Trailways All-Conference Art 

SECTION 3500 – Visual Arts

3510 Activities

Participation in Trailways Conference visual arts events is voluntary, and must be declared by the first Wednesday in March.  Each school is subject to promoting, facilitating and fostering the arts in the schools and communities.  The Trailways Conference will provide the following Visual Arts activities:

1. Art Competition

2. Art Exhibition

3. Art Showcase/Clinic—held the first Thursday of May

3520  Visual Arts Committee

A committee shall be established consisting of the art specialists or selected representatives of the visual arts  departments of the Trailways Conference Schools.

1. Meetings- Divisional meetings shall be held in the fall and in the spring at a centralized location. The fall meeting will be scheduled on the first Wednesday in November and the spring meeting on the first Wednesday in March. The time for the meeting will be outside of the school day.

2. The fall meeting will be set up and chaired by the Visual Arts Advisor from the school that hosted the previous year’s event, and the spring meeting chaired by the current year’s host school.  In addition, the art specialist from schools hosting in the current year and the following year in rotation will form the leadership of the committee.

3. The  fall meeting will decide the details of the events for the year.  Work will be divided and shared, with schools not represented assigned tasks as needed.

3530 Rotation Schedule

The responsibility of the art exhibit will follow an alphabetic rotation in alternating divisions among the Trailways Conference.  It is suggested that all participating schools will take their turn planning or assisting with the exhibit.  The accommodations of the hosting school will determine the specifications of the student day and exhibition scale. 

1997/98 Cambria-Friesland

1998/99 Cambria-Friesland

1999/00 Cambria-Friesland

2000/01 Cambria-Friesland

2001/02 Fall River

2002/03 Fall River

2003/04 Montello

2004/05 Montello

2005-06 Deerfield

2006/07 Pardeeville

2007/08 Randolph

2008/09 Cambria-Friesland

2009/10 Princeton

2010/11 Rio

2011/12 Dodgeland

2012/13 Markesan 

2013/14 Green Lake

2014/15 Montello

2015/16 Central Wisconsin Christian

2016/17 Fall River

2017/18 Johnson Creek

2018/19 Oakfield

2019/20 Palmyra-Eagle (Show cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic)

2020/21 Pardeeville (Virtual show due to Covid-19 pandemic)

2021/22 Parkview

2022//23 Princeton 

2023/24 Randolph

2024/25 Rio

2025/26 Valley Christian

2026/27 Wayland Academy

2027/28 Williams Bay

3540 Art Competition

1. The host school of the exhibit will determine capacity for entries (maximum of 25 per school) and will arrange for judging of entries.  Event guidelines will be supplied to hosting schools after the fall meeting.

2. Depending on capacity, each student is limited to three pieces with no more than one piece entered per category. 

3. The entering art specialist will determine the appropriate category placement and will verify originality of all student entries.  All works must have a secure label along with the artist’s statement attached to the back or underside of the piece.  Work that is not properly labeled cannot be put in the show.  Pieces that blatantly plagiarize (e.g. copyrighted characters) will be removed.

4. All pieces must be titled, and two-dimensional work must be matted or framed.  All framed work or stretched canvases must have a secure hanger or they will not be displayed in the exhibit.

5. Competition for the Trailways Art Contest will take place in the following 13 categories (label color):

• Painting I – Watercolor (yellow)

• Painting II – Acrylic (orange)

• Painting III – Oil (red)

• Drawing I – Value (light blue)

• Drawing II – Color (dark blue)

• Ceramics I – Functional (brown)

• Ceramics II – Sculptural (black)

• Sculpture – Non-Clay/Relief/Free-Standing (dark green)

• Crafts I – Fibers/Books/Paper/Printmaking  (violet)

• Crafts II – Glass/Mosaic/Metal/Wood (pink)

• 2-D Digital – graphics                         (grey)

• Mixed Media - (white)

• Photography (light green)

1. Provisions for work larger than 48 in x 48 in or heavier than 50 pounds must be pre-approved by the host school for inclusion in the exhibition.  Teachers bringing artwork requiring special needs for display may be asked to assist with the installation.

2. Works with pieces that need assembly, have loose objects or fragile pieces should not be submitted unless you are present to set it up for the judges and when the exhibit is hung.

3. The criteria for judging are:

• Originality

• Superior workmanship

• Use of materials

• Aesthetics

        All decisions of the judges in all facets of awards and recognition is final.

1. All participating schools agree to be in adherence with the Trailways Conference Visual Arts By-Laws, especially in the area of originality.  If artwork is in question, it is the responsibility of the hosting art specialist to pull the work from entry into the exhibit and no recognition will be given to the student.

2. Awards – A Trailways Conference “Best in Show” gold medal will be awarded to the top submission in each category, with silver and bronze medals for 2nd and 3rd places.  These medals will be presented at an awards ceremony that will be part of the Art Showcase/Clinic

3. Judges for the art exhibit will be paid as per Addendum A.  (Currently $75)

3550 Art Exhibition

1. All pieces submitted for the Trailways Conference Art Competition are eligible to be part of the Exhibition.

2. The exhibit will be open to the public for viewing, and a limited number of posters to advertise the event will be distributed to each participating school.

3. The host school is responsible to maintain adequate security and retain the documentation of all schools participating in the exhibit.  This release is recommended as protection for items that might be lost or damaged.

4. Publicity, media, and promotion of the event is the responsibility of the host school.

3560 Art Showcase/Clinic

1. The Trailways Conference will host a day-long Art Showcase/Clinic on the first Thursday of May.  The event will consist of:

• Viewing of the Trailways Art Exhibit

• Honoring of All-Conference artists

• Clinic by a visiting artist

1. The host school shall organize the reception, speakers/workshop, and art exhibit guidelines.

2. The Awards Ceremony will recognize the medal winners in each of the 12 categories of competition. 

3. It is recommended that students have arts exposure in the form of a speaker, presentation, or workshop.  It is recommended that districts collaborate on making a piece of art unique to the exhibit as part of the clinic.

4. Each district is responsible for the behavior of their attendees. Each district must have an adequate number of chaperones (1 per 10 students) and active supervision. 

3570 Financials

1. Upon the completion of the event, each school will submit an expense report to participating schools outlining costs of judges, display materials, clinicians, citations, printing, publicity, and reception. 

2. Costs of the event will be shared on a per-entry basis, while individual fees for lunch are the responsibility of attendees the day of the event.

Release (Addendum)

We hereby agree to participate in the annual Trailways Conference High School Art Exhibit.

We have read and fully understand all requirements of this exhibit as supplied by the hosting school, including original authorship without plagiarism.

We agree to the terms of the exhibit, including release of information to media, and copyright/ information release for website and exhibit.

We grant permission to publish in all print and electronic media student name, school, title, media and Trailways All Conference High School Art Awards. 

We understand that the hosting school assumes NO  RESPONSIBILITY for lost or damaged work. 

We understand we are responsible for timely artwork pick up and delivery. 

Signatures are required from each Trailways Conference Art Specialist and each district principal.