Arts gallery again looking for a new home

Arts in Action Gallery in Lake Zurich is once again losing its home to a leaky roof.

Since earlier this year, the gallery has operated out of a vacant office at 2 W. Main St. The village advised tenants Friday there are several leaks that must be evaluated, and the gallery should look for another location.

The gallery was forced to move out of another downtown site, 10 W. Main St., where a similar roof leak occurred. Both spaces were donated for use by the village.

The gallery has to clear out by Monday, said Barbara Evans, president of Cultural Arts Connection of Ela.

"We knew it was always a possibility that at any moment we had to pick up and move," she said.

Evans said she is looking for space to display the works of 10 area artists - roughly 135 pieces - presently showcased at the gallery.

"It can be a corporation that has empty walls," she said. "It could be anybody who is willing to let artists exhibit. We are open to any and all spaces."

Storage space is also required for display cases and some equipment, she said.

Organizers may also have to pull the plug on a student art show planned at the gallery this June, and other arts events during the summer.

"It's up in the air because we don't know if we even have a space for it," Evans said.

The student art show usually features about 150 pieces of artwork from third-graders through high-schoolers.

Cultural Arts Connection also recently canceled its eighth annual Ela Fine Arts Show, scheduled for June 7, because organizers and Deer Park Town Center authorities could not agree on terms.

"It has been a tough year for the arts," Evans said. "I'm hopeful that the community has some ideas and suggestions."

Anyone interested in helping out, should call (847) 540-1919.