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Central Minnesota Watercolorists Group

About CMW

CMW is an independent community organization based in St. Cloud, MN which serves artists mostly within a 60+ mile radius. There is no geographical requirement to be a member. All members serve as volunteers with no compensation for labor.

CMW began as a small group of artists with a great love for the watercolor medium. From that foundation CMW has evolved to provide opportunities for interested artists to participate, meet, paint, learn, network, and exhibit their art in a variety of local, state, and national events.

Mission

Our mission is to provide opportunities and service to our area artists and members, to provide creative environments for all CMW members, and to encourage and strive toward creative excellence in all water mediums.

Organizational Guide

This document outlines the bylaws and how CMW functions as an organization.

Download the PDF here

History

CMW began as a small group of artists with a great love for the watercolor medium. The first formal meeting of about ten local artists was held January 19, 1981, to share ideas, experiences and information; and for the purpose of mutual learning, encouragement and motivation. The first meeting consisted of painting together. Artists brought their paints, ideas and other supplies. Demonstrations of new painting techniques were provided by the members, and critiques were held.


As the artists increased their skills, the members were encouraged to participate in exhibits and in one person art shows.


Our group now in 2024 consists of more than 80 area painters, several of whom are professional artists.

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Central Minnesota Watercolorists "Celebrate 25 years! It's a Beautiful Thing"

Past President Donna Smith discovered theis historical DVD made up of photos from the beginnings of CMW up to about 2004. Lots of great artwork, history and photos of members.

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Membership

CMW Member Benefits

CMW members have the opportunity to participate in events throughout the year including:

  • Monthly Meetings for networking and education

  • Artist Demonstrations

  • Member Dinner in September

  • Holiday Party in December

  • Workshops by Local and Nationally known Artists

  • Paint-In Retreats

  • Participate in Art Fairs and Exhibitions

  • Participate in the Historic Downtown St Cloud Art Crawls

  • Have Your own Gallery Page on the CMW website

  • Be part of our Facebook site and display your art there

  • Make Artist Friends

Local exhibitions are arranged to share our artwork with our friends and the public and offer it for sale.  We collaborate with area businesses and galleries to  exhibit our artwork throughout the year.

CMW collaborates with the Paramount Visual Arts Center to offer workshops with well known artists at least once annually. They also make available for CMW to display artwork, promote CMW and demo during at The Historic Downtown St Cloud Art Crawls.

The CMW website contains news posts of current  and upcoming events, and tips for watercolor painting. A personal webpage gallery is available to members to display and promote their artwork. 

CMW member meetings are currently held during these months: February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December. Regular meeting activities include: demonstrations by visiting artists, critiques, and presentations on a variety of art-related topics.  See our calendar for more specific and timely information.

Membership Details

Central MN Watercolorists is an independent community-based organization based in St. Cloud, MN Area. Membership is open to all, from beginner to professional, who have an interest in watercolor and other water media. CMW membership provides opportunities to participate, meet, paint, learn, network, an exhibit art. 

Guest may attend first meeting without payment and subsequent meeting for a fee of $5.

CMW dues are $30 for the calendar year. You may sign up for the coming year starting in Sept. Memberships paid between Jan - Aug will cover the current year. You will receive an email reminder before your membership expires in Dec. 

You can sign up for a new membership or renew your membership with the membership form. Follow the instructions on the form: CMW Membership Mail in Form 

New Members:

If you are not yet a member, consider attending one of our CMW meetings as our guest to meet our members, ask questions and a see a watercolor demo by an area artist. If you decide, you can sign up for the membership at the meeting.

If you have questions, email us at  [email protected]

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