Dec. 7: Grand Gallery Art Opening at the Paramount

The Paramount Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of a solo exhibit featuring the work of photographer Brian DeWolf in its visual Art Gallery, located on the 2nd floor of the Grand Gallery of the Paramount Theatre. The opening reception Meet & Greet  will take place on Friday, December 7  from 7 – 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Please join us to support the arts in Aurora.  Cash Bar. The DeWolf exhibit will hang from December 1 thru January 31, 2013. The exhibit will feature a collection of large scale banner prints from the Croissy exhibit in France along with more recent works and images of the Fox Valley area. Most pieces are available for purchase.

"The more carefully we look, the more there is to see.” DeWolf's photography began as an exercise to produce artistic images from the places that were most familiar to him. "People no longer see the luster on what has become dull from familiarity. I learned that we need not travel far to find light falling seductively upon an object."  In 2006, about 80 of DeWolfs images of the Fox Valley were chosen for “A Toast to the 14 Congressional District” event and fundraiser for Speaker of the House, United States Congressman Dennis Hastert.  The featured guest speaker was the late Whitehouse Press Secretary Tony Snow.

DeWolf  is a member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). His image “Foggy Morning Ride” was accepted into the PPA Loan Collection for 2002.  Marathon Press, publisher of the Loan Collection, describes the collection as “the best of the best” from over 8,000 entries. “Foggy Morning Ride” was featured as the introduction to a special advertising section for Geneva, IL in Chicago Magazine June 2003. It also won the Denise Kavanagh Award at the St. Charles Fine Art Show 2003.  In 2008, he was awarded the Bronze Level Photographer of the Year award when four out of four entries merited in PPA’s international print competition. Thirteen of his images have “merited” in these international print competitions since 2002.

 In 2007 representatives of the Geneva, IL International Cultural Exchange Committee and Croissy sans Frontieres in Croissy sur Seine, France invited DeWolf to photograph Croissy as a step in developing an artist exchange program between the two cities. Croissy and surrounding villages along the Seine River are called “the playground of the French impressionists”. It resulted in a 2009 solo exhibit in France that was attended by a member of the French Parliament, a French Senator, three local mayors, and the family of a former French Ambassador.

The Paramount Theatre Art Gallery located on the 2nd floor of the Grand Gallery, opened in the Fall of 2006. The Gallery features the work of both established and aspiring artists. For more information regarding the Art Gallery, or the hanging of a show, please contact: melmeisch@comcast.net.

Dec. 1 to Dec. 23: Aurora Aglow

Join us for Aurora Aglow, the first ever holiday pop-up emporium located at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center in downtown Aurora.  The first floor gallery will be transformed with 15 artists, crafters and vintage dealers displaying their finest wares.

The museum will be open extended hours for this event, running Wednesday through Sunday, December 1-23, from 12-5 p.m. with hours extended to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

Nov 16: Winter Lights in downtown Aurora

Winter Lights And Holiday Walk

Bring the family to celebrate the start of the holiday season. Join us for our inaugural holiday walk Friday, Nov. 16 starting at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place. Strolling through the streets lit with luminaria, patrons will be warmly greeted by carolers, find artwork and holiday crafts from Cultural Creatives and be treated to light refreshments and warm cocoa.

The Miss Merry Christmas and Jack Frost winners will join Santa and Mayor Tom Weisner in lighting the City’s official holiday tree at 6 p.m. at North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. Immediately following the tree lighting ceremony, Santa will be available for photo opportunities with children at the Art and History Center.

Nov 10: Soul Platform VIIII: Soul to Soul

Creative Energy Entertainment Group is doing it again...
Soul Platform Vol. VIIII: Soul to Soul.
Come check out Aurora's hottest band Beyond Soul with some of the best singers in the valley.
Alyx, Chris Michael and BeBe Gordon; Spoken word from your favorite artists
Saturday November 10.
14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, Aurora, IL.
Doors open at 8 show starts at 9.
Great food, great people, great atmosphere….You want to be in the place
$10 donation at the door

Nov 2: Flavors of Aurora - World

Recently-arrived refugees and immigrants from the far corners of the globe will be the focus of the last Flavors of Aurora:  Stirred, Not Shaken to be opened with a reception on Friday, November 2, 2012 from 5-8pm at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, 60505.

Hailing from such countries as Nepal, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), other lands such as Iran and Iraq, and  nations such as Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somali, Liberia, Burundi and Rwanda these new arrivals have suffered ethnic, political or religious oppression in their native lands.  They are helped by the U.N. to seek peace and opportunity in any country that will welcome them with law and justice.   Many come to the United States and over the last decade, thanks to sponsorship by local churches and the organization World Relief, hundreds have learned to call Aurora home.
“The Thanksgiving season is the perfect time for us to consider the good fortune we have to be Americans, and to learn about these new citizens who had to give up their homelands in order to find the blessings that we take for granted every day,” says Roald Haase, who serves on the board of the Aurora Historical Society and is coordinating the event.  “They are the Puritans of today.  We should also remember that, even after 175 years, Aurora is still being built up by the new blood and strength of people from far-away places who see The City of Lights as a beacon to happiness.”
The reception on November 2 is free (donations appreciated), with a cash bar.  The exhibit will be up through November 24 during regular Pierce Center hours, Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon – 4:00pm.   Group tours can be arranged by calling             630-906-0650      .
More groups are scheduled to be spotlighted in 2013, including African-American, Irish and Italian.   Seewww.aurorahistory.net or www.facebook.com/aurorahistory for details.   For a short video which features a Burmese and a Bhutanese woman who now call Aurora home, go to http://vimeo.com/42710195.

Oct. 7: Paws in the Park

The Fox Valley Park District will hold a free “Paws in the Park” festival from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7, at Lincoln Park in Aurora.

Dog owners are welcome to bring their pets to the event, which is hosted in conjunction with the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League. The event will feature local representatives and resources, pet-related products and gifts, rescue organizations, behavior and obedience specialists and demonstrations, a blessing of all the animals, police dog demonstrations, contests for dogs and numerous prize drawings.

Dogs will be able to run off-leash in the fenced-in play area. All dogs must have a current rabies tag to enter the park.

Park District dog tags for the Lincoln Park Dog Park – providing season-long use of the dog park – will be available for purchase. Those who do not have a 2012 FVPD dog tag will be allowed to use the dog park that day for $1, provided their dog has a current rabies tag.

The Park District also will have information available on its newly constructed dog park on Gregory Island – located off Indian Trail between Routes 31 and 25 – and on a planned dog park set to open next year at Stuart Sports Complex.

Lincoln Park is located on Aurora’s west side at South Harrison Avenue, just north of Prairie Street and east of Elmwood Drive.

Oct. 5: Flavors of Aurora: Stirred Not Shaken - German

Opening reception:  Friday, Oct. 5, 2012  5-8pm
Exhibit:  October 6-27, 2012    Wednesdays-Saturdays, Noon-4pm
Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, Aurora, IL  60505
Free.

Aurora’s German heritage is a long one, and this October, during the 175th anniversary celebration year, the people and their contributions to the development and culture of the city will be highlighted at the Aurora Historical Society.    The salute begins on Friday, October 5 with a free opening reception at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, 60505 from 5-8pm.   Authentic foods from the oldest retail shop in Aurora, the Wurst Kitchen, which dates back to 1895 will accompany authentic beers and wines from the old country.   Bob Kresz, a musician whose family has made German music in Aurora for decades, will be on hand with friends to provide traditional tunes suitable for the polka and the waltz, if party-goers are so moved.    Sponsors of the party, celebrating their German heritage, are Ed and Sharon Stredde.

The exhibit, co-curated with Ed Heriaud, historian of the Turners Club, will be unveiled at the party and will run through October 27.  Regular museum hours are Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon-4:00pm.

The ethnic series will conclude for 2012 in November, when recent immigrants and refugees from third-world countries will present their stories, music and cuisine, with an emphasis on the American holiday of Thanksgiving.   More salutes are planned for 2013 and will include African American and Italian cultures.

For more information, see www.aurorahistory.net, Facebook, or call             630-906-0650      .