By GINNY VAN ALYEA

An adventure for families and for a carload of friends is to head north for a night or two in Door County, Wisconsin. Door County Contemporary is a brand new contemporary, regional art fair that is blending the best of this beautiful, welcoming part of the country with some of the area's best galleries. DCC was born from the desire to address a lack of contemporary art in an otherwise culturally enriched and dynamic destination. There is no shortage of visitors to Door County, especially in the summer, but DCC founders saw an opportunity to also introduce some of the region's best contemporary art to the area for a weekend at the start of summer. Organizers wanted to do a fair with enthusiasm that embraces the energy, vision, and welcoming spirit of the region.

DCC will host 20 art galleries from Wisconsin and beyond while welcoming thousands of art lovers from around the United States. It will also feature a wealth of site-specific art works and projects, plenty of Wisconsin-centric food and drink, and curated events and art-related projects. Several participating exhibitors hail from Chicago, a sign of warm cross border relations for sure. If you can't make it to the fair, maybe one of these galleries will bring back some Spotted Cow for you (hint: 65 Grand, Oliva, Process/Process, Western Exhibitions, Devening Projects...)

I love any excuse to go to Wisconsin but I have also spent all my life going to the Northwoods, Madison, Green Bay, Sheboygan and Milwaukee and expanding my own understanding of all that Wisconsin has to offer. Yes, good cheese curds are a revelation and a properly made Old Fashioned (bitter, not sweet) is a treat every time, but it's a mistake to reduce such a dynamic state to some stereotypes that seem to always volley over the Illinois border.

DCC organizers say they hope to leave visitors feeling they’ve married the best of fine art with the idiosyncratic swagger of the region, meant to resonate long after its visitors exit the highway. The events, the setting, the tastes and smells, and of course the world class art will create something far greater than the sum of its eclectic parts: woodsy tradition and bleeding-edge cultural objects; Spotted Cows and conceptual art; and all the best things talented humans can deliver to the world to make it worth inhabiting.

It will be worth the trip to find out.

Jun 5-8, 2025

Opening: Thursday, Jun 5, 4 – 7:00 PM

Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, Wisconsin

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@doorcountycontemporary