Villa Park art center to close later this month

Park Art Center, a nonprofit gallery in Villa Park, announced it will close its doors after Oct. 28, but owners are continuing efforts to raise money in hopes of relocating.

Shortly after celebrating two years in business, PAC's board of directors decided Oct. 13 to close its gallery and storefront location at 9 E. Park Blvd., according to a news release. The center will remain open to visitors through Oct. 28 to view the current exhibit, Local Boys Done Good: the Works of Tony Fitzpatrick and Kirk Kerndl. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The the center will continue to offer private, off-site art classes and maintain its outreach programs with local senior centers, schools, hospitals, park districts, libraries, art fairs and UCP Seguin, according to the release.

In the meantime, the center's board of directors will resume its search for a new home and collect online donations through Indiegogo's crowdfunding site, Generosity. The center created a fundraiser on the site last month and had raised $275 of its $170,000 goal as of Saturday evening.

The $170,000 would go toward an annual lease and cash reserves to cover rent and utilities for the upcoming year, according to the center's fundraising page. The money also would help secure contracts with artists and cover operating expenses such as insurance, professional fees, art supplies, marketing, and maintaining a website and online presence.

Donors who contribute $25 to $1,000 will receive a gift from Park Art Center.

"Park Art Center board of directors would like to thank all of our many sponsors, donors, volunteers and collaborating partners for their generous contributions and wish to acknowledge their support and appreciation of PAC's mission," the center wrote in a Facebook post Friday. "In addition, PAC would like to thank the Villa Park community and the businesses on Park Blvd. for their support."

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