Affiliation: referring to Wisconsin Artists who have been awarded one of the
WVALAA awards.
A meeting in 1992 between the President of Wisconsin Painters &
Sculptors and the Director of the West Bend Art Museum served as the
beginning of serious planning for the WVALAA. Soon thereafter the
Wisconsin Academy came on board as one of the three Founders, and
Articles of Organization were finalized and the process begun.
A Nominating Committee to be comprised of at least 15 experienced
persons was formed to submit nominations for the WVALAA, and to
subsequently vote for the candidates. The first year's cycle saw an
initial list of approximately 80 persons and organizations submitted.
Of those, 50 were finally voted upon, and the first class of 11
recipients was chosen and announced at a special recognition ceremony in
May 2004, held at the WBAM.
The Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Awards were created to honor those
individuals and organizations that have contributed to the wealth of
artistic creativity in our state and region. The founders of the WVALAA
believe these awards and this website will serve to inform and educate
the public about our rich art history and contemporary visual arts
culture. This organization is for the future---for the artists,
patrons, supporters, teachers, authors, collectors, and appreciators of
art. Through these awards, we hope to stimulate discussion and
awareness for decades to come.
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