Meet Our Jurors

Gregory Porcaro is Professor of Art and the Area Head of the Painting program at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. He began teaching at UWW in the fall of 2001. He has taught courses in Painting and Drawing, including Foundations 2-Dimensional Design and Special Topics courses of Plate and Stone Lithography. Recently he was the recipient of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Excellence in Faculty Service Award in 2024.

Porcaro’s creative research practice includes both painting (traditional and digital) and printmaking. He has exhibited works in numerous solo exhibitions as well as adjudicated international, national and regional exhibitions.

I would like to thank Kim Adams, Jeff McDonald and the Whitewater Arts Alliance for the invitation to co-jury this second installment of Paint Wisconsin. It was an interesting exhibit to judge, as the parameters of the show allowed for other media that I wouldn’t initially consider to be “paint.”

Frank and I did our best to select an all-inclusive exhibition based on the diverse variety of work that was submitted. We also took into consideration that this is a relatively new, smaller-scale regional show in which artists may be submitting their artwork to an adjudicated exhibition for the very first time. To those individuals, I would like to say welcome and congratulations.

The works selected ranged in technical virtuosity and style, and although Frank and I agreed on many of the selected works, we did occasionally have differing opinions. But this is the power of art and its subjective nature. We certainly tried to leave our artistic biases out of the jurying process and selected works that resonated with us.

Having taught painting at UWW for the last 25 years, I would offer some advice to emerging artists to think about their continued artistic growth as they explore and experiment with their art. First, I would ask that you consider what role you want art and the act of artmaking to play in your life; are you a hobbyist or are you looking for the next level of technical or conceptual development in your art? Second, understand that artists are either recorders or reporters. Where do you see yourself on this continuum?

Recording captures facts (historical record/visual truths) while reporting filters those facts through a narrative or perspective (emotional truths/synthesize information).

Recording translates what is seen, while reporting interprets why it matters. Once you develop the confidence within yourself that you can “record” convincingly, I encourage you to free yourself from the constraints of recording, take risks in your artmaking and start reporting. Share why the work matters to you and persuade the viewers to see through your perspective.

I will leave you with some famous words from the late Bob Ross, “Happy Painting!”
— Greg Porcaro, Juror

Frank Juárez is an award-winning art educator, curator, and arts writer based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Known for his commitment to elevating contemporary art and supporting Wisconsin artists, Juárez has spearheaded numerous initiatives, including the Midwest Artist Studios Project and the 365 Artists 365 Days Project. In addition to his roles as publisher of Artdose magazine and editor-in-chief of SchoolArts magazine, Juárez has curated exhibitions and juried art shows throughout the Midwest. His dedication to art education and advocacy has earned him numerous accolades, making him a pivotal figure in Wisconsin’s art community.

Juárez is the art department chair at Sheboygan North High School, publisher of Artdose magazine, and editor-in-chief of SchoolArts magazine.

The Whitewater Arts Alliance's 2nd annual Paint Wisconsin features a variety of artworks—ranging from paintings to photography, mixed media to digital art—that place the art of painting at the core of the exhibition. Artists showcase their interpretation of Wisconsin life through landscape, portraiture, abstraction, and still life. The theme welcomed a direct response to the medium or the use of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to compose unique perspectives. It was a pleasure to work alongside Gregory and Jeff during the selection process.

Congratulations to all of the featured artists and the award recipients.
— Frank Juárez, Juror