THAT'S A WRAP! The Wisconsin Regional Art Program encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin. (Submitted photo)

The Chippewa Valley is bustling with talented artists, young and old, who will have a unique opportunity to showcase their art later this year.

The Wisconsin Regional Art Program will bring the Chippewa Valley Regional portion of their competition to Chippewa Falls for the first time this October. From Oct. 13 to Nov. 18, the Heyde Center for the Arts will be hosting the WRAP exhibit – an exciting collaboration between WRAP, the Heyde Center, and the Valley Art Association.

WRAP encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin. It's intended for individuals who have a serious passion for art, and create art simply out of pure love for the craft. 

Each year, the organization holds regional-based exhibits, where artists may include their work for competition.

A judge analyzes each piece and chooses which artists will move onto the state portion of the competition for a chance at a cash prize. 

Beth Creekmore, a member of the VAA Board of Directors said the goal is to introduce younger artists to the Chippewa Valley arts scene and foster the next generation of talent in the area.

“We hope this event helps people embrace the younger generation of artists in the area, because we have a tremendous amount of talent in the Chippewa Valley,” Creekmore said. “We hope this will be an event we hold every year, so that younger artists have an outlet to show their work and get acquainted with the world of art.”

The Valley Art Association will host an exhibit alongside WRAP at the Heyde Center, leading to a tentpole event for Chippewa Valley artists in the latter part of 2022. While the event is still in its planning stages, submissions will be accepted beginning in August, with the deadline for entries in September. A public reception including an opportunity to meet the artists, alongside music and a silent auction, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Heyde Center.

For more information on the upcoming event, visit valleyartassociation.org.