Sculptures return to St. Charles park
This year's Sculpture in the Park exhibit at Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles appears to be taking on something of a safari theme.
Among the creations to be on display starting April 23 are a 12-foot-tall giraffe, a mountain lion and a boy on a turtle, all of which should contrast nicely with some of the exhibit's more abstract pieces of the last two years.
If you've never been before, the Sculpture in the Park series is a great opportunity to take a stroll outdoors while viewing some really amazing sculptures made right here in the Fox Valley. The 28-acre park is accessible from First Street in downtown St. Charles, or from nearby Route 31, just south of Main Street on the west bank of the Fox River. Admission is free.
This is the third year the Downtown St. Charles Partnership has played host to the series, which was a finalist for one of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's Awards of Excellence last year. Altogether, 15 sculptures utilizing various media will be installed.
"We are very pleased with the quality of the works the jury selected for this year's exhibit," St. Charles Park District Director Jim Breen said in an announcement.
Park district staff and the artists themselves will install the pieces; some stand on their own while others will be mounted on pedestals. Last year, the six-month exhibit drew an estimated 8,000 visitors, organizers said.
Deanna Chrones, communications coordinator for the partnership, said the third annual exhibit will feature a "good mix" of pieces ranging in size and media.
"In a venue as expansive and appealing as Mount St. Mary Park, it's necessary to feature larger works of art that dominate their site, but it's also interesting to have smaller pieces on pedestals that people can get right up next to and really examine the artists' work and fine details," she said.
The partnership is a not-for-profit organization that strives to enhance the local economy through activities and events in downtown St. Charles. For more information, call (630) 513-5386, or visit www.dtown.org.
McKenzie named dean: A St. Charles man is now leading Aurora University's College of Professional Studies.
Fred R. McKenzie was recently promoted to the college's dean position, where he supervises 35 faculty members who serve about 1,200 students. The gig entails overseeing the schools of nursing and business as well as the school of social work, where McKenzie was director before the promotion.
McKenzie, who commutes from St. Charles, holds a doctorate degree in clinical social work from Loyola University in Chicago and masters and bachelors degrees in sociology from George Williams College, formerly in Downers Grove. He was a part-time instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago before moving to the Aurora school in 1988.
"I am very honored and proud to have been chosen to serve as the new dean of the College of Professional Studies at Aurora University," he said in a press release.
"I hope to be able to continue further development of the (college) as a truly interdisciplinary college … and an integral asset to the Aurora community."