Villa Park art center opens first exhibit

The Park Art Center is set to open its first curated exhibition, "SHIFT," featuring works by three artists who blur the lines between their occupation and their art-making.

An opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at 9 E. Park Blvd., Villa Park, celebrates artists Jacob Fishman, Carey Overstreet and Ted Strandt.

"These artists embrace their medium to an extreme level," said Faith Humphrey Hill, board member and curator of the exhibit. "Exploring it at work, for hours each day, as well as experimenting in off-hours to truly understand the expressive nature of their medium."

Fishman has been a neon sign maker and is a well-respected neon conservator for major art museums. In his studio, he explores the boundaries of neon. Seeking inspiration from his career, family, and love of neon itself, Fishman's artwork reflects on his experiences as a sign maker and his family.

With the neon field shrinking with the popularity of LED, Fishman has expanded to experimental techniques in the neon medium.

Overstreet was a property owner with a fine arts background. Seeing the potential of the things around him, he re-purposed the drop cloths from his renovations, stretched them and painted abstract or representational paintings on them. He doesn't cover the original drips, embracing the history of the canvas.

Strandt is a stone-carver who spent his career engraving gravestones. After completing his jobs, he uses his tools to make expressive sculptures of his own design.

Often inspired by folk tales and stories, his works convey a sense of history. Once established in his art-making and career, Strandt learned that several generations of his ancestors also were stone-carvers, further expanding his enthusiasm for history.

The free exhibit is open through Monday, Feb. 1. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For information, call Wendee Goles at (630) 501-1455 or follow the center on Facebook, facebook.com/parkartcenter.