Feature image: Devening Projects (Chicago, IL), Door County Contemporary at Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Photo: Artdose magazine.
By Frank Juárez
On June 5th, the Door County Contemporary (DCC) Art Fair kicked off its inaugural art event with a VIP opening inside the rotunda at the Peninsula School of Art (known as PenArt), bringing artists, gallerists, sponsors, art patrons, and art collectors from across the region to Fish Creek, Wisconsin. DCC was a 3-day event (June 5 – 8, 2025) that featured 20 Midwest art galleries exhibiting contemporary works ranging from photography to drawings, sculptures to limited-edition prints, textiles to glass, mixed media to ceramics, and paintings to installations. Participating galleries were Devening Projects (Chicago, IL), Dreamsong (Minneapolis, MN), Green Gallery (Milwaukee, WI), Hair + Nails (Minneapolis, MN/New York), Hawthorn Contemporary (Milwaukee, WI), James May Gallery (Milwaukee, WI), Kim Storage Gallery (Milwaukee, WI), Misako & Rosen(Chicago, IL/Tokyo), Oliva Gallery (Chicago, IL), OS Projects (Racine, IL), Portrait Society Gallery (Milwaukee, WI), Process Process (Chicago, IL), Real Tinsel (Milwaukee, WI), 65 Grand Gallery (Chicago, IL), Special Effects(Kansas City, MO), Sculpture Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI), Tandem Press (Madison, WI), The Plan (Chicago, IL), Western Exhibitions (Chicago, IL), and Zieher Smith (Nashville, TN).
Photo: Artdose magazine.
Access and opportunity
Participating in art fairs is expensive. For most smaller art galleries, it can consume their annual budget. To put it into perspective, a 400 square foot booth at EXPO CHGO, costs $26,400 (1). At DCC, a 100 square foot booth costs $2,000 and a 180 square foot booth costs $2,500. Jaymee Harvey Willms, DCC co-director, states, “Door County Contemporary can be an entry-level art fair for first-time galleries, and we want to make sure everyone has what they need to be successful.”
Due to the amount of square footage available in the exhibition halls, the size and number of booths worked well in the design and build-out, equipped with the necessary space and amenities needed to exhibit a range of contemporary works by an artist or group of artists. Its accessibility and affordability made it possible for first-time galleries to participate. 45% of the booths were Wisconsin-based, with 3 participating in their first art fair. In speaking with one of the participating galleries, a couple of months before the event, one question she had was what the market is for selling work in Door County. This is a common question asked to determine what type of inventory to bring and exhibit, especially when it is her first art fair as a new art gallery. Harvey Willms shared that there were a good number of sales between $150 and $300 range, and $3,000 to $7,000 range. The majority of the galleries sold work.
DCC was strategically laid out throughout the PenArt campus, guiding attendees to several galleries in the main building (West Exhibition Hall), then to the rotunda known as The Door where various Milwaukee and Madison-based arts programs exhibited its artists’ artworks, and finally into the last building (North Exhibition Hall) where you were greeted by Midwest Editions: Book and Print then to the remaining galleries. There were several sessions programmed throughout the weekend. The sessions were a couple of artist talks with Meg Lionel Murphy (Portrait Society Gallery, WI) and Double Vision: A Conversation Between Two Artists Rachel Collier (Hair + Nails Gallery, MN), and Mary Griffin (Dreamsong, MN); panel discussion on Sustaining Creativity: Building a Sustainable Creative Economy (Gener8tor and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation), and a curator talk about Art Against the Odds: Wisconsin Prison Art (Portrait Society Gallery, WI). All sessions were well-attended with lively Q&As. There was also a high interest in artist books and catalogs.
When it comes to art fairs, the main question is whether there will be sales. Galleries have their collectors, but will they be willing to travel afar to show their support? If they cannot attend, will they have another access point to make a purchase? Talking with some of the gallery owners, this was not a major concern. The energy appeared to be focused on building relationships, extending their networks, representing their artists to the local community, and enjoying the new scenery. After all, many of these galleries exhibit in other art fairs across the country, where it can be challenging to have in-depth conversations when the intention is to sell art and get it into the hands of collectors, curators, and institutions.
“First and foremost, it was a really enjoyable group of dealers who are all in the game of showing art for the right reasons. The mix of seasoned veterans and brand new galleries was also a pleasant change. We’ll hope for more active collecting next time, but the organizers, Shane and Shane, did everything right. Getting people to spend their money on art is a difficult task, maybe harder than ever, so coming away having not paid through the nose for the booth and actually making a little money for my artist is always refreshing.” – Scott Zieher, ZieherSmith Gallery.
Participating Galleries
Measuring Success
There was a high level of engagement weeks leading up to the event via social media. Having made multiple strolls throughout PenArt, I noticed sales were happening and attendance was increasing. Galleries had a curated space of artists’ works as well as available works stored in a separate room. DCC was an ambitious undertaking that proved to be successful. In this type of event, data tells the full story. What went well? What can be improved on? How many people were in attendance, and where did they travel from? What sold? What other resources are needed? What was missing? In what ways can more partnerships be developed? And so on. This reminds me of a presentation I attended in March 2025 in which Randy Cohen, American for the Arts Vice-President of Research, said, “With no data, there is no story, and with no story, there is no data.” I truly believe in this. Data presents the opportunity to pivot and embrace what worked, knowing that changes are always on the table.
Is Wisconsin Art Fair Ready?
I have to admit, when I first heard about DCC, I was a bit skeptical with a dash of curiosity and excitement. About early May, I began seeing media coverage online and continued to learn about the vision of the art fair, the planning, and how the idea started between artists and PenArt instructors, Shane McAdams and Shane Walsh, two years ago. The conversation eventually included gallery owner Josh Hintz and artist Jaymee Harvey Willms.
I have attended art fairs in the past, so I had something to compare the experience to and expect. Within the first hour of attending DCC, my skepticism became optimistic and joyous. First-year events are challenging, take a lot of energy, time, and resources, and tend to be under the microscope, with questions to ask. For example, why organize an art fair in Wisconsin, considering that there is not a lot of financial support for the arts? Why wasn’t there a presence of Door County artists? How is the success of DCC going to be measured? In what ways will it evolve?
“I had the pleasure of finding my way to the inaugural Door County Contemporary Art Festival on Saturday, June 7, at the Peninsula School of Art. I meandered through the exhibition spaces, visited galleries, and talked to old friends and new ones, as the whole environment pulsed with breaking-barrier energy. I overheard this sentiment from numerous art enthusiasts as they approached gallerists and event organizers to share how remarkable it was to have a fresh focus on contemporary art in the peninsula. From the banter of art, ideas, and culture to the artist talks, live music, and food trucks, Door County Contemporary has set bearings for future iterations.” – Jason van Roo, artist.
Room for Growth
The secret to getting the most out of the art experience is to engage with the artists and gallery owners. Those connections can lead to building your network in and outside of Wisconsin. I understand that organizing an event such as DCC will result in positive feedback and concerns. I hope that a survey is shared with visitors, sponsors, galleries, and the local art community to gather input to shape the next one. As the publisher of Artdose, I have noticed that artists are the cultural makers, the dreamers, and the doers. They are great at assessing the art landscape, and through collaboration and partnerships, ideas can become a reality. Ideas may not be perfect, but there is always room for growth.
“Overall, I thought DCC was a very important event. Wisconsin needs more opportunities like this, especially for the galleries in our state. It’s a good opportunity for gallerists and artists and community members to connect. Simply put, Wisconsin needs more economic opportunities for both our ecosystem of visual artists and the organizations/galleries that support them. That’s why this art fair is so important!! Wisconsin needs more things like this! It was great to see organizations like Plum Blossom Initiative and gener8tor involved as well, because of the way their programs support emerging artists specifically. I do hope the fair continues in the future, and that it grows to include even more galleries. Great to see a wide representation of WI galleries! I think there is space for additional community engagement and programming during future iterations of DCC, and hopefully they can build more connections with the Door County area.” – Rachel Hausmann Schall, artist, arts writer, and Artdose co-editor
“Door County Contemporary (DCC) was the Midwest highlight of the year in the arts! With an incredible roster of galleries, curators, press, museum acquisitions, artists, and collectors all converging and building relationships at the beautiful venue, Peninsula School of Art. I am impressed with the founders’ curation of the galleries and non-profits, their Midwestern approach to the fair, which lent itself so apropos in the environment. Never in a fair in New York would you be given free parking, complimentary chairs, signage, lights, refreshments, daily access to incredible programming, and such incredible service in all regards. The DCC founders literally tackled every aspect of the fair in what an artist or gallery wants and needs. I left smiling ear to ear and made so many connections within the Wisconsin community, so grateful!” – Kimberly Oliva, Oliva Gallery.
“The ambition of an event like Door County Contemporary with the white-walled booths and curated layout created a striking physical presence against the gravel lot of the Peninsula School of Art and familiar summer vacation surroundings. As someone living nearby in Algoma, I was excited to see something like this in the region, though I couldn’t help but notice how little connection it had to the existing local arts infrastructure. I have great love for this region and the incredible artists here. Still, the DCC work had irrefutable energy, and Meg Lionel Murphy’s talk stuck with me long after I left. Events like this test what’s possible here, and I hope future iterations continue to evolve… and root themselves more fully in the place they’re happening.” – Carrie Dorski, artist and Community Education Manager at NWTC’s Artisan and Business Center.
Harvey Willms shares, “A goal of DCC is to create a program that complements other art fairs found in other cities by bringing a contemporary art fair to Wisconsin to substantiate that there are collectors in Wisconsin. We need to learn the landscape of Door County and seek partnerships with local art galleries.”
Conclusion
Having spent the weekend at DCC will be one of my highlights of the summer. There are a lot of things I enjoyed, such as seeing a good representation of Wisconsin-based galleries, reconnecting with fellow artists who drove from Algoma, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, and Wausau, and how approachable the galleries were. I never felt rushed in having a conversation with a gallery owner or artist. They were excited to talk about the art. There were times when I had to step away, but when I returned, we started where we left off. The art was diverse in media and genres. There were some favorites and some that made me go, hmmm.
I wondered why there was not a better representation of the Door County art community (besides the arts map)? In Door County there are a handful of contemporary art galleries such as Margaret Lockwood Gallery (Sturgeon Bay), Popelka Trenchard Glass (Sturgeon Bay), Shan Bryan-Hanson Studio + Gallery (Sturgeon Bay), Cappaert Contemporary Gallery (Egg Harbor), IDEA Gallery (Egg Harbor), Edgewood Orchard (Fish Creek), Fine Line Gallery (Ephraim), and Woodwalk Gallery (Egg Harbor) that could have added to DCC experience. There was an application process via doorcountycontemporary.com. To what extent was it shared publicly? This observation was echoed by others that were in attendance.
The event was well-executed, accommodating, accessible, and affordable. DCC is a great example of bringing people together to enjoy, engage, and embrace the contemporary art landscape that exists in the Midwest. I am in full support of events and programming that advocate and advance the creative talents and businesses that exist in our state.
One of the presentations I attended was the panel discussion on Sustaining Creativity: Building a Sustainable Creative Economy (Gener8tor and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation). A common thread that was interwoven throughout the panelists’ perspectives and experiences is how the arts stimulate the economy through tourism. I am curious to learn how DCC stimulated the economy in Door County. I hope there were metrics set in place to assess it. I would have loved to see representatives of Create Wisconsin, Dane Arts, and the Wisconsin Arts Board in attendance, or perhaps some type of partnership. Finally, DCC would be a great case study on how art can make a positive impact in the state of Wisconsin.
McAdams, Walsh, Hintz, and Harvey Willms’ skill sets complemented each other to create a memorable art experience. I believe Door County Contemporary will become a highly anticipated art event in Wisconsin.
It’s already on my radar for 2026.
Works Cited
- Galleries: Expo Chicago. EXPO Chicago. (n.d.). https://www.expochicago.com/applications/application-guidelines/gallerie
Frank Juárez is an award-winning art educator, curator, arts writer, and arts advocate based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Known for his commitment to elevating contemporary art and supporting Wisconsin artists, Juárez has spearheaded numerous initiatives, including the Midwest Artist Studios Project and the 365 Artists 365 Days Project. In addition to his roles as publisher of Artdose magazine and editor-in-chief of SchoolArts magazine, Juárez has curated exhibitions and juried art shows throughout the Midwest. His dedication to art education and advocacy has earned him numerous accolades, making him a pivotal figure in Wisconsin’s art community.