Art on display at Buffalo Grove Village Hall
Next time you go to Buffalo Grove's Village Hall to fill out a permit application or pay a bill, take a look around - you might feel like you're in an art gallery.
Since 2003, the village has purchased pieces of artwork from its annual Invitational Fine Art Festival for public viewing. Most of the art is on display at village hall, located at 50 Raupp Blvd. off Lake-Cook Road, since other village buildings aren't as accessible to the public, said Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch.
The village typically purchases four pieces of art every year, funded by $20 arts and crafts vendor license fees at the art fair. The fees also help offset some of the village's costs for the event. This year, a total of $3,020 was collected from the fair's 151 artists.
Here's a listing of the artwork purchased this year:
• "Red Vase" by Buffalo Grove artist Tina Primer, a vertical painting of purple flowers and green leaves emerging from a red vase. The piece is an example of stipple art, or pointillism. The painting was purchased for $650.
• "Blues Man" by Enrique Suarez of Prospect Heights, a painting of a musician leaned over a bass with a large trombone beside him. It was purchased for $700.
• "Internal Glow IV" by Mark Pflughoeft of McFarland, Wis., a mixed media gold and black painting. It was purchased for $450.
• "Horse racing - Wanna Bet?" by Raymond Chen of Evanston, a watercolor painting of a horse race. It was purchased for $65.
The village arts commission recommends the pieces of artwork for purchase, and members of the village board grant final approval. Buffalo Grove has purchased 26 pieces since the program started.
This year, 12 artists donated their artwork for the village's "Bloomin' Buffalo Grove" fundraiser planned for May 2010. The event will feature a silent auction, music and refreshments to benefit Buddy Baseball and arts programming coordinated through the village arts commission.
In addition, artist Jamie Levin of Gardner, Kan., donated a painting of a waving American flag. Village officials say it will be presented to a veteran at the village's Veterans Day ceremony in November.