Over the past 18 months I have been gradually developing a
gallery display and exhibits for a space at the First Congregational Church in
Crystal Lake, IL. This project started,
as many seem to, do with an entirely different goal. I got involved with the renovation of what
had been Fellowship Hall at the church – which needed everything from new flooring
to paint, tables and chairs to light fixtures.
Like a lot of projects it grew a bit as time went on and ended up including
the 40 foot hallway that runs along the outside of the large room. The walls in
that hallway were constantly scuffed or scraped and just non-descript in every
way.
I suggested, half-jokingly, that it would make a great
gallery space. There was discussion about
how would it work, why bother, who would handle, who would PAY, etc. In the end I have become a gallery director by
default.
It has turned out to be a great project – for the church and
for people coming through and for me.
We scraped together funds to buy a hanging system and to
have 10 – 16 x 20 white frames made. That allows us to show either 11 x 14 pieces
matted and framed, or 16 x 20 pieces unmatted and framed. We can also show
other artwork that comes framed or that I figure out how to hang in some other
way.
I created an artist call and also contacted artists
directly. The exhibit changes every two months.
We have a framed artist statement and photo. I have enlisted two helpers
for hanging and take down. I have artists scheduled through the end of 2026. Our
outreach is expanding to include work from local organizations and elsewhere.
The members and visitors who come through often comment on
how much they enjoy the exhibits and how they see things in new ways.
I have shown pieces from my Beautiful Faces series, we
have had a nature photographer with his winter landscapes, the Sunday school
kids created their own art for an exhibit, we featured collages of music and performances
that were significant to the church in some way. Upcoming exhibits include:
·
Veterans portraits from the local area by
Jeannine Soldner, a well known painter
·
Make a Way – An exhibit by Ileana Soto
and other artists based on the writings of Lewis
·
An exhibit by the Pioneer Center
(developmentally challenged clients)
·
An exhibit of pinhole photography
I am finding it to be an interesting and exciting
opportunity to build community and awareness in a new way. Below are some photos of the gallery (long and narrow so hard to shoot).
The first two photos show the artist statment and some of my series Observations.
The photo below is from the exhibit of kids art last summer.
The photos below are from our latest exhibit of Veterans portraits. The artist, Jeannine Soldner has created a series of 24 portraits and then stories that has been shown n many places. We have 8 of her portraits of local veterans.
I hope this inspires members to look for, or make, or through serendipity, fall into gallery possibilities. If this is a mile to far, try curating an online gallery through SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates, You get a lot of support and it is a really engaging experience.
