Side Street Studio Arts to host its first Celebrity Art Clash Showdown July 13
Side Street Studio Arts in Elgin will host its first Celebrity Art Clash Showdown as part of “Renew,” a live paint experience and exhibition.
The event will include a visual art exhibition, featuring repurposed artwork by 13 area artists, a live paint showcase with previous Art Clash participants, and a Celebrity Art Clash Showdown, which will pit six area celebrities against each other to crown the first Celebrity Art Clash Champion.
Tickets are $22 online ahead of time or $25 at the door, while space is available. The event, sponsored in part by Martini Room, is a fundraiser for Side Street Studio Arts’ future home at 62 S. Grove Ave., also in downtown Elgin.
Art Clash is an annual live painting competition. The 2024 season recently concluded in June, crowning city champion Dani Mejia.
Artists who have previously competed in this event will be on site painting live during the evening. Participating artists include former City Champion and International representative John French, former City Champion Karl Jahnke, 2023 City Champion Bay Kennedy, and more. All works painted will be on display and up for auction.
Six brave area celebrities will be competing in their own showdown. They will have 20 minutes to paint an original creative work. The audience will then vote on their two favorites, and those artists will paint in one more 20-minute round for the championship. All paintings will be up for auction during the event.
Featured celebrities include Tia Aagesen, PADS of Elgin board member; Ula Borodzinska, owner of the Elgin Martini Room; Chad Goodman, Elgin Symphony Orchestra musical director; Tanner Melvin, co-founder of Side Street Studio Arts; Gary Swick, Friends of the Fox River president; and Joe Vassallo, educator and former Elgin Cultural Arts Commission chair.
“For years, Art Clash has been one of our most dynamic events,” said Erin Rehberg, founder and executive director of Side Street Studio Arts. “Painting can be such a solitary endeavor, being able to have the creative process on display right in front of you is so exciting. And, these celebrity painters, who have stepped up to donate their time and talents, we are so grateful, and can’t wait to see what they create.”
Additionally, area artists have selected abandoned or donated works to re-imagine, rework, and repurpose.
These works will be on display and available for purchase, and include work by Yesenia Arroyo, Amaris Danak, Kathryn Eli, Nicki Fortunati-Warren, Doug Hanson, Rachel Elizabeth Maley, Luiza Moraes, Jess Rocha, Eli T., Andrew Vo, and more.
Side Street Studio Arts advances engagement in the arts by providing inclusive access to exhibition, performance, education, and advocacy resources, because art is important. For more information or “Renew” tickets, visit sidestreetstudioarts.org/tickets.