The Art & Design Department of the Peck School of the Arts has received the Wisconsin Art Education Association’s James A. Schwalbach Award.

The Art & Design Department received the award for its “outstanding contribution to art education, the WAEA and the Visioneer Design Challenge over the past ten years.” During that time, enrollment in the program increased from 72 students to 325.

The Visioneer Design Challenge is a competition for middle and high school students, which the Peck School hosts each year.

The WAEA also praised the Peck School’s commitment “to recruiting faculty, staff and students who reflect the richness and diversity of art-making in a variety of cultures.”

“We were honored to nominate Peck School of the Arts’ Department of Art & Design for the James A. Schwalbach Award,” said Kathryn Rulien-Bareis and Johanna Peterson, Eau Claire arts teachers who run the Visioneer Design Challenge. “It is awarded to an institution or school district that has made an outstanding contribution to art education, and the Art Education staff and students from Peck have made many outstanding contributions over the past 10 years to our WAEA program, Visioneer Design Challenge. This partnership is invaluable! … Not only does the department find us space but they also encourage their students and faculty to volunteer time to mentor and offer support. We admire the department for their dedication, persistence and creativity.”