Unleash your creativity at Elgin’s FallBack Arts Festival
Take a weekend to immerse yourself in the arts, when the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and the city of Elgin present the second FallBack Arts Festival.
The festival, which runs Friday to Sunday, Oct. 26-28, is free and open to the public.
By recognizing the annual ritual of turning back time, the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission encourages members of the community to participate in a workshop and connect with their artistic side.
“If you were ever interested in trying something new or further developing your skills as an artist, there are a variety of events available to try,” said Elgin Cultural Arts Commission Chairman Sean Hargadon. “The events are led by leading artists in their field and are easily accessible to everyone.”
On Friday, Oct. 26 to Sunday, Oct. 28, the sixth “Page To Stage” play reading series will kick off the festival with a performance of the new play “Diorama” by award-winning playwright, artist and Elgin native Jeff Whipple. Set in a small natural history museum, this original play celebrates friendship and loyalty in the workplace as the staff copes with unexpected job loss in the face of flashy new technology.
The performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor in downtown Elgin. The performance is free and open to the public.
Four workshops will be offered on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Ÿ Award-winning photographer/artist Susan McConnell, whose work is in several public collections and published in magazines across the country, will lead the three-part photography workshop “Photo Art 1, 2, 3” on how to take the greatest pictures, turning your shots into a coffee-table book, and how to share your photos with the world. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the Exhibition Hall at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way. The workshop is free. Participants should bring their own camera.
Ÿ Regionally recognized artist and teacher Anne Von Her, who encourages students to follow their own creative vision by providing them with the necessary tools, will lead a painting workshop “Painting the Landscape,” which will place the emphasis on experimentation. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the Exhibition Hall at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way. The workshop is free and materials will be provided, but participants should bring basic painting materials if they have them.
Ÿ Award-winning playwright and visual artist Jeff Whipple, whose plays have been produced in Chicago and throughout the country, will lead a writing workshop “Creating Your Own Idea Generation Machine,” which is designed to develop personalized creativity skills for artists and writers. The workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Elgin Art Showcase on the eighth floor, 164 Division St. The workshop is free. Participants should bring basic writing materials.
Ÿ Chicago’s award-winning and nationally recognized Redmoon Theater will present a workshop on the comprehensive study in handcrafted puppets and shadows, where students will work with carefully designed handcrafted puppets to create shadow projections. The workshop will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Exhibition Hall at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way. The workshop is free and support materials are provided.
To register for the workshops, visit elginfallback.eventbrite.com or email elginarts@gmail.com. For information, contact Chairman Sean Hargadon at elginarts@gmail.com. Look for FallBack Arts Festival 2012 on Facebook.