Monique Meloche to guest curate neXt gallery at Shelby
The St. Charles Arts Council is pleased to announce that Chicago art dealer Monique Meloche of moniquemeloche gallery will be the guest curator for the SCAC's inaugural Pop Up Gallery – the neXt gallery at the Shelby Building – opening on Friday, May 27, and closing on Sunday, June 26.
Laura Spicer, neXt gallery Committee Chair and St. Charles Arts Council Steering Committee member, invited Monique Meloche to guest curate the pop up gallery program's inaugural exhibition, saying “Monique has owned a successful and fascinating gallery for over 10 years, through some very challenging economic times, and with a very challenging gallery vision. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help us get the neXt program off and running.”
The neXt gallery at Shelby will have an emphasis on abstract and/or primitive imagery – and will feature over 30 artists, including a few of Meloche's artists, as well as St. Charles and regional artists invited to participate in the gallery.
Artists in the neXt gallery at Shelby are: John Abel, Audia, Alison Balcanoff, Guy Bellaver, Gary Brown, Tim Burns, Kendell Carter, Roberta Elliott, Darlys Ewoldt, Joe Flores, Kate Friedman, Maureen Gasek, Jenna Goeringer, John Granata, Rita Grendze, Marge Hall, Wesley Kimler, Ray Kobald, Robert Krawczyk, Laura Letinsky, Cynthia McKean, Jack and Alice McLean, Sandra Mehl, Anne Ressman Zabinski, Joe Ruck, George Shipperley, John Slavik, Shawn Slavik, Scott Stack, Laura Stoecker, Preston Tedesco, Todd Willing, and Ana Zanic
During the month that neXt gallery at Shelby is open, there will be events such as artist demonstrations, panel discussions, music, and the Fridays@Five series, a fun cross promotional program with prasino restaurant in St. Charles.
From the Memorial Day weekend through the end of June there will be an incredible amount of arts programming in St. Charles – and the St. Charles Arts Council encourages residents and visitors to come to the city to enjoy all that is planned. More information is available on the neXt gallery web site – www.nextgallerystcharles.org. The gallery is located at 210 S. Fifth St., Suite 100, St. Charles.
The neXt gallery program will become an ongoing collaboration that promotes the work of local/regional artists and supports the arts, the SCAC, and the St. Charles business community at the same time. The program is called neXt gallery, because you never know where it will pop up next!
The neXt gallery Program is an initiative of the St. Charles Arts Council intended primarily to provide opportunities for artists to showcase and be compensated for their talent. The Arts Council encourages building owners, volunteers, art supporters, and art collectors to get involved in this program to support the arts, and encourages artists to contact the SCAC to learn about neXt gallery opportunities. Contact the council at 630.443.3794 or StCharlesArtsCouncil@gmail.com.
The St. Charles Arts Council is a registered not-for-profit Illinois corporation whose mission is to create an organization that serves and promotes the arts and cultural activities in St. Charles, to the mutual benefit of the arts and the community.
About the St. Charles Arts Council:
The SCAC will serve all those individuals (professionals, amateurs, and students) who produce tangible, consumable works of the imagination and all organizations, businesses, and groups that include and represent those people. This would be arts and cultural activities in their broadest sense, including graphic, plastic, and decorative arts, architecture, crafts, literature and poetry, music, theater, and dance. The primary long-range goal is the transformation of St. Charles into an arts community/an arts magnet/a nationally-known arts market. Ultimately we foresee a municipal arts center, more working artists and opportunities in arts education, many privately-owned galleries, performance venues, and related arts businesses, and a downtown architecture and streetscape conducive to both the aesthetics and business of art.
About Monique Meloche:
moniquemeloche gallery was founded by Monique Meloche in October 2000 with an inaugural exhibition titled Homewrecker at Meloche's home and officially opened to the public in May 2001. Working with an international group of emerging artists in all media, the gallery presents conceptually challenging installations in Chicago and at art fairs internationally with an emphasis on curatorial and institutional outreach.
moniquemeloche is a member of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) and is a partner of The James Hotel Chicago. Visit the moniquemeloche rotating exhibitions at The James.
About the City of St. Charles:
St. Charles, Illinois, located in both DuPage and Kane County, is 35 miles west of downtown Chicago. Over 2,100 businesses employ over 34,200 people, consisting of a balanced mix of retailers, restaurants, and manufacturing facilities. The City of St. Charles was recently named one of the “150 Great Places in Illinois” for the combined architectural work of the City Municipal Center, the Main Street Bridge, and the historic Hotel Baker.
The City's recently completed 2014 Strategic Plan includes the following Action Plan: Market and promote St. Charles as a friendly, appealing destination, characterized by activities, events, arts, and culture. Capitalize on artistic and cultural resources by supporting local talent and lively venues and activities. Encourage collective civic endeavors to broaden the variety of attractions and events.