“April showers bring May flowers,” and the Addison Center for the Arts brings to you talented artist Marge Hall and her paintings of flowers and landscapes! The ACA gallery will be presenting a collection of her oil paintings titled “Nature’s Beauty.”
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Hall is a floral portrait artist, designer, award-winner and teacher at the DuPage Art League in Wheaton, IL. The nationally recognized artist has discovered her own color vocabulary based on a pallet that combines elements of strong, almost mystical light with drama and photorealism. Her exhibit is bold and dramatic yet sensitive and intimate. It reflects the vibrant colors and luscious textures that capture the spiritual elements of nature. Her attention to detail is displayed in the subtle tonal qualities of each petal she paints.

“Nature’s Beauty” can be viewed from May 3 to June 9, 2017, on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. An artist reception, which is open to the public, will take place on Friday, May 5, 2017, from 7-9 p.m.

​​"Compilations," an exhibit of glass sculptures and photographs by Witold Sliwinski, opens Wednesday, March 22, 2017. This is the first of what the artist hopes to be many exhibits in the United States! Witold comes from Poland, with a long list of awards and honors for his unique and impressive glass sculptures and original photographs. The exhibit will be available for the public to view until April 22, 2017. The artist reception will be Friday, March 24, 2017 from 7-9 p.m. All are welcome to come and see this very exciting exhibit and meet this very talented and creative Polish artist, welcoming him and his work to Addison, IL, USA!

WITOLD SLIWINSKI PRESS RELEASE
Coming to Addison is Witold Sliwinski, Polish artist and sculptor. He will be exhibiting his glass sculptures and art March 22 - April 22, 2017, in the ACA gallery. “Compilations” is dedicated by the artist in memory of his parents.  

Witold was born on the 24th of February, 1963, in Krosno. He graduated from the State Secondary Art School in Miejsce Piastowe, from the Faculty of Applied Art Forms, as a disciple of the famous sculptor Wladyslaw Kandefer who in turn studied under the great Ksawery Dunikowski. At that time, Sliwinski was a student at the Postsecondary Photography School in Krosno. At the beginning of his artistic career, he initially dealt with drawing and graphics, but he went on to design and produce artistic and applied works of art in leather.

​By 1996, he had created many works of art in glass. Sliwinski explains, “I became fascinated in working with glass as a medium... after a period of time, some different ornamental forms began to appear in my work, which could almost be defined as being sculptures.” Slowly these forms began to influence and dominate his way of thinking, giving way to the development of contemporary artistic glasswork. These fascinating pieces of art will be exhibited at the Addison Center for the Arts, located at 213 N Lombard Rd, Addison Trail High School Door 4, Addison, Illinois. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m. If a private viewing of “Compilations” is desired, it can be arranged by calling the office at (630)458-4500 or emailing info@AddisonCenterForTheArts.com.

There will be an artist reception on March 24, 2017 from 7-9 p.m., which will be open to the public. The artist, who is coming to us from Poland, will be there alongside his work that evening.  

Come and see this culmination of experience, creative maturity and passion for experimentation, combined with courage and risk-taking to bring about new innovative creations in glass — “sui generis” of “magic material.”
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RECEPTION UPDATE
The reception for "Compilations" was held on March 24, 2017. Witold Sliwinski was there for his first exhibit in the United States. Shortly after the reception, he had to return to Poland, and he left his sculptures with us! The show will be on display at the ACA until April 22, 2017.

“Dots and Lines” was an exhibit of Bala Thiagarajan's abstract paintings and mandalas. Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. It symbolizes the universe and the cosmos. It is a visual representation used as a focus point for the practice of meditation. Mandalas are ancient, sacred symbols of wholeness and are used for facilitating personal growth, healing, grounding and transformation. The intense repetition of pattern captures the attention of the viewer. All of Bala’s paintings are created intuitively, painted freehand. “I add a mirror in the center of my mandala paintings, as they are about centering oneself and regaining a balance,” explains the artist. “They also allow the audience to be a part of the artwork themselves.” Bala’s mandala paintings greet viewers with a sense of familiarity, with repetitive patterns reminding them of henna art, simultaneously creating an excitement to explore more of the texture and geometry. Meet the artist now! This vibrant and colorful exhibit were at the ACA February 15 - March 17, with an artist reception on Saturday, February 18, from 6-9 p.m. 

Where do great artists and creative minds begin? Elementary school! The spontaneous creations filled with color and uninhibited imagination can only put a smile on one’s face and warmth in one’s heart. 

​From January 16th through February 3rd, Elementary School District 4 will be exhibiting artwork that students have created in their art classes. The Addison Center for the Arts is proud to host this vibrant and imaginative exhibit in the gallery, which is located at 213 N. Lombard Rd. in Addison, IL. The gallery is on the north side of Addison Trail High School. It is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Call the ACA office at (630) 458-4500 should you have any questions.

The artists’ reception will be Wednesday, January 18th, from 5-7 p.m. The Indian Trail Jazz Band Ensemble will perform at 6 p.m. during the reception. All are invited! The arts are alive with "Young at Art," and we hope everyone can come and enjoy! ​

​Reception Update
​The "Young at Art" reception on January 18, 2017, was a huge success! Parents, grandparents, school administrators and ACA members packed the gallery to view the exhibit. All were amazed at what talent can come out of such young artists! This exhibit was a collaborative effort of all of the elementary schools in District 4. The works were done by students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. This event was hosted by the ACA in appreciation for the longstanding relationship it has with District 4 schools. The Indian Trail Jazz Band joined in the festivities, wowing the crowds with live music and impressive instrumental solos.

​The Addison Art Guild's 2016 Fall Membership Show will continue to be up until December 9th. The poster below displays last year's Best of Show Artwork by Bruce Peterson. You may want to come by and see the winners of this year's juried show! The judge, Pam Carron, did a fabulous job of selecting the winners as well as giving very informative critique, which was presented at the reception November 10th. Congratulations to the following artists:

Opera in the Neighborhoods will be presenting “Jason and the Argonauts” to Addison students in grades 4-6 on October 26th, 2016. There will be two performances in the auditorium at Addison Trail High School: one at 10 AM and another at noon.
 
The production is by Lyric Unlimited, the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s department dedicated to education, community engagement and new artistic initiatives. This program is designed to educate and entertain students with little to no previous experience with the operatic art form.
 
This program is partially funded by the Addison Center for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This is the 21st year that Addison has been offering this program to students. Bussing is provided by Addison School District #4, and the auditorium and stage crew is provided by Addison Trail High School. ​

​The Addison Center for the Arts presents a special art exhibit, “Then and Now,” honoring the 50th anniversary of Addison Trail High School. Seven Addison Trail High School alumni took time out of their very active careers to show where they started at Addison Trail and where they are now. Not only is the quality of work awesome, but the diversity of careers in art is impressive as well! 

The exhibit will open Wednesday, October 5th and will be available for viewing for the month of October alongside the many activities ATHS has scheduled as well!

On Wednesday, October 12th, at 7 PM, the Addison Center for the Arts will host a reception that is open to the public where you can not only see this exhibit but meet some of the artists as well.
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The alumni artists exhibiting their work and their stories are: Jennifer Aiello, Rafael Barontini, Kyle Busse, Debbie Dipert, Mathew Gardocki, Joe Giron, Dan Kernkamp, Katherine Klimt- Staller, Erik Lykins, Frank Matas, Mike Naples, Ann Pasteur, Wendy Rizza, Jeff Ward, Alex Wellington, Rhonda Mayas and Etola Zinni.

The Addison Center for the Arts is located at 213 N Lombard Rd. in Addison, IL. We are located on the north side of Addison Trail High School. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday 1-4 PM and Wednesday evenings 6-8 PM. There is no charge for this exhibit.
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Call the Gallery at (630)458-4500 or email the Center at info@addisoncenterforthearts.com for more details.

October 15: High Tea was served smack dab in the middle of the ACA Gallery! Diane Cozzi won a raffle prize at the Woman’s Club of Addison’s annual fundraiser. The prize was given by Addison Historical Society Board member Alice Smith and the ACA. It consisted of High Tea service for four in the ACA gallery, which was exhibiting Then and Now, an Addison Trail alumni art exhibit. They received top-notch service from Chris Pudelek, chair of the Addison Historical Commission. He served the ladies in tux and with a gracious smile. Delicious High Tea bites, both sweet and savory, from Alice’s kitchen, along with goodie bags and beautiful fall ambiance were included. Susan Cargill, president of the ACA, greeted Diane and her guests and also gave each a year’s membership to the ACA so they can enjoy future exhibits and programs the ACA offers the community. ​

"Love & Music" by Joe Fournier may have been taken down September 30th, but people of Addison are still talking about this very unique exhibit. A day did not go by without guests coming in to see Fournier's line drawings and paintings. A different twist to this exhibit was the musical performance on September 16th in the intimate surroundings of the studio theater adjacent to the Gallery. It was here that Fournier wowed the full house with his live music, played along with his digital line on screen. Fournier not only showed his exceptional talent on different instruments, but he also sat and drew spontaneously as it was animated on screen while the band played his music. As one guest put it, "Wow! Now this is really something different! I am so glad I was here to see it."

If you were not able to see Fournier's performance live, you can still catch this very entertaining performance on YouTube (see below for links). The ACA is just thrilled to have been able to bring this exhibit and talented guy to the community!

Joe Fournier is an award-winning artist, musician and animator. His political strip is published three times a week in the Perspective section of the Chicago Tribune. Fournier’s work has appeared in many other venues, including the Cannes Film Festival, the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress. Fournier can be found at various clubs in Chicago with his baritone sax, projected animations or pen and paper. (Fun fact: Fournier has never had a single cavity! Not a one!) Find him on the web at www.joefournierstudios.com.

Watch videos from Fournier's exhibit!
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Flutist Performance
ZOETROPE Performance
Improvisation on Studies of Chopin and George Sand, Joe Fournier and the Nexus Ensemble