TACHP Micro Gallery Opening Reception

What do you do when you have an active, heavily scheduled gallery, with only four possible exhibit spaces, and still want to showcase a series of talented artists? That’s the question facing The Art Center Highland Park, with its newest opening ‘Undercurrents’, featuring the work of Susan Smith Trees and Michelle Stone, and ‘Inside/Outside’, featuring works by an additional 25 artists.

The answer James M. Lynch, Executive Director of TACHP, came up with was to invite local business and other public venues to host ‘micro galleries’, which are small, focused exhibits, in satellite locations. “We’ve been hosting ‘Art in City Hall’ for years now,” says Lynch, “so the next step of working with other local businesses was not much of a leap – yet still an important one.”

The first micro gallery was in partnership with their across the street neighbor, Gilbert Orthodontics, where they rotate the shows every 3-6 months, depending on the show and the time of year. Gilbert gets a dynamic lobby space and TACHP gets an opportunity to spotlight teachers and talented students, or local submitting artists. The work is also for sale, and that’s another reason the center is glad to be seen by more people in more places.

“What’s great about Dayhouse is that it is located in a former gallery and frame shop, so it’s kind of a ‘return to their roots’, adds Zoe Carlson, micro gallery curator. “And for a new concept, coworking spaces, we found the perfect artist to start off the collaboration, TACHP teacher and faculty member, AJ Moretti. His work is lively, passionate and energetic, and Dayhouse’s front atrium space is the perfect setting to really appreciate his work”. Moretti will also be doing a live painting during the reception and it can be bought or bid on live during the event.

Dayhouse founder, Jen Luby, adds “Supporting nonprofit organizations is a high priority for Dayhouse. It’s important to us to be involved with, and give back to, our community. This collaboration with TACHP came up organically and has worked out great. We’re so happy to host them.” Dayhouse also offers a one-year residency for area nonprofits to support their business goals as they grow.

Dayhouse Coworking, 2057 Green Bay Road, Highland Park, is a comfortable, creative workspace housed in a vintage building in downtown Highland Park, with a focus on workplace wellness, parent-friendly policies, and supporting woman-fueled endeavors. Amenities include private offices, conference rooms, mail reception, childcare, and more. For more information, contact Jen Luby, founder, or Jessica Erickson, Community Engagement Director, at 847-579-9378 or email: welcome@dayhousecoworking.com.

A not-for-profit visual arts organization since 1960, The Art Center Highland Park (TACHP) provides a visual arts education to Highland Park and its surrounding communities, assuring access to the arts for all ages and cultural interests. This vigorous community-centered organization inspires everyone from tots through seniors to achieve and transform their world through more than 450 art classes offered annually in photography, oil and acrylic painting, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, ceramics, jewelry making, metalsmithing, digital arts, fiber art, mosaics, assemblage and more.

TACHP's micro gallery program partners with local organizations to bring curated art exhibitions and programming outside of our building and into the community. For more information please contact the TACHP office at (847) 432-1888.

Opening night: Dayhouse Coworking, 2057 Green Bay Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035.

Thursday, June 27, 5:30-7PM.

Light refreshments will be served.

Free and open to the public.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS NOT AT THE ART CENTER!