THE EXHIBIT RUNS July 21 – September 2, 2023 During the artists’ reception on Friday, July 28, Chloe Metz, Oregon artist and the show’s guest judge, presented the awards for this year’s Absolutely Abstract art exhibition. After the award presentation, TNPS’ new executive director, Letha Catalina, was introduced. Catalina starts her position on August 8.
This show’s sponsors are Ellen and Carl Mumford.
The Absolutely Abstract award recipients
Best of Show | “The Summer of 2020,” Acrylic | Perry Paliga of Dixon, IL
First Place | “Kaleidoscope,” Acrylic Mixed Media| Jayne Rose of Dixon, IL
Second Place | “Every Day is Undone #9,” Photographer | John Wildman of Dixon, IL
Third Place | “Woman with Child,” Cold Wax Medium and Oil | Kent Broadbent of Annawan, IL
Honorable Mention| “Urban Renewal,” Collage and Acrylic | Debbie Thompson of Dixon, IL
Runs 6-8 p.m. | Awards announced around 7 p.m. Enjoy a night in downtown Dixon. This evening provides a chance to mingle with the artists, view all the original art, listen to live music, and have a beverage or two.
THE EXHIBIT RUNS JUNE 2-JULY 15, 2023 During the artists’ reception on Friday, June 9, Amy Sikyta, TNPS executive director, presented the awards for this year’s The Human Form art exhibition. Debra Cleary, artist and art educator, served as the guest judge for this exhibition.
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.
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. 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.
This fun event occurs at John Dixon Park in Dixon (venue information is below) during the “Nuts About Art Show on July 1, 2023.
Have fun in Dixon Park, creating your festive red, white, and blue tie-dyed creation (see image below).
For kids ages 4 to 18
This creative and fun event is for children ages 4 to 18 years. Any child under 10 years must have adult supervision. The only thing participants need to bring is their pre-washed T-shirt. All other supplies are provided.*
* This program is partially funded by a grant from the United Way.
Cost
This class is only $3 per child. Pre-registration is required. No registrations will be accepted after June 27.
Pick the time that works for you!
This event has three timeslots that are approximately 1 hour each. Choose from 11 a.m., 12 p.m., or 1 p.m. Be sure to check the time you want on the registration form.
The Zentangle method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. These patterns are called tangles. You create tangles with combinations of dots, lines, simple curves, S-curves, and orbs. Join instructor Becky Hage as she instructs students on how to learn this wonderfully relaxing technique.
Ages
Participants need to be 13 and up.
What is Zentangle?
Zentangle is an American method for drawing, which not only promotes concentration and creativity but at the same time increases personal well-being. Zentangle was invented by a monk named Rick Roberts and an artist named Maria Thomas. With Zentangle they created a combination of meditation and art. This drawing method is suitable for beginners and passionate hobby artists.
What is so special about Zentangle? Zentangle – that means there are no given templates. No ready-made solutions. Instead, the zentangle patterns are set with caution. When drawing Zentangles, you can even easily create completely new patterns.
Valerie Butcher, Curator of the Corner Gallery in Sterling, Illinois, has over 20 years of experience in creating fused glass. Learn from her as you design your own trinket tray to cherish.
Students will learn the basics of creating their personal masterpieces. Valerie will fire the projects and return them to TNPS on June 28 for student pick-up.
Tuition is $30 for TNPS members and $35 for non-members.
Ages
Participants need to be 10 years old and up. An adult must accompany students under 13.
Class size
The minimum class size is four people.
Refunds
Refunds will only be given if the class size minimum number is not met or the participant cancels by June 8.
Nina Stachewicz is from Freeport and teaches art classes locally.
All supplies are included in this one-day class. Stachewicz provides instruction on oil painting techniques. Students will create an oil painting on an 8″ x 10″ canvas of a spring barn scene.
Ages
Participants need to be 12 years old and up.
Class size
The minimum class size is five people, with a maximum of 15 people.
Refunds
Refunds will only be given if the class size minimum number is not met or the participant cancels by May 9. After May 9, no refund will be given.
Meet the juror and demonstrator for this year’s IWS show
Beth Shadur of Highland Park, Illinois, is the 39th Illinois Watercolor Society National Show juror and demonstrator. The show runs April 28-May 28, 2023, at The Next Picture Show (TNPS) in Dixon, Illinois. Shadur is set to demonstrate her watercolor technique during the show’s opening reception on May 6, 1-4 p.m.
Shadur is an artist who has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad, including at the Art Institute of Chicago; the Drawing Center in New York City; the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY; the Butler Institute of Art in Youngstown, Ohio; and at the Colorado Springs Art Museum, Colorado Springs, CO.
Shadur has created over 150 large public murals as public, private and community art projects in both the United States and Great Britain. She was an Artist-in-Education for the Illinois Arts Council in Chicago, IL. She has taught and served as a visiting artist at many colleges and universities, including Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; Northeast Missouri State University, Kirksville, MO; and as a visiting artist and scholar at Paradise Valley Community College in Scottsdale, AZ.
Shadur’s work appears in many publications, books, and catalogs, including Twentieth Century Watercolors, Abbeville Press; The Special Unit, Barlinnie Prison, Its Evolution Through Art, Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, Scotland; Community Murals: The People’s Art, Associated University Press, NJ; and Art and Cartography, Art Institute of Chicago. Her mural work in Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow, Scotland is included in the archives of the Peoples Palace Museum in Glasgow.
An educator
Shadur has lectured widely on community arts in both the United States and abroad. She has curated numerous national exhibitions, including the ongoing ‘The Poetic Dialogue Project,’ which has traveled throughout the United States. Collaborative Vision: The Poetic Dialogue Project, featuring collaborative works by pairs of poets and artists, was exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center in January-April 2009, and will travel to various university galleries.
In 2006, Shadur presented at the International Conference on Arts in Society in Edinburgh, Scotland, and her Poetic Dialogue Project was published in the International Journal on Arts In Society. Shadur has been awarded numerous Ragdale Fellowships and is a Thomas Watson Fellow from Brown University; from 2004-6, she served as Executive Director of ARC Gallery, Chicago. She participated in the Cool Globes Public Art Project in Chicago in 2007, and in 2008, was Artist-in-Residence at the Burren College of Art in Ireland through a Governor’s Award for International Arts Exchange from the Illinois Arts Council.
In 2009, she participated in ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, MI. In 2013, Shadur was a fellow at the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta, Canada. In 2016, she was awarded a residency at the Harfnarborg Art Center in Harfnarjardur, Iceland. She is currently working on her National Park Project, partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, creating works that are traveling throughout the state of Illinois.
Since 2012, Shadur serves as the Gallery Director at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL. In 2016, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Illinois State Museum. In 2022, she was appointed to the Board of the National Watercolor Honor Society. Her work is owned in many private and public collections.
THE EXHIBIT RUNS FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 25, 2023 On Friday, Mar. 3, Amy Sikyta, TNPS executive director, presented the awards for this year’s Shades of Gray art exhibition during the artists’ reception. Jeff Paul Thompson, a professional sculptor, served as the guest judge for this exhibition.