ArtsFest | St. Charles ALL of the ARTS, ALL over TOWN

NEWS RELEASE

ArtsFest | St. Charles

ALL of the ARTS, ALL over TOWN

August 21, 2018, St. Charles, IL – The St Charles Arts Council, in partnership with the St. Charles Park District, presents ArtsFest | St. Charles – ALL of the ARTS, ALL over TOWN – from Friday, September 8 through Sunday, September 17. The event features terrific arts programming going on all over town.

This Week – Showcasing – The Gallery Crawl

There are so many art galleries and exhibitions going on during ArtsFest! We invite the community to grab a brochure (or print one from the web site - stcharlesartscouncil.org/artsfest-2018/) and take a few hours – or even a day! – to wander around the area and enjoy:

ArtsFest Juried Pop-Up Gallery - Participating Artists To Be Announced August 24th

The SCAC's Pop-Up Art Gallery program temporarily transforms vacant properties into new art venues. These juried galleries promote the work of local and regional artists, creating energy and excitement in non-traditional spaces. Past galleries have included media such as photography, painting, sculpture, and graphic art and have included Spoken Word, Dance, and Musical performances. We have created over 30 Pop-Ups since the project was launched in 2011.

Opening/Artist Reception, Friday September 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. and then open Fridays and Saturdays from September 8 – September 29 and hours by appointment

Address: 311 N. 2nd Street, Suite 100 (between Jalisco Tacos and E & S Fish Company)

More info: stcharlesartscouncil.org/pop-up-art-galleries/

Our thanks to the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau for the use of this space.

Sculpture in the Park – the 13th Annual Event which showcases large sculptures in one of the Park District’s beautiful downtown pocket parks.

Open during Park Hours.

Address: Mt. St. Mary Park, between Route 31 and the Fox River, south of Prairie Street

More info: stcparks.org/st-charles-festivals-events/ + www.stcsculpture.org/

St. Charles Public Library Mezzanine Gallery – Art in Public Places Show

This show celebrates the first anniversary of the SCAC’s signature public art project, ArtinPublicPlacesSTC.com (artinpublicplacesstc.com/) Come see work by artists Peggy Sue Seehafer, Kaz Ayukawa, Gregory Chapman and Todd Willing, whose public art appears in the AiPP project – a collection of nearly 180 pieces of public art. Visit the web site – see the artwork and/or download the PDF for a self-guided tour. Or download Otocast, go to St. Charles, and listen to artists tell the stories of 25 of the pieces in the collection.

Open during Library Hours. ArtinPublicPlaces.com is open all year ‘round!

Address: 1 S. 6th Avenue

Fine Line Creative Arts Center Studio Art Quilters Association Show – “Stitched Together” – is a new exhibit of contemporary fiber art work by Illinois and Wisconsin regional members of the Midwest Studio Art Quilt Associates. The region is over 800 miles long, from Northern Wisconsin to Southern Illinois, spanning miles of lakes, forests, farmlands, cities, towns, open sky and skyline, but their common passion for fiber art is what keeps them Stitched Together. The exhibit consists of 30 art quilts by 30 artists, juried by fiber artist Sharon L. Wright. The show features contemporary art quilts varying in artistic interpretation, style, and technique. Work by juror Sharon Wright and Co-curators Pat Kroth and Cynthia Wenslow will also be included.

Reception on September 14 from 6 – 8 pm

Open during Fine Line Create Arts Center Hours.

Address: 37W570 Bolcum Road

More info: fineline.org

116 GALLERY The 116 GALLERY exhibit “Emotion and Matter” features artists Thomas Masters and Michael William Foster. Masters's work includes two distinct mediums: mono type prints, his “time lapse” series and acrylics on canvas, all visionary abstracts. Using acrylics and India ink on canvas, Foster’s work represents information and data in its raw form.

On-Site presentation of inks and oils on canvas by Michael William Foster during ArtsFest, Saturday, September 8 from 11 am to 1 pm.

Open during Gallery hours – 116gallery.com for specific days/times

Address: 116 W. Main Street

More info: 116gallery.com

Gallery of Nature The Gallery of Nature, “Verdant Impressions” feature members of the Wayne Art League. Blossoms, blooms and luxurious landscapes are presented in oil pastels, watercolors, prismacolor, oils and collages. Highlighted is the Saturday, September 8, 3-5pm reception – On-Site presentation of oil pastels and watercolor techniques.

Wayne Art League Reception, September 8, 3 to 5 pm

Open during Wasco Nursery hours

Address: 41W781 Illinois Route 64

Norris Cultural Arts Vicinity Show The Norris Cultural Arts Center presents its annual exhibit, Vicinity, featuring works in all media created by artists living within 50 miles of the gallery. Vicinity 2018 opens on Saturday, September 15, and runs through Sunday, November 4. Admission is free. A public reception honoring the artists will be held on Sunday, September 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. Opening in 1978, the Norris Gallery has hosted hundreds of art exhibits, featuring all major genres of visual art. Each year, the galleries present the work of hundreds of artists. The Norris Gallery provides nearly 5,000 sq. ft of well lit, high ceilinged exhibit space to accommodate nearly any sized art exhibit.

Open during ArtsFest on September 15 and 16. After that during Gallery Hours.

Address: 1040 Dunham Road

More info: norrisculturalarts.com/

Steel Beam Theatre Gallery Steel Beam Theatre Art Gallery exhibit of “Collages” by artist Nancy Staszak is featured from September 7 through October 7, during the performance run of Steel Beam Theatre’s “Girls Night”. The gallery is open before and throughout all performances. Staszak’s collages reflect on thoughts, messages, and images that have inspired the artist.

Open during Steel Beam Theatre performances

Address: 111 W. Main Street

Laura Stoecker Photography LTD When you arrive at Laura's studio, you'll be greeted by a gallery of tender-hearted, joyful and fun portraiture that will surely make you smile. A photojournalist by trade (formerly of the Daily Herald), Laura now concentrates full time on portraits, travel, underwater and abstract photography. Come by to take a peek at portraits of newborns, children, high school seniors, families and pets that stand out above the rest. Limited edition fine art prints of travel imagery featuring the U.S. and abroad will be available for purchase, along with one-of-a-kind fine art abstract photography pieces.

Open Studio/Gallery, Sept 7-16. Times may vary. Please call: (630) 744-9728

Address: 1020 Cedar Avenue, 2B

More info: LauraStoeckerPhotography.com

Fox.Build The Art on the Walls program is a partnership of Fox.Build and the SCAC. Fox.Build is hosting an SCAC organized two-person show in their BRAND NEW location. Featuring the work of Hollis Levine and Felicia Raschke, which will be hung around the first floor area – home to creatives of all types.

Open during Fox.Build business hours

Address: 11 E. Main Street

Our thanks to Fox.Build for sharing their new home with visual artists.

ArtBox Student Show ArtBox has been a proud supporter of the arts in the Tri-City area since 2011. As a retail space, school, frame shop and gallery, our mission has always been to bring the joy and beauty of art into people's lives. To fill empty walls with color and life is something we hope to celebrate with patrons of the arts for many years to come.

Open during Business Hours.

Address: 720 N 17th Street, Suite 5

More info: lenbielefeldt.com

While wandering around town, check out the city’s public art using the Art in Public Places website and the Otocast App, and also keep your eyes peeled for the Poetry Crawl - NEW this year to ArtsFest. And if you’re in town for the first weekend of the event, check out Jazz Weekend – jazz music in downtown St. Charles, featuring the Grammy winning Frank Catalano.

The ArtsFest Poetry Crawl is inspired by "poetry in public spaces" initiatives worldwide, including recent displays in neighboring Aurora. These displays aim to bring creative writing into the public sphere, where it can be enjoyed by anyone passing by. For ArtsFest, poets from all over the world will be selected by jury to have their works put on display. Enjoy poems posted in venues across the city between September 7th and the 16th.

Stanbridge Master Saddlers, 122 West Main Street

St. Charles Municipal Building, 2 East Main Street

Smitty's on the Corner, 15 East Main Street

Fox.Build, 11 East Main Street

East Side, West Side, and Downtown – ALL over TOWN – residents and visitors will be treated to an incredible array of arts programming.

For more information about this fantastic Ten Days Of Art, visit the SCAC’s web site –stcharlesartscouncil.org/artsfest-2018/, call the SCAC at 630.443.3794, or email us at info@StCharlesArtsCouncil.org. We will also be keeping everyone up to date on our Facebook page - facebook.com/stcharlesartscouncil.

Thanks to all of the participating artists, groups and organizations. Thanks also to the City of St. Charles – Economic and Community Development, and the Visitors and Cultural Commission for their support.

About the St Charles Arts Council:

The St Charles Arts Council is a 501(c)(3), registered not-for-profit Illinois corporation whose mission is to create an organization that serves and promotes the arts and cultural activities, to the mutual benefit of the arts and the community. The SCAC is staffed entirely by volunteers. Contact the SCAC for information at 630.443.3794 or at info@StCharlesArtsCouncil.org.

About the St. Charles Park District:

The St. Charles Park District is a special purpose government unit. It is the mission to enrich the quality of life of Park District residents through excellence in programs, parks, facilities, and services. This is the mission of the Park District as expressed by the Park Board. The mission represents the fundamental statement of purpose and is the point of reference for all decision making.