Travel to 40 stops along Fox River Arts Ramble this weekend

This weekend's Fox River Arts Ramble will feature more than 40 stops, including private and public galleries, artist studios, performance venues and more up and down the Fox Valley.

The second annual self-guided tour will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, with some musical performances and receptions in the evening.

The event includes nearly 50 participants, in a broad array of media and location, including a number of collaborative programs. Participating locations for this year's event are in Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Campton Hills, and Elgin. For the map, brochure or more details, visitwww.foxriverarts.com or www.facebook.com/foxriverarts/.

In addition to artwork collections and activities, the three Ramble headquarters offer refreshments and public restrooms.

• At the Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Road in St. Charles, explore the classrooms featuring regular classes and demonstrations, including weaving, spinning, blacksmithing, metal clay and more. Visit the two galleries for art and shop for a variety of materials in the supplies shop. They will also have local artists selling their work. Take a stroll around the natural prairie, with grounds tours available, weather permitting. Visit www.fineline.org.

• The Keep Creative Community, 220 N. Fourth St. in St. Charles, will feature the St. Charles Arts Council's seventh annual Student Show. The arts council's pop-up gallery show includes the juried artwork - visual and video - of students in kindergarten through college. Ramblers who end their Saturday in the area are invited to attend the opening/artist reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The student artists from throughout the region are: Michael Angelini, Peter Angelini, Halle Barcel, Grayden Bates, Lauren Rae Berry, Brianna Bischoff, Marianna Blanco, Kate Briley, Mikaylee Mae Brooks, Cate Costello, Avery DePaul, Corinna Dietz, Nora Dietz, Kloie Flanigan, Gabriel Frazier, Omar Garcia, Jaylynn Gereski, Alexandra Gill, Erika Grauzinis, Ryan Halston, Summer Hoogeterp, A.J. Jania, Lucy Jania, Matthew Jania, JaJuan King, Kylie Landrowski, Kyra Landrowski, Sophie Le, Cooper Livermore, Mary Kate Livermore, Robert Livermore, Amanda Lyon, Emilie McHenry, Jesse Mirelez, Mason Nazario, Taylor Petersen, Sean Renwick, Lucy Roth, Christine Rueger, Lennon Sather, Vianne Slovik, Dove Soko, Priscilla TuTu, Brianna Witkus, Skyler Lynn Wuestenfeld, Anna Yingst, Victoria Zielinski, and Paul Zollinger. Visit www.StCharlesArtsCouncil.org.

• Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St. in Batavia, will be featuring the work of three artists exploring the human experience without limits in "Earthly Delights" by Les Allen and Bruce Thorn in the Dempsey Family Gallery and "Eclecticism as I See It" by Perry Slade in the Chicago Capital Gallery. There also will be artist talks, art demos, gallery tours, and opportunities to meet and purchase artwork from resident artists in their studios and artist members on site. Visit www.waterstreetstudios.org.

A list of the participating locations that you can visit this weekend during the Fox River Arts Ramble includes:

Elgin

• Partake in an instrument petting zoo and other interactive musical experiences with Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra student volunteers at Elgin History Museum, 360 Park St. No museum entry fee.

• Delight in the work of burgeoning young artists whose works on display include interpretations of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" at Elgin Academy Fine Arts Program, 350 Park St.

• Check out a repurposed 1950s Fleetwood Fawn vending machine that sells cigarette-pack-sized art pieces for $5 each at the Oddball Art Labs Mobile Art Machine at Rediscover Records, 9 S. Spring St.

• Tour the Elgin Artspace Lofts Gallery, 51 S. Spring St. in Elgin, to see Art for All's wide-ranging display of art.

• Enjoy paintings and drawings by three St. Charles tattoo artists, whose work ranges from urban street art to florals and pop culture at Funky Rooster Tattoo and Art Gallery, 73 S. Grove Ave.

Campton Hills

• Reflect on the works of some of the world's best glass artists, melding centuries-old authentic techniques with fresh inspiration at Murano Midwest Gallery, 8N665 Edgewood Road.

• See pottery, tapestries, art clothing and more from a coop of artists, some working with fibers from the farm's seven alpacas at Art and Alpacas, 39W856 McDonald Road.

St. Charles

• View original fused glass pendants and more, including kiln-formed and coldworked pieces, by Amy Simpson Glass or explore the beauty of hand-fabricated sterling silver jewelry by Nancy Krahn Jewelry Design at Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Road

• Check out Kimberly Gust's pottery, with its unique stains and underglazes at 3101 Greenwood Lane.

• Tour the Watercolor exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, or after 11 a.m. Sunday at Norris Cultural Arts Center, 1040 Dunham Road. Enjoy a concert at 6:30 p.m. Sunday by pianist Julia Siciliano.

• During the Ramble, catch "Mr. Blotto" at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at Mainstage Theater at Pheasant Run, 4051 E. Main St. Tickets are $18, or enjoy dinner and a show for $59.

• Look for the rotating Artist of the Month display on the mezzanine, as well as sculptures and other works throughout the library and grounds at St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave.

• Enjoy Jon Tokarz's solo exhibit in the gallery, which opens one hour before and during the performance of "The Real Inspector Hound" at Steel Beam Theatre Art Gallery, 111 W. Main St.

• Experience the bold colors and expressionistic style of painters Bojana "BOJITT" Ilic and Jola Soares, and select glass pieces from Murano Midwest at 116 Gallery, 116 W. Main St.

• Explore All Things Art Studio, 1106 W. Main St., which hosts art classes and private lessons, birthday parties, wine and canvas events, corporate team building events, and more for children and adults.

• Enjoy a striking and engaging sculpture exhibition against the backdrop of nature's seasonal beauty at the Sculpture in the Park at Mt. St. Mary's Park, off Route 31 and Prairie Street.

Geneva

• Visit Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop, 213 W. State St., to see a selection of new, local and international, original and print art.

• Walk this Victorian-era home-turned-gallery, featuring fine and functional art, including a mix of breathtaking paintings, exquisite jewelry, sculpture, pottery, photography and more at Gallery 28, 28 N. Fourth St.

• Join the "Works in Progress - On-site Studio Artists," with demonstrations, presentations and explanations by several artists at Haven Interiors Studio Gallery, 15 S. Third St. See schedule online at www.haveninteriorsltd.com.

• The Greater Geneva Art Guild promotes the visual arts through exposure, networking, education, inspiration and interaction with other artists at the American Legion Post 75, 22 S. Second St.

• Tour the Fox River from West Dundee to Ottawa through "A Fox River Testimony: Select Works by Joel Sheesley," as well as art from the museum's collection at the Geneva History Museum, 113 S. Third St.

• Check out the work of local artisans, including Atala Toy, who specializes in portrait studies of nature spirits as they manifest in trees and rocks at Crystal Life Technology, 121 S. Third St.

• See how raw wood is turned into artful bowls, goblets, candleholders and more at The Dutchman's Woodshack, 315 Westhaven Circle. Also enjoy original photography in custom wood frames.

• Check out this after-school art program for all ages and see some of their creative classroom projects at School of Art, 1772 S. Randall Road, Suite 220.

Batavia

• Join celebrating Aurora Art League's 100th year and see more than 75 original works of art using a variety of mediums and photography at Batavia Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

• At Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St., take in Collinson Fine Art's paintings, photography and encaustic painting; revel in the colorful work of abstract expressionist Dawn Jones, who creates with acrylic and enamel paint, inks, colored pencils and pastels; view a selection of Felicia Raschke's small works, as well as monoprint, collage and collage over watercolor; see Jessica Fincher's colorful, contemporary works of art inspired by nature; delve into Justin Lirot's exploration of landscapes, saturated colors, and psychedelic elements incorporating digitally manipulated personal photography; and check out Todd Johnson's works that explore the relatively unusual medium of vaporized patterns formed by very-high-voltage sparks inside blocks of transparent acrylic plastic.

Aurora

• See the first public exhibition of the National EMS Museum, featuring the Art of Emergency Care before it tours the country, at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway.

• At Aurora Art Studios, 50 E. Galena Blvd., check out Anne Von Ehr's abstract and floral artwork, primarily with oil paint and cold wax; or stop in to appreciate a repository of natural specimens, nature-inspired artwork in mixed media at Cheryl Holz Art Studios, and work by guest artist Molly Bitters.

• Tour Wyckwood House, 14 W Downer Place, Suite 16, a local artisan market in historic downtown Aurora, featuring work from more than 30 different artisans.

• See the works of artist Mary C. Parks in the context of the custom framing gallery, If These Walls Could Talk, 32 S. Stolp Ave.

• At SciTech Hands On Museum, 18 W. Benton St., see artist Laura Lynne's inspiration from the immersion in nature she had growing up in Wisconsin and her study of yoga, mythology and fairy tales; or check out Tim Schlapp's handcrafted wood pieces, incorporating locally sourced wood when available.

• View works by Maureen Gasek in acrylic and mixed media, Patty Fine Vander Sande in acrylic and mixed media, and jewelry designer Jacqueline Jayne Fowler at Gallery 1904, 1 E. Benton.

• Visit Mays Mayhew's white-walled studio and gallery space, with over 50 realistic paintings and drawings of people, at 2525 Coach and Surrey Lane. Learn their stories and see how the art was created.

• See the current exhibition "BECOMING: Transformations in American Indian Art"at the Schingoethe Center, 1315 Prairie St.

• Behold Denise Wheeler's "Sailor's Warning," just one of the artist's original resin pours at 2470 Green Valley Court

Visit the website, ArtinPublicPlacesSTC.com to find more than 170 pieces of public art in St. Charles. Get the Otocast app, find the AiPP project or St. Charles, IL, and tap on the welcome message to take a walking tour of more than 25 artworks.