink and saffron facades guide the eye and add joy. The tower at right provides scale and a quiet pause. Up close, the story is generous. Markets, balconies, and narrow lanes feel present without being overdrawn. Clouds stay atmospheric, stone carries texture, and greens remain lively. The result is a truthful, welcoming portrait of a town that has weathered time with grace.
After the Rain
Oil Painting by May Ulm Mayhew
After the Rain earns an Honorable Mention for its brave simplicity and strong read, a generous sky carries the mood, while a slim band of land holds small houses, a knot of trees, and a road that leads us in. The value families are clear—light sky, middle-to-dark fields, and a few well-placed lights that define the center. Up close, the story is gentle and convincing. Color feels rinsed and alive the way it does after a storm. Brushwork remains visible and confident, which keeps the scene from feeling fussy. The painting is small in scale yet full of air, memory, and welcome.
HONORABLE MENTION 3D
Distant Relative
Sculpture by Mark Hargarten
Distant Relative receives an Honorable Mention for grace, clarity, and a story we all know. A tall, twisting trunk holds two bluebirds set apart. The lower bird rises on a curved steel branch, and the upper bird makes a quiet crown. That spacing creates a strong rhythm and a beautiful pocket of air between them. Surface variety adds life. Warm wood, cool metal, and a deep resin sheen share the light and keep the piece moving as you walk around it. The title lands perfectly. We feel the distance inside families and the connection that remains. It is thoughtful, well built, and full of quiet feeling from every angle.
Forest Dweller
Sculpture by Diane Boer-Henke
Forest Dweller receives an Honorable Mention for a strong presence and a story that lands the moment you see it. A leaf-crowned face rises from a spiraled wood column while an iron base holds
steady. The crown throws a lively silhouette on the wall, and the spiral gives the form a gentle turn. Up close the craft is clear. Leaf veins are sharp, the face feels alive, and the glaze breaks on edges just enough to add depth. Wood, iron, and clay speak together, which fits the Green Man idea perfectly. It stands like a guardian at the threshold, welcoming us while reminding us of the living woods that stand behind our walls.
Awards for 2026
BEST OF SHOW
The winner will receive $500
2-D Awards
3 Blue Ribbon(s) and $250
3 Red Ribbon(s) and $125
3 Honorable Mention and $50
3-D Awards
1 Blue Ribbon and $250
1 Red Ribbon and $125
2 Honorable Mention and $50
Meet the jurors for AJE 2026!
C.T. Whitehouse
Dr. Gaylund K. Stone
C.T. Whitehouse’s interest in art has deep roots not only in making art but also in presenting artists and their work in public and private venues. In 1980, he designed Vail, Colorado’s first art gallery. He became a partner with Driscol Galleries in Vail/Beaver Creek, where sculpture was emphasized, and large-scale sculpture was introduced, which has become a signature of the Vail/Beaver Creek valley. In Taos, New Mexico, he established Quast Galleries.
In 1987, he apprenticed with the sculptor, Chapel, in his studio near Boulder. Through hands-on knowledge of bronze sculpture, he came to love the medium. His first bronze vessels were cast when he accepted the opportunity to establish a cold-cast department at a fine art foundry in Oregon.
Currently, his bronze artwork is exhibited in four galleries across the country, including Edgewood Orchard Gallery in Door County. He has served as a juror for the American Craft Council, the Colorado Governor’s Art Show, and the American Craft Exhibition. In 2016, he curated the placement of over 75 pieces of art on loan from the Whitehouse/Joosse Collection at the Cedarburg Public Library and ultimately donated 40 pieces to initiate its permanent collection.
ABOUT THE WORK
Tremendous energy is generated in the casting of the bronze, not too different from the energy that created this Earth and life upon it. This special process often has surprising and profound effects on the viewer. It is here, I hope, that when holding one of my pieces, you will look beyond the initial interest and feel the timeless beauty and power of bronze. My vessel forms are already full. They contain themselves and the space within. At the same time, they are ready to receive all possibilities of our existence.
Originally from Willoughby, Ohio, Gaylund Stone began painting while a student at Princeton in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was there that he studied with Esteban Vicente and participated in a seminar with Helen Frankenthaler.
He painted sporadically after graduating from college, traveling across the country and investigating a newfound faith, a faith that would challenge and direct his life in the world and as a painter.
Teaching positions in Oklahoma and at Concordia University in Wisconsin led to master’s and doctoral degrees in art education. Studies focused on the role of art-making in human behavior and on studio work served both as a respite from the academic world and as an opportunity to examine thoughts and beliefs in depth.
ABOUT THE WORK
The painter may often be the worst person to speak about the work—there is the attraction of delusion and the recognition that the results of studio activity may only poorly reflect the experiences and thoughts that were its source. Suffice it to say that most of the images are attempts to capture a worldview—to see our physical, transient lives as suspended between the glory of eternity and the despair of absolute
annihilation. They tend to be ‘portraits’ rather than landscapes, revealing more of the soul than the mere physical appearance of natural surroundings.
Beginning with oils, the work shifted to acrylic in the late 1970s, and, after the 1990s, oil-based media were often used over an acrylic underpainting. Recent work also incorporates synthetic gold leaf applied in the final stages of the painting. Most of the work is on canvas, but there is the occasional use of Masonite and paper as painting surfaces, particularly in the smaller pieces.