ANNUAL ART EXHIBITION

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2025 Exhibition Theme: Oops! All Birds

Deadline for entries: October 3

About the Exhibition

The connections between the arts and nature are numerous.

There are those that think of nature and art as separate worlds. One, a domain of forests, streams, plants, and wildlife — and the other, a realm of white walled galleries and pedestals with abstract man-made work. But nature has always been a great source of artistic inspiration.

Art serves as a powerful medium for deepening our understanding and appreciation of the natural world – a great conduit for educating the public about our ecosystems. The shapes, the textures, the colors… all aspects of nature can be inspiring and there’s no better place to have this conversation than Wesselman Woods, the largest urban old-growth forest in the United States.

With this in mind, we sought a new way to connect our community with the ecology of our region and it resulted in the creation of the Annual Juried Art Exhibition.

Each year, we put out a call for artists to submit work that showcases what they love or what they are concerned about within our bioregion through a visual medium.

If you would like to sponsor our Art Exhibition, please contact Kristina Arwood for additional information.

Information for Artists

Please read the full prospectus (guidelines) for the show before you apply. In addition to the physical display, images of artwork and links to the artist portfolios are shared online through our newsletter, website, and social media (artists are not required to have an online portfolio to enter the contest or be considered for an award).

• 2025 Theme: Oops! All Birds

  • All entered artwork should feature native birds and/or address environmental issues surrounding birds in the Ohio River Valley bioregion 

• Accepted Media: 2-D (photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design) and 3-D (sculpture, fiber, and mixed media)

  • Artists receive discounts on their framing needs at Inman’s Picture Framing (2828 Lincoln Ave, Evansville, IN 47714)

2025 Timeline

• Contest announced to the public: July 2

• Contest entry deadline: October 3

• Juror reviews photo gallery and selects pieces: October 6-15

• Inform artists of selections: On or around October 17

• Reception: 6 PM on Thursday, November 6 at the Wesselman Woods Nature Center

• Exhibition on display from November 2025 to January 2026

Awards

• Inman Award for Best in Show: This winner will receive a monetary prize and a one-year individual membership to Wesselman Woods (WW).

• Honorable Mentions will also receive a monetary prize and a one-year individual membership to WW.

About the 2025 Juror

Dr. Alex Champagne is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Southern Indiana where his research focuses on physiological features that many animals, including birds, have adapted to live in their environments. A lifelong birder, Alex has seen over 500 bird species in North America, and he enjoys sharing his passion for birds with USI students and the Evansville community.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Our deepest gratitude goes to Inman’s Picture Framing for sponsoring the art exhibition again for 2025. Inman’s Picture Framing is an award-winning local business specializing in residential and commercial custom framing. Their services include preservation framing, custom mirrors, shadow boxes, canvas stretching, and local artwork. Find out more when you visit their website.

New for 2025: Thank you to Methodist Temple UMC for supporting another one of our great community events! Since 2023, Methodist Temple has sponsored ALL of our major events — the Maple Sugarbush Festival, Earth Day, and Woodland Wonders. They have also supported our accessible trails initiative. Their support makes a huge difference.

Click on any photo in the gallery to find out more about each piece.

2024 Honors

Inman Award for Best in Show: Woodland Babies by Pamela Jones

Honorable Mentions

• Indiana Box Turtle by Terri Bischoff

• Fungus Among Us by Andrew Layer

• Bewildered Barn Owl by Joey Luzar

• Night Watch by Lori Rivera

• Moonlit Perch by Rylie Scott

• Seek to Find – 2 Butterfly, 4 Birds by Janet Vayhinger

About the 2024 Jurors: Billy Twymon and Randy Lientz

In 2016, Billy Twymon established Twymon Art Gallery to fill a gap in the tri-state art community and showcase the artwork of emerging and established artists. There are not many spaces where emerging artists can develop their craft and get exposure for their work. Other spaces are closed to edgy or controversial established artists. Billy saw a need to educate and provide a space for local artists to prepare and exhibit their artwork as well as develop as artists in a community. Twymon Art Gallery is more than a gallery; the gallery space was established to develop a community of artists from all walks of life. The gallery was created as a space to empower and support artistic and creative expression.

Randy Lientz (pronounced “Lents”) is the founder of Axiom Marketing, a full-service marketing, advertising, and interactive agency in Evansville, Indiana. Their award-winning team has some of the best strategic thinkers, graphic designers, copywriters, interactive specialists, media planners and buyers.

He is Axiom’s guiding light, an incredible marketing strategist, plays a mean bass, and rides a restored Triumph.

Second Annual Art Exhibition (2023)

Click on any photo in the gallery to find out more about each piece.

2023 Honors

• Allison Orzech: What Flies in the Dark – ADULT BEST IN SHOW

• Nico Armeanu: Todd – TEEN BEST IN SHOW

• Shawna Browning: Tell Tale Heart of Humanity – HONORABLE MENTION

• Cammie Holm: Caterpillar Contortionist – HONORABLE MENTION

• John Morris: Goose Grandeur – HONORABLE MENTION

• Lindsey Prentice: Let’s Make Some Maple Syrup – HONORABLE MENTION

About the 2023 Juror: Mary McNamee Bower

Mary McNamee Bower is the John Streetman Executive Director of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. A graduate of Illinois State University, Bower began her work with the museum in 1978, serving as the Virginia G. Schroeder Curator of Collections and Chief Curator.

She is a member of the Evansville Commission for Public Art and the Advisory Council for University of Southern Indiana’s College of Liberal Arts. Bower received the 2014 Mayor’s Art Award for her service to the community in promoting the arts and was named one of Evansville’s Top 20 Women in Business by the Junior League of Evansville in 2020.

First Annual Art Exhibition (2022)

Click on any photo for more information.

2022 Honors

• Katelin Keene: Pearl and the Plants – ADULT BEST IN SHOW

• Zoe Szabo: The Stare - TEEN BEST IN SHOW

• Jeff Havens: New Arrival - HONORABLE MENTION

• Lindsey Prentice: Flora and Fauna of the Ohio River Valley - HONORABLE MENTION

• Frances Theriac: Leroy - HONORABLE MENTION

About the 2022 Juror: Katie Waters

Katie Waters taught painting and drawing at the University of Southern Indiana from the fall of 1981 until her retirement in 2019.

Waters earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A recipient of many fellowships and artist residencies, she was honored with the USI’s Distinguished Professor Award in 2015.

Her work has been exhibited widely at the national and regional levels, including Mind, Spirit: 12 Contemporary Indiana Women Artists at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Her drawings and paintings also appear in many corporate, university, museum and private collections, including The Evansville Museum.