2023 Exhibits
Winter Garden Of Youth
“We are proud to announce the opening of our 25th annual art exhibit, Winter Garden of Youth, by Aurora’s K-12 students. This exhibit was the brainchild of Karen Towers, a highly regarded 36-year veteran art teacher for D129. She presented the idea to the then Director of Aurora Public Art, Rena Church, who embraced it in 1997 and continued the exhibit annually till her retirement in 2017. We are pleased to continue this legacy; it is always satisfying to see the pride these young artists and their families experience with this opportunity” says Jenn Byrne, Director of Aurora Public Art.
All local K-12 schools have been invited to participate in this exhibition that celebrates the youth of Aurora. Annually Aurora Public Art highlights approximately 200 artworks by Aurora youth from kindergarten to seniors in high school. Media to be presented include drawings, paintings, and sculptures.
CULTURAL PATHS: MICHOACAN ARTS
Aurora Public Art will host CULTURAL PATHS: MICHOACAN ARTS, a new exhibit curated by Réne H. Arceo, in collaboration with Casa Michoacan and The Federation of Michoacan Clubs of Illinois. The exhibit will be on display October 6th – November 18th, at the Third Floor Gallery of the David L. Pierce Art & History Center at 20 E. Downer Place, Aurora. Admission is free and open to the public.
The exhibit will open October 6th with a reception featuring live music and traditional foods, sponsored by Casa Michoacan. Performances will include Minitzita and Group, and Luz Márquez and Juan Rivera playing Pirekuas (traditional love songs.)
CULTURAL PATHS: MICHOACAN ARTS has been curated by Rene H. Arceo, renowned printmaker and an original curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. Exhibiting artists include Atlan Arceo-Witzl, Mizraim Cárdenas, Roberto Ferreyra, Celeste Jaime, Luna Monreal, Eufemio Pulido, Réne H. Arceo, and veteran Pilsen muralist Héctor Duarte. Also included in the exhibit will be Day of the Dead altars representing the cultures of Michoacan, Oaxaca, and Mexico City; a selection of guitar-shaped prints, and an interactive installation depicting migrant butterflies.
Public Art Director Jenn Byrne states, “We are honored to work with Casa Michoacan and Réne H. Arceo to celebrate arts and culture specifically from the state of Michoacan, Mexico. I am particularly excited to display the work of Pilsen legend Héctor Duarte.”
Meet the artists behind this exhibit and learn more about their art on Saturday, November 18th and enjoy a free printmaking workshop Ages 14+. A collectible exhibit catalog will be released at this final event.
Aurora Art League Group Exhibit
Featuring Artworks by members of the Aurora Art League and Poetry by the Aurora Poet Laureates
Exhibit Dates: April 7th – May 20th, 2023
Opening Reception: Friday, April 7th, 6-9PM
Poetry Reading: Friday, May 5th, 7PM
Donnell Collins, Perry Slade, Dr. Charles Smith
Aurora Public Art will open its latest exhibit during Aurora Downtown’s First Friday on February 3rd, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Located on the third floor of the David L. Pierce Art & History Center at 20 E. Downer Place, the City’s formal gallery will be honoring the artwork of well-established Aurora photographers Donnell Collins and Perry Slade, as well as exhibiting Aurora Public Art’s permanent collection of sculptures by legendary folk artist Dr. Charles Smith.
The exhibit will be on display February 3rd – March 18th. Live R&B/Neo-Soul band Melodic will be performing March 3rd at 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. An artist discussion will be held March 18th at 2:00 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Wednesdays – Fridays, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
About the exhibit, Donnell Collins, Perry Slade, Dr. Charles Smith, Aurora Public Art Director Jenn Byrne states, “While each viewer has their own interpretation of artworks, based on their individual experiences, it is clear that each of these bodies of work, created by such long-respected artists, have so much wisdom to find within them.”
Donnell Collins, a resident of Aurora since 1958, worked as a photographer for the Aurora Beacon newspaper from 1987 to 2007 and is well known in the community, having photographed so many events, and so very many portraits of Aurorans. Recently retired from photojournalism, he is now focusing on his fine art photography and teaching youth about film photography and darkroom processing. Donnell’s work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, ESPN Magazine, and numerous newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times.
Perry Slade, originally from Newark, New Jersey, came to Aurora in 1979. A photographer since his 20s, Perry’s eclectic body of work includes landscapes, urban landscapes, and conceptual narratives, mostly in black and white. He uses photography to tell stories, most often drawn from observations that he has found striking and poignant. Perry’s works has been represented as a juried artist at Water Street Studio in Batavia, IL, Tall Grass Arts Association in Park Forest IL, and the Naperville Art League in Naperville, IL.
Dr. Charles Smith came to Aurora after serving in the Vietnam War, and began to create over 600 sculptures using concrete, found items, and other materials, referencing both well-known and obscure events in African American history. This powerful collection of works, placed around his home in Aurora, became the African American Heritage Museum. In 2001 he moved to Hammond, Louisiana, where he has created a similar number of new works. Now regarded as one of the most important folk artists in the United States, approximately 500 of his sculptures have been preserved and placed in 19 institutions, including the collections of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Houston Museum, African-American Heritage Museum, Joslyn Art Museum, Intuit, National Vietnam Museum and the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture.