Willow Bayer
Willow Bayer is an emerging artist currently based in Appleton, Wisconsin. She received her BFA in Painting and Drawing from the Peck School of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2018. During her last year of school, Bayer discovered her love for collage. She originally created small paper works as references for acrylic paintings. This process helped her plan out the color and composition before painting. Recently, the collages have taken on a life of their own and are no longer just references. The newer collages take on a level of detail and construction that makes it seem like you are entering another world. Her focus has been on sourcing and collaging old photographs from antique malls, her grandma’s photo album, and photos she takes herself.
Influences that inspire Bayer are colors of environments in animated TV shows and illustrations in children's books. Bayer is represented by Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. She has shown work at The Trout Museum of Art in Wisconsin numerous times and in many galleries across Wisconsin and Michigan. Most recently, she has two pieces in the Wisconsin Artist Biennial 2026. She has also done a residency through Appleton Public Library in 2020.
Additionally, she also enjoys painting commissioned pet portraits, especially making them look like quirky characters from various periods, styles, or genres.
Artist Statement
My collage practice involves deconstructing old photographs then recreating them out of paper. I preserve moments that were deemed very precious at one point and turn these memories into new colorful worlds. The people in the photos are left untouched. By collaging their clothes out of paper, they merge seamlessly into this new world. Through the process of layering paper, the pieces become very dimensional. When the collage is finished, I add details with black and white pens. Figuring out which photos to collage is easy for me. I am drawn to certain photos because of the energy and meaning behind them. Lately, I’ve been using photos from my grandma and ones I find at antique malls that are mostly from the 1940s through the 1970s. My work has a familiar feeling of the past because they are memories frozen in time. Recently, I’ve also started taking an interest in old crime scene photos. I’ve been exploring collaging these gruesome scenes or photos that feel a tad off in contrast with my colorful style.
CV
Willow Bayer
b. 1995, Neenah, Wisconsin
Lives and works in Appleton, Wisconsin
Education
2018 BFA, University of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Exhibitions
2026 Wisconsin Art from the North, Juried Exhibition, ArtStart,
Rhinelander, WI
2026 Made To Order, Group Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2026 Collection Invitational, Group Exhibition, The Hardy Gallery,
Ephraim, WI
2026 64th Annual Wall-To-Wall, Juried Exhibition, The Hardy Gallery,
Ephraim, WI
2026 Intertwining, Group Exhibition, NewARTSpace,
De Pere, WI
2026 Wisconsin Visual Artists North Chapter Member Exhibit, Juried Exhibition, Center for Visual Arts,
Wausau, WI
2026 Biennial 2026, Juried Exhibition, Museum of Wisconsin Art,
West Bend, WI
2025 50th Juried Annual, Juried Exhibition, Miller Art Museum,
Sturgeon Bay, WI
2025 Perspectives 2025, Juried Exhibition, THELMA,
Fond du Lac, WI
2024 You Don’t Know Me, But I Know You, Solo Exhibition, Woodwalk Gallery,
Egg Harbor, WI
2024 37th Annual Northern National Art Competition, Juried Exhibition, Nicolet College Art Gallery,
Rhinelander, WI
2024 TMA Contemporary, Juried Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2024 Go Wild! 2, Juried Exhibition, Scout Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2023 Made To Order, Group Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2023 Family Photos, Group Exhibition, Scout Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2023 Flourished, Group Exhibition, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor, WI
2023 The Art of Ecological Resilience, Group Exhibition, Liminal Space Gallery, Neenah, WI
2022 Teeny Tiny and BOLD, Juried Exhibition, Rountree Gallery, Platteville, WI
2021 Made To Order, Group Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2021 41th Annual Secura Fine Arts Exhibition, Juried Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2021 Shear Madness, Juried Exhibition, Northville Art House,
Northville, MI
2020 Art is Her, Solo Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art Atrium,
Appleton, WI
2020 The Art of Collage II, Juried Online Exhibition, Frank Juarez Gallery,
Milwaukee, WI
2020 40th Annual Secura Fine Arts Exhibition, Juried Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2020 Puzzling, Group Exhibition, Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
2019 Go Wild!, Juried Exhibition, Scout Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2019 Polished, Group Exhibition, Scout Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2019 39th Annual Secura Fine Arts Exhibition, Juried Exhibition, The Trout Museum of Art,
Appleton, WI
2017 Scholarship Competition, Group Exhibition, Arts Center Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2016 Student Show, Group Exhibition, Aylward Gallery, Menasha, WI
Awards
2026 Merit Award, Wisconsin Art from the North, ArtStart, Rhinelander, WI
2024 Best of the Rest 2D, Art at the Park, The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton WI
2012 Honorable Mention for Mixed Media, Scholastic Art and Writing Award
2011 Honorable Mention for Drawing, Scholastic Art and Writing Award
Publication
2026 WVA Member Catalog | 125th Anniversary Member Catalog | 2026
2026 WVA Biennial Catalog | Wisconsin Artists Biennial 2026 | April 2026
2026 WVA Magazine | Q1 | January 2026
2024 TMA Magazine | Issue 3 | May 2024
2023 Peninsula Pulse | May 2023
2022 Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region The Loop Blog | December 2022
2021 Fox Cities Magazine | January Issue
2020 fsm. Volume 1 | Issue 5
2016 Duomo IV
Residencies
2021 Appleton Public Library, Wisconsin