Naperville planning 'wonderful art retreat weekend'
Art will take a turn being the star in downtown Naperville this weekend as the Naperville Art League hosts the 29th annual Riverwalk Fine Art Fair.
The sculptures, fountains and gathering places already along the Riverwalk will be joined by the works of 130 artists from across the country who will be selling paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry, pottery - even decorated gourds.
It all creates what Naperville Art League Executive Director Debbie Venezia describes as an oasis of art along Jackson Avenue and the riverfront path from Main to Eagle streets.
"The city just takes on a whole different feel," Venezia said. "It's an escape. It's like going to this wonderful art retreat weekend."
The retreat lasts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21, and admission is free.
About half of the vendors are returning artists, 15 of them invited back because they won awards last year at the juried show. The other half are new artists brought in to keep the fair "refreshing," including a sculptor who will be selling "gigantic interactive farm animals," Venezia said.
"They're huge - probably life-size," she said.
But leave it to a couple of Naperville residents to bring the gourds. Not pumpkins and not squash, but gourds.
Dave and Rosie Claus of Naperville and their Off the Vine Gourds business are an example or a returning vendor, preparing for the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair for the sixth or seventh year in a row. Their art offers a Midwestern take on a Southwestern staple of painting and adorning dried gourds.
In a team effort, the husband-and-wife duo chooses dried gourds from farms in nearby states, cuts off their tops, shines their skins and burns patterns into their sides. The finishing touches include weaving and beads. The Riverwalk Art Fair gives the Clauses a chance to show their latest products to friends and neighbors and explain the tricks of their trade to people from near and far, Dave Claus said.
"It's a great venue along the Riverwalk and we like it because there's a lot of really good artists there," he said about the fair. "It brings in people from quite a distance to see what's going on. Its fun for us because we see so many people we know. We look forward to it every year."
Classical music will be played in the background on the east and west sides of the fair, with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra on one side and Classical Oasis on the other.
"We want people to just come and appreciate the art," Venezia said. "The classical music and the things that they play enhance the whole art experience."
No matter the medium or the subject - be it song, sculpture, wood, metal, watercolor, oil, film, farm animal or plant - two things will be apparent throughout the weekend of art.
"You can see the imagination and the creativity," Venezia said.
If you go
What: Naperville Art League's 29th annual Riverwalk Fine Art Fair
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21
Where: Jackson Avenue and the Naperville Riverwalk between Main and Eagle streets, Naperville
Cost: Free admission, art and food for sale
Info: (630) 355-2530 or napervilleartleague.com