The works of more than 15 artists are displayed at several Naperville businesses through a revamped program run by the Naperville Art League called Art Around Town.
The paintings and photographs enliven the walls of a salon, a music store, a diner and shared hallways in a downtown office building, where they’re ready to catch the eye of workers or customers who pass by during this phase of coronavirus precautions and remote work.
The art is for sale through a partnership among the art league, artists who join for a fee and participating businesses, who join for free to show artwork that rotates every few months.
The art league took the COVID-19 shutdown this spring as an opportunity to revitalize the multisite art sale, which had run for about a decade without an official name. The league’s Linda VanderKolk said members internally called it “offsite exhibits,” since the pieces are displayed elsewhere than the league’s gallery at 508 N. Center St.
The new name better serves, VanderKolk said. “The simple ‘Art Around Town’ is pretty clear.”
Participants include Katie Sowa, whose photographs and fine art pieces “dedicated to connecting nature and the human experience” have been up since early this month at Elate Salon at 1823 Wehrli Road in Naperville.
Sowa, of Aurora, said she has “a hard time putting myself out there,” so the opportunity to work with the art league to find a willing site to display her work seemed worthwhile.
Picture Source: Rick West | Staff Photographer
