Dec. 16: Winter Garden of Youth art opening

Aurora students with a flair for creativity will have their work highlighted in the Aurora Public Art Commission’s 14^thannual “Winter Garden of Youth Art.”

Children from kindergarten through high school will have their artwork showcased from Friday, Dec. 16 through Friday, Jan. 20 at the Art Commission Gallery at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place. The exhibit will kick-off with an opening reception scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 16 with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus also on hand to visit with younger children.

The presentation features a total of 160 pieces of art from 32 schools, including a variety of mediums such as paintings, drawings, printmaking, photography, sculpture, collage, computer arts, jewelry and ceramics. All works in the display have been selected by art teachers or other school faculty members.

Participating schools in the “Winter Garden of Youth Art” are:

• High schools: Aurora Christian, East Aurora, Marmion Academy, Rosary, Waubonsie Valley and West Aurora;
• Middle schools: Jewel, Simmons, Waldo and Washington;
• Elementary schools: Allen, Aurora Christian, Annunciation, Bardwell, Beaupre, Brady, Dieterich, Gates, Greenman, Hall, Hermes, Hill, Johnson, Krug, McCleery, Oak Park, O’Donnell, Rollins, St. Peter, St. Rita of Cascia; and
• Other: Fox Valley Special Recreation Association and Wright Home School.

Admission to the reception and gallery exhibit is free. The gallery will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 21-22, 28-29; and Jan. 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20.

The Aurora Public Art Commission is a civic organization dedicated to the preservation of public art in all of its forms. For more information on the Commission or the gallery, visit the City of Aurora’s website at www.aurora-il.org.

Sept 9: Art Opening at DLP

The works of three generations of artists with various creative talents come together for a new exhibit hosted by the Aurora Public Art Commission.

An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at the David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E. Downer Place to celebrate the start of the “Three Artists Entwined” exhibit. Patrons will be entertained by solo guitarist Tom Salvatori. Light refreshments will be served, and a cash bar will be available.

The family members delve into different artistic mediums, but their work is intertwined by family bonds and their travels across the globe. The artists include:

• Helen Humay– She traveled the world during a time when it was uncommon for women to travel alone. Humay visited Japan, Singapore, China and Europe, and her pottery is a reflection of the different cultures she experienced in her life. Humay, 95, died in 2010.
• Priscilla Humay – Developing an appreciation of art from her mother, she honed her drawing skills after being inspired by nature’s beauty. Priscilla Humay is an award-winning artist who lectures and teaches at universities, museums and the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Her work has found homes in private and corporate collections nationwide.
• Anton Witek – Immersed in a family of artists, Witek has visited more than 30 foreign countries in search of cultural treasures. He uses the symbols he collected to create unique works of art to represent the traditions, customs and places he encountered during his travels.

Both the reception and daily admission to the gallery is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday through Nov. 18. Off-street parking is available at the parking deck located at Downer Place and Stolp Avenue, and patrons can bring their parking ticket to the Aurora Public Art Commission Museum Shop to be validated.

For more information on the gallery, visit www.aurora-il.org.

April 15: Japan Relief Show at 7 West Studio

Aurora - Clever! Shiny! Strange! Pretty! things from local artists will go toward Japan Relief this April and May.

7 West Studio in downtown Aurora is holding a show where selected works will be up for sale to benefit those affected by the recent disaster in Japan. Japan Relief items sold at the studio will help fund the efforts of American Red Cross to help earthquake victims in Japan.

7 West Studio's Japan Relief Show opens on Friday, April 15 and runs until the end of May. The public is invited to an opening night reception from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 15. Join the 7 West artists for an important night of art to support Japan Relief. Store hours are regularly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

7 West Studio features original art, jewelry and gifts by your friends and neighbors in a lovely location along the river between Stolp Avenue and River Street.

Street parking is free during the opening reception and convenient parking is available in a parking garage at the corner of Stolp and Downer.

Visit www.7weststudio.com to shop the studio online.

NOW: Call for Aurora ArtWalk artists for June 3!

The Aurora ArtWalk is back! ArtWalk V will happen once again from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 3 in the area of Stolp Avenue and Downer Place in downtown Aurora.

New this year, venues will display different perspectives of art; art as seen through people’s relationship to society and the particular groups and/or philosophies with which they identify.

You’ll see art from all walks of society: freaks and geeks, classical and modern, religious and political, cultural and historic, sporty and sexual, offensive and appetizing, repulsive and engaging. Be prepared to experience humanity in all its forms.

Artists are invited to submit their art for consideration of inclusion in the ArtWalk. All types of art will be considered. Interested artists must apply online for the Aurora ArtWalk through the website at www.AuroraArtwalk.com and pay an entry fee of $20. If selected, artists will be paired with a fitting downtown venue in which to exhibit or perform. All artists accepted through this juried process must be able to deliver work and attend/perform for the duration of the ArtWalk, and are eligible for the award. Any and all ArtWalk artists are encouraged to offer work for sale.
Some artists will be invited, and others need to apply.

Those selected applicants will be eligible to win an “audience favorite award” through a monetized voting process. Attendees will purchase “votes.” Each artist will collect votes. Whoever collects the most votes wins an all new Traveling ArtWalk Award and becomes the ArtWalk ambassador for one term—until the next ArtWalk!

Artists in any medium are encouraged to apply. The ArtWalk is open, but not limited to: dancers, photographers, painters, performers, vocalists, poets, sculptors, spoken word artists, ceramicists, authors, installation artists, independent filmmakers, environmental artists, and musicians of all genres. All submissions are due by April 29, 2011. Artists will be notified by May 15, 2011.

The last four ArtWalks saw outstanding attendance with standing room only audiences bringing thousands of patrons and art lovers to downtown Aurora.

The Aurora ArtWalk is produced by the Cultural Creatives, a group of Aurora artists, patrons, business and property owners and engaged citizens with a common interest in encouraging an arts-friendly environment. For more information on the Aurora ArtWalk, visit AuroraArtwalk.com. Sponsorships for this event are currently available. For information on sponsorships, volunteer opportunities and questions related to the submission process, please e-mail : AuroraArtwalk@gmail.com.

Jan. 13: AU art opening reception

"Boots," a 45- by 78-in. acrylic on canvas, is among a dozen surrealist paintings showcased in "Recent Works by Steve Lowery," a free exhibit to Feb. 27 at the Aurora University Schingoethe Gallery in Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place in Aurora. Lowery, a Geneva resident, is professor of art at Aurora University. An opening reception for the exhibit is Thursday, Jan. 13, from 4:30 to 6:30 at the gallery. Call (630) 844-7843 for information.

Nov. 20: Gallery 44 open studio in downtown Aurora

You are cordially invited to an

ANNUAL FALL OPEN STUDIO

Saturday, Nov 20th, 5:30 p.m.

GALLERY 44 FINE ART STUDIOS

50 E. Galena, 2nd floor, Aurora, IL 60505

Join Cheryl Holz and fellow Gallery 44 artists

Anne Von Ehr, Cassidy Alexander, David Hettinger and Scott Harding

in Gallery 44's studios on the Fox River for their annual soiree.

Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a glass of wine while you stroll from studio to studio!

Guest artists are:

Natasha Lehrer- fiber artist, felt-maker and founder of Esther's Place, a fiber arts studio and retreat in Big Rock www.esthersplacefibers.com

Nadine Shoemaker- a new local potter showing off her latest ceramic wares!

David Alexander- An expert in the art of hand cut silhouettes. David will be cutting silhouette portraits all evening for $12!

Joyce Reuland-watercolorist and former Gallery 44 artist!

Nov. 18: Opening Art Reception at 33 West

Opening Reception:

An opening art reception featuring work by nationally known collage artist Laura Lein-Svencer will be held from 5:30 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 18 at Chef Amaury at 33 West. Lein-Svencer is the co-founder of the Midwest Collage Society and will be available to answer questions and talk about her work, workshops and classes. The exhibit runs through Jan 3 at Chef Amaury at 33 West on New York Street's Restaurant Row in Aurora.

Chef Amaury at 33 West is an upscale eatery located at 33 W. New York St. in downtown Aurora. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, visit www.chefamaury.com for more information. Convenient parking is available in West Suburban Bank's parking lot at the northwest corner of River and New York streets.

Local artists are featured bimonthly to support the arts and art awareness in our community. For more information about this event or information on exhibiting at Chef Amaury’s please contact Maureen Gasek at maureen@epsilondesign.net.

Sept. 25: Art opening at the Paramount Theatre

Greta Bell is showcasing her paintings at Paramount Theatre's second floor gallery this fall. Join Bell at the opening reception on Sat., Sept. 25 from 7-9 p.m.

Meet the artists, enjoy artwork, conversation, and light appetizers.
Most artwork is for sale.

Paramount Theatre is located on Galena in downtown Aurora. Parking is plentiful on adjacent streets, public lots and two parking lots -- all within walking distance.

Make it a night out and visit Restaurant Row on New York Street!