By CGN STAFF

Wisconsin’s summer art season gets a fresh spark this June with the second annual Door County Contemporary, returning June 4–7 at PenArt in Fish Creek. The fair brings together galleries, artists, talks, installations, and curated events in a setting better known for shoreline sunsets and cherry orchards, creating an unexpectedly sophisticated cultural weekend in northern Wisconsin. Door County has long been associated with summer getaways and charming stores and local galleries, and DCC was founded to elevate the regional reputation of the art that is made and exhibited in Wisconsin. Smaller in scale than a fair like EXPO CHICAGO, DCC's exhibitor list still boasts a strong list of established contemporary galleries from throughout the Midwest–many from Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Kansas City, but also from Japan and Denmark–offering a unique market encounter for visitors and collectors that cannot be found elsewhere. This year's fair counts 24 galleries, up from the inaugural year's 17. Familiar Chicago galleries include Western Exhbitions, Andrew Rafacz, Oliva and 65Grand, among others. From Wisconsin are OS Projects, Kim Storage and others.

Visitors can make Fish Creek their home base and spend the weekend moving between the fair and Door County’s established arts institutions. The event itself takes place at the Peninsula School of Art campus and will feature galleries from Wisconsin and beyond, along with sculpture installations, artist conversations, food trucks, and evening receptions.

As with any art fair, it's important to get offsite if possible to see what else is offered locally, and here the peninsula offers a distinct gallery scene. In Fish Creek, Edgewood Orchard Galleries pairs contemporary and regional art with sculpture gardens and wooded paths that feel distinctly Door County. Nearby Egg Harbor, Cappaert Contemporary Gallery showcases contemporary painting, ceramics, sculpture, and mixed media in a restored historic log home, while Idea Gallery offers another stop for visitors interested in contemporary and craft-driven work.

For museumgoers, downtown Sturgeon Bay provides an easy cultural detour. Miller Art Museum focuses on Wisconsin artists through rotating exhibitions and a growing permanent collection, while the nearby Door County Museum and Archives offers historical context for the peninsula itself.

The appeal of Door County Contemporary is that it blends serious contemporary art with the relaxed rhythms of a summer lake getaway. Visitors can spend time at the fair wandering booths and attending talks (there is a collector panel on Saturday, and artist Claire Ashley is talking on Sunday) as well as outdoors hiking Peninsula State Park. In the evening catch a waterfront fish boil (likely on Friday!) or visit a wine bar in Sister Bay. The result is a distinctly Midwestern art weekend, equal parts cultural immersion and summer escape, perhaps the perfect art fair model of the future.

FAIR HOURS:

June 4, Thursday VIP 4 PM - 7 PM

June 5, Friday 11 AM - 6 PM

June 6, Saturday 11 AM - 6 PM

June 7, Sunday 11 AM - 5 PM

doorcountycontemporary.com

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