Glen Ellyn woman shares her passion for the arts

Art patrons who toured the 26th annual Riverwalk Fine Art Fair in Naperville last weekend didn't see Deborah Venezia's work occupying any of the booths.

Nor will you see pictures by Venezia hung in the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery that she oversees as the executive director of the Naperville Art League.

Venezia may not create art herself, but her influence is everywhere — in the quality of artists at the Riverwalk fair and the smooth running of the event, and in the regular hours she keeps at the gallery, knowledgeably and pleasantly fielding whatever questions come her way.

“I feel very fortunate that I'm able to make my living doing these beautiful and wonderful things that I love to do,” said the Glen Ellyn resident, who was hired as the art league's part-time executive director in 2002.

Laura Rivas, art league board member and fine arts director, credits Venezia with upgrading the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair since taking over organizing the event in 2005.

“We just have artists from all over the country coming,” Rivas said. “Debbie works hard to keep up the quality and variety.”

The Riverwalk art fair is the biggest event of the year for the active 250-member art league, Venezia said.

“That's what keeps our doors open,” she said.

Planning for the next fair begins the day after it closes, if not before, Venezia said. The juried show features about 145 artists who exhibit and sell their work. The challenge is to distinguish it from legions of other art fairs held during the warm-weather months, Venezia said.

“We're an originals-only fair. It just elevates it a little more,” she said.

The quality of the art along with the beautiful Riverwalk setting are helping the fair gain recognition. Last year, Sunshine Artist, an art and craft show magazine, ranked the Naperville art fair as 45th among the top art fairs in the country, Venezia said. The outdoor show draws an estimated 76,000 visitors over the weekend.

Rivas said Venezia spares no effort in organizing the art fair or in running the center's gallery.

“She is very talented in many ways. Very professional, dedicated, driven, creative, hardworking. Gets the job done no matter what it takes,” Rivas said. “She's a lot of fun, too.”

Film society

Venezia honed her organizational skills during 20 years in the corporate world as a human resources manager. She said she loved the job, but felt artistically unfulfilled. She had grown up in a family that encouraged self-expression and studied fashion design and fabrics in college.

Seeking an outlet for her creative side, Venezia started the After Hours Film Society 22 years ago to bring foreign and art films to the suburbs. The society has grown to an average of 500 members who meet the second and fourth Mondays of the month in the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove to view a film and discuss it.

Venezia continues to serve as the group's executive director and now collects a modest salary from the position.

Retired film teacher Vicky Edwards met Venezia when Edwards was writing a newspaper article on the newly formed film society and is still a member herself. Venezia is so dedicated to the group that when she had breast cancer six years ago she scheduled her treatments around its meetings, Edwards said.

“She's given an amazing amount of passion and time to this job,” Edwards said. “She just is extraordinarily tireless.”

Venezia said the film society is a place where anyone can come alone or with others and feel comfortable.

“It's a little community in itself,” she said.

Art for everyone

Venezia was hired by the art league after she was downsized from the corporate world. All the arts interest her, she said.

“I like everything. I like music. I like theater. I like visual arts,” she said.

But even artists need some organization. Venezia handles the day-to-day running of the art center, taking class registrations for children and adults, paying the bills, answering the phone, putting out the newsletter and organizing the monthly gallery shows.

The lighthearted “Fabulous Fakes” exhibit the art league holds every February is a popular draw, Venezia said. Art league members copy the work of famous artists but add twists of their own — such as putting a laptop computer in a Van Gogh painting.

“That's our favorite (exhibit),” she said. “Its just fun to see the spin people put on it.”

Venezia sees making art accessible to people as part of her mission.

“I think some people are intimidated by art. I always tell them, if you like it, it's a good piece,” she said. “It's just the way you look at something and see beauty in it.”

Venezia also works to make the art league better known and partners with other community groups to do that. The league worked with the Naperville Century Walk a couple years ago to add a mural to the side of the art center at 508 N. Center St., which has increased visibility, she said.

“We've been in this same location 35 years,” she said. “We're still working to get people, especially in Naperville, to know we're here.”

Venezia is proud of the art camps for kids and teens the center held over the summer. She is a firm believer that the arts need to be part of everyone's education, and laments that the humanities often are cut from school programs when finances are tight.

“Everybody can look at a piece of art and have a different reaction, but there's some commonality there. It crosses all cultures. It crosses all age barriers,” she said. “It can reflect historically what's going on. People get too busy doing things.”

The Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery is open noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

“It's been a wonderful experience, just watching the place grow,” Venezia said.

For information on the Naperville Art League and gallery, visit napervilleartleague.com. To learn more about the After Hours Film Society, see afterhoursfilmsociety.com.