"A big thing I found useful throughout this (juror) process, what works did I want to see in person. What images made me want to look at the piece closer," Madison Hager, Wisconsin ArtsWest 47 juror, said during this year's exhibition program.

Artisans, friends, family and the wider Chippewa Valley community came together at 6pm on March 19 at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) for the annual ArtsWest reception. Year after year, hundreds of regional creatives submit their artwork across a variety of mediums; in its 47th year, 187 artists from 76 different communities entered ArtsWest.

Madison Hager, curator for the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, selected 37 pieces from the 309 that were entered.

"While some selections might be easy, most of them are very difficult when approaching an open call," Hager shared at the March 19 reception. "I started looking at the quality of the work, difficulty of the technique and for unique visual language.

"I was also looking for the creative concept is there something a little deeper there that I can read into the piece: a story, a narrative, something that made me consider the piece a little longer," she continued.

Ultimately, seven artists in the current exhibition received accolades for their works in fiber arts, colored pencil, oil pastel, gouache, fabric and much more.

Best of Show - Jesse Blake Hay | #204
First Prize - Janice Roberts | I See You, Too!
Second Prize - Mike Zierke | Savannah Walk
Third Prize - Gerlyn Brasic | Along Cottonwood Trail

Honorable Mentions
Lisa Hoeme | Tabernacle of the Heart: Formation
Kay Brathol-Hostvet | Driftless Memory
Abby Borash | Fenced

As always, congratulations to all of the winning artists and those who submitted their work to the annual exhibition!

The Wisconsin ArtsWest 47 exhibit will be on display at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) through May 18 and can also be viewed online at ecpubliclibrary.info/art.