Gallery program to celebrate veterans through art
The St. Charles Arts Council's pop-up art gallery program, the neXt gallery on East Main Street, is popping up at 11 E. Main St., St. Charles.
The gallery opens as a featured program of "Celebrating Veterans Through Art" Saturday, Nov. 7, running through Sunday, Nov. 29.
The opening reception will be 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Appetizers and drink will be provided. The arts council thanks artists James and Nanette Stephens for their generous donation of Stephens' famous BBQ meatballs and grilled pork for the reception.
This neXt gallery on E. Main, features 2D and 3-D visual art, including painting, sculpture and photography created by local and regional visual artists, many of whom are veterans.
The gallery also will feature a literature display of the stories of local veterans, from interviews with them by writers Russ Devereaux, Wayne Johnson (who is himself a veteran), Jay Payleitner, and Tricia Whitworth.
The gallery will also feature the work of local students, St. Charles East High School's Class of 2017's videotaped interviews of veterans, a Library of Congress program, as well as paintings designed by East's Nina Grover that will decorate the exterior windows of the space. In addition, the gallery will display the "Yes I Served and I'm Your Neighbor" Project.
Artists in the neXt gallery on East Main are: Guy J. Bellaver, Rick Brems, Jasmine Clark, Jennifer Knobloch, James Patinka, Richard Pennington, Linda Roxe, John Sibley, James E. Stephens, Nanette B. Stephens, Folleh Tamba, Jack Wooldridge, Richard Zayat and Fred H. Zinke. Special guest artist is Rita Grendze and special art installation is by Amy Furio.
In describing the latest neXt gallery, Elizabeth Bellaver, volunteer curator, said, "The theme of this gallery is "Stories" - in keeping with the concept of the Veterans Event, which is to use the arts to tell veterans stories of service and sacrifice. It's the first time that we've required artist statements - and we're so pleased that the stories and artwork that were submitted are so interesting and so broad in scope - and many of them are powerful stories of or about veterans.
"The gallery will include paintings, photographs, sculpture, and an art installation project. More than half of the artists in the gallery are veterans themselves, which is just wonderful. We're also so delighted that "E. Main" will include the "Yes I Served and I'm Your Neighbor" gallery of photographs of veterans from their years in the service and today, with short biographical information about each of them. We've already had over 70 submissions for this part of the gallery, which is just awesome."
The arts council encourages everyone to see the gallery during the three weeks that it is in the E. Main space, and to check out Rita Grendze's public art installation project on the front lawn of the Baker Community Center.
The piece is titled "Surfacing" and is dedicated in memory of her nephew who served in the Navy, Brandon Lee Grendze. Grendze's very moving Artist Statement may be found on the neXt gallery website nextgallerystcharles.org.
More information about the neXt gallery on East Main Street can be found on the neXt gallery website, nextgallerystcharles.org.
More information about the Celebrating Veterans Through Art event can be found on StCharlesArtsCouncil.org. The SCAC phone number is (630) 443-3794.
The neXt gallery Pop-Up Art Gallery program is a collaboration that promotes local/regional artists, the SCAC and the St. Charles business community. The program is called neXt gallery, because you never know where it will pop up next.
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 SCAC at (630) 443-3794 or info@StCharlesArtsCouncil.org or follow on Facebook and Twitter.