St. Charles Fine Art Show debuts Susan K. McDowell Best of Show Award
The 28th annual St. Charles Fine Art Show on May 23-24 featured a juried art show, along with live entertainment and demonstrations, paint a car, and an art and music experience on the 1st Street Plaza.
The community event showcased more than 110 fine artists that were judged by a panel on Saturday afternoon. Ten exhibitors were presented with an artist award, sponsored by St. Charles Bank & Trust. These awards recognize the artist’s originality, technique, execution, expression, and overall impression of their art.
This year, the St. Charles Fine Art Show proudly introduced the inaugural Susan K. McDowell Best of Show Award during the awards presentation. In recognition of McDowell’s lasting impact on the event and the arts community, the Best of Show Award will be known moving forward as the Susan K. McDowell Best of Show Award.
McDowell played a pivotal role in the creation of the St. Charles Fine Art Show and has served as chair since its inception in 1999. She is also a founding member of the St. Charles Arts Council, established in 2010, whose mission is to celebrate, promote, and advocate for the arts throughout the community.
McDowell continues to be an important part of the Fine Art Show and its ongoing success, and this award serves as a lasting tribute to her dedication, leadership, and passion for the arts in St. Charles.
The inaugural Susan K. McDowell Best of Show Award went to Chicago-based woodturning artist Roberto Ferrer.
The awards of excellence went to: Kyle Hendrix, clay/ceramics; Connor O’Brien, glass; Scott Hartley, painting and watercolor; Melissa Bossenbroek, drawing and illustration; Dan Bi, mixed media; and Andrew Rola, painting and acrylic.
Honorable mentions went to Sher Berman, fine art jewelry; Tina Druce-Hoffman, printmaking; and Bradford Pollack, fine art photography.
The Presenting Sponsor for the 2026 St. Charles Fine Art Show is St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Additional Sponsors include Arcada Theatre, Batir Architecture, Mendel Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Solutions Networking Corporation, St. Charles Bank & Trust, St. Charles Closets, Theriault Booth LLC. Attorneys at Law, Mason, Faith, Hoscheit, & Lefelstein DDS., Meijer, Aquascape, Blick Art Materials, Culligan Water, Fine Line Creative Arts Center, Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center, Lakeshore Recycling Systems, Lawnboyz Landscaping, Inc., and TriCity Health Partnership.
To find more information on the 2026 St. Charles Fine Art Show and to view the list of award winners, visit stcharlesfineartshow.com. For further inquiries, contact the St. Charles Business Alliance at (630) 443-3967.