42nd Annual Capitol Rotunda Art Show Visitor’s Choice Award Winners

This year, we received over 1,200 public votes for our 42nd Annual Capitol Rotunda Art Show Visitor’s Choice Awards, the highest participation we’ve seen to date. Even more meaningful, every painting in the show received votes, reflecting how widely the work resonated with visitors!!  We’re happy to share the 2026 Visitor’s Choice Award winners:
1st Place ($200) “Ol’ Blue Eyes” by Carol HasBrouck Browning
2nd Place ($100) “The Poser” by Shelly Johnson
3rd Place (Blick Art Materials Merchandise Award) “South of Cascade” by Sharon Herther
4th Place (The Merri Artist Merchandise Award) “Henrietta the Hedgehog” by Tamara Burnett
Honorable Mentions
5th Place: “The Family That Digs Together” by Beth Trott
6th Place: “Catching Some Z’s XVIII” by Lauren Johnson

A special thank you to Blick Art Materials and The Merri Artist for supporting this year’s awards!!! And a sincere thank you to all participating artists. This show is entirely volunteer driven and truly a labor of love. It exists because IWS artists are willing to share their work with the broader community in such an open and accessible space.

IWS 2026 46th Annual Juried Membership Exhibition, Water’s Edge Gallery at the Riverside Hotel, Boise, ID, May 4 – June 29

The annual statewide exhibition will be juried by nationally renowned artist JJ Jiang. JJ Jiang will also lead the annual workshop, June 3-5.  Access workshop details from JJ Jiang. The Critique/Awards Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 – 8:15 pm.

IWS 50th Anniversary Founders Art Show and Reception

The Founder’s Art Show – May 8 – July 5 –  will feature artists who were early organizers, leaders, and mentors from across the state. Paintings will hang on the north wall of the ballroom.  The book we are producing will be available for your preview and purchase. It is a pictorial history of 50 years of annual award winners, notable events, illustrious artists, and treasured interviews of members’ voices. The book will be available for on-demand printing. The Celebration Reception – June 7, 4:00 – 6:00pm will be held  in the Aspen Room at the Riverside Hotel, Boise, ID. Light refreshments and a no host bar will be available during the reception.

SHOWS and EXHIBITS

Southwest Members:

Shelly Johnson is pleased to share that her painting, “Girl with Shoes”, has been accepted into Western Colorado Watercolor Society’s 36th Annual Rockies West National Exhibition. The Rockies West National Exhibition will be held from March 6 to April 3, 2026 at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts in Grand Junction, Colorado. Shelly’s painting, “Beau at Easter”, was accepted into the Western Federation of Watercolor Society’s 51st Annual Juried Show. WFWS51 will be hosted by the Colorado Watercolor Society. The exhibition opens May 9, 2026 and shows to June 27, 2026 at the Curtis Center for the Arts in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Joyce Green has a painting “Persistence of Pine Triptych”  accepted in the 17th Annual Signature Watermedia Exhibition at the Fallbrook Art Center in Fallbrook, California. The Show will be open March 21, 2026 through April 18th. Joyce will also have her work featured on this year’s Trailing of the Sheep Festival poster! More about this in future!
Debra Bruner will have three watercolors on display at the Waters Edge Gallery located in the Riverside Hotel, Boise. The Catwalk event runs March through April. Artist reception, meet and greet is held April 3rd from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Loretta Barra has a “Watercolor Paint and Sip” event on April 8th from 6-8:30pm at Buckhorn Winery in Eagle. Join her for a fun relaxing evening painting a country springtime scene. Get info and tickets at www.LorettaBarra.com. Loretta also has an ebook available on her website that breaks down how to paint with watercolor and basic color theory “Watercolor Basics and Beyond” it is 25% off. Check it out.

Pam Grant will be showing her artwork at Valley View Retirement Center, 1140 N. Allumbaugh St, Boise. The reception is April 9th, from 5 to 7.

Karen Hickman I’m very excited as I will be displaying my watercolor painting at St Alphonsus for the month of April.  I know many of our IWS friends have displayed theirs as well, but always an honor.

Jessica L Bryant ‘s work was accepted into several upcoming exhibits, including the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (50th Anniversary), Watercolor USA, the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, and the Splash: Best of Watercolor publication.

Ileana Cordova -I’m excited to share that my Call to Artists application was accepted to exhibit my watercolors at the Kuna Arts and History Center in 2026. My work will be featured alongside two other artists in a three-person showcase from April 24 to July 3, 2026.

Eastern Members:

Gloria Miller Allen and Linda Aman will have a two woman show at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. Opening is July 24, and it will run through late September.  They will debut their book. CLEVER ENDEVORS at their exhibit. The book will sell for 35.00. Sold through Amazon. The book is educational, has full color images of their work; with mini essays, poetry, inspiring words, personal stories,, and bits of humor.

View the 2026 IWS Juried Membership Exhibition, juried by nationally renowned artist, JJ Jiang. Click any image to enlarge it and view in the slide show. 

Partners, Sponsors, & Donors

IWS would like to thank our partners, sponsors, and donors for the 2026 Juried Membership Exhibition

Partners: Roots Family History; The Riverside Hotel and Water’s Edge Gallery

Sponsors: Blick Art Materials; Jerry’s Artarama; M Graham and Co.

Donors: Catalyst Arts Collaboration; Cheap Joes Art Stuff ; The Merri Artist; Idaho Art Gallery; QOR Artist Watercolor; Holbein; Studio 77; Princeton Art Brush Co.; Strathmore