The Next Picture Show (TNPS) presents The Farms & Barn Show—one of the fine arts center’s most popular annual exhibits. The exhibit runs from September 8 through October 19.

This show features work that explores our rich farm region’s culture by highlighting the many old buildings, wide-open pastures, farm equipment, livestock, creeks, and streams that can be recorded in individual artwork styles.

This is an all-media exhibition of both 2-D and 3-D original work.

OPENING RECEPTION & AWARDS
Sept. 15, 2023, 6-8 p.m

For Artists

CLICK HERE for an application. The entry deadline is Aug. 26.

Sponsored by

Lee County Farm Bureau is this exhibition’s sponsor.

Guest judge

Carolyn McKee-Freese, of Dixon, is this exhibition’s guest judge.

For 24 years, Carolyn Lee McKee-Freese served the public school system with honor, devotion, and skill. Having the opportunity to teach was a dream come true, as she loves sharing knowledge with others. She prepared for her endeavors by earning a Bachelor of Education from North Illinois University in 1969 and becoming a certified teacher in Illinois. The degrees propelled Ms. McKee-Freese to become an art teacher at Simmons Junior High School immediately following graduation, where she stayed for three years. After that, she worked as a substitute teacher at Moose Heart School for a year and as an art teacher at Yorkville District High School for 20 years.
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Although Ms. McKee-Freese has since left the public sector, she remains committed to education. She currently uses her background and expertise as a private contractor in the education department of the Chicago Field Museum, where she has been since 2002, and as the visual art curriculum developer for Yorkville District 115, where she has been since 1990. She also holds memberships with the Illinois Art Education Association, the Illinois Artisans Program, and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.​ Over the years, Ms. McKee-Freese has found a variety of mediums through which she can express herself in addition to academia. She has published artwork in exhibitions at the Norris Gallery, the Ironwood Gallery of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, the Sprague Gallery, Aurora University, the James R. Thompson Center Atrium, and the New York State Museum in Albany, among other places. She was also an art contributor to the Life Over Time Exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum and was an art show judge at regional shows and fairs. Further, Ms. McKee-Freese has been published in Nature Magazine, Natural History Magazine, and the British Journal of Paleontology.

She has authored the likes of “A Popular Guide to the Nature and the Environment of the Fossil Vertebrates of New York” and “Papers in Paleontology.” In recognition of her achievements, Ms. McKee-Freese received a variety of accolades. She was named Teacher of the Year by Yorkville High School students in 2006 and 2007, Most Influential Educator for several years between 1996 and 2007, and Educator of the Month by Coco-Cola Co. in 1995. Further, Ms. McKee-Freese was honored to be featured in numerous editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who of American Women.