West Bend Exhibition

In 2014—the first full year after the opening of MOWA’s new building—the museum began a partnership with Wisconsin Visual Artists, establishing MOWA as the permanent home of the Wisconsin Artists Biennial. With origins dating back to 1900, the Biennial is one of the oldest recurring art competitions in the country. To ensure objectivity and fresh perspectives, the exhibition has been consistently judged by jurors from outside the state.

This year nearly 500 artists submitted over 1,200 entries and 52 works by 50 artists were ultimately selected. Representing geographical diversity as well as a range of media, this year’s cohort features a significant number of established artists whose work continues to resonate with jurors, as well as a robust group of newcomers. The 2026 Wisconsin Artists Biennial reflects the breadth and depth of contemporary American art, demonstrating that the state’s artists are engaged with—and contributing to—artist conversations well beyond Wisconsin’s borders.

The Biennial awards $10,000 in cash prizes. The top honor, the MOWA Prize, consists of $5,000 and a solo exhibition to run concurrently with the next Biennial in 2028. Additional prizes are given to second through fourth place. Other honors include the Lee Weiss Award for a first-time exhibitor, as well as two merit awards.

2026 Jurors

A very special thanks to the 2026 Wisconsin Artists Biennial jurors who had the challenging task of selecting 52 objects from over 1,200 entries.

Nicole Jacquard
Professor and Area Coordinator of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design
Indiana University

Taylor Jasper
Susan and Rob White Assistant Curator of Visual Arts
Walker Art Center in Minneapolis

Melissa Oresky
Multidisciplinary Artist and Professor of Painting and Drawing
Illinois State University

Images
Taj Matumbi, Hustle, 2025
Aaron Laux, Cherish, 2025

Adriana Barrios
Jennifer Bastian
Kayla Bauer
Julie Baugnet
Willow Bayer
John Beaver
Jacklyn Berta
Susan Boehm
Aaron Boyd
Lewis Cadkin
Craig Clifford
Kathryn Dreifuerst
Charlotte Easterling
Scott Espeseth
Fatemeh Fani
Swan Ferraro
Clarissa Friday
Frankie Suzanne Garr
Nina Ghanbarzadeh
Cynthia Hayes
Kristine Hinrichs
John Hitchcock
Douglas Hyslop
Jayne Reid Jackson
Kevin Johnson
Samuel Karow
Andrea Kidd
Michael Knapstein
Daniela Kouzov
Amanda Langer
Karla Lauden
Robin Lauersdorf
Aaron Laux
Andrew Linskens
Tanner MacArthur
Ellen Mahaffy
Taj Matumbi
Marie May
Tina Meister
Mariah Moneda
Christopher Murphy
Angela Piehl
Josef-Peter Römer
Ciel Skål
Donald Taylor
Marta Tereziya
Kristin Thielking
Marcia G. Thompson
Sarah Vandersee
Voytek Voytek