"We Are Our Volunteers" is the current exhibit from the [Elmhurst Artists' Guild](https://www.elmhurstartistsguild.org/), which runs through March 28th. EAG Members who have volunteered in the last year entered their artwork which was voted on by the patrons of the opening reception with a People's Choice Ballot. 

Artists include:  Joe Abboreno, Paul Callahan, Benjamin Calvert, Katy Costello, John Duffy, Cherylyn Gnadt, David Hammer, Fletcher Hayes, Alan Johnson, Louie Jones, Joan Ladendorf, Kim Laurel, Lynn Mackenzie, John Nester, Janet Roller-Schmidt, Gary Schirmer, Terri Shimkus, Jennifer Starchvill, Ted Strandt, Karen Sugay, Debra Vaccaro, Ana Vitek, Marlene Vitek, Maryann Wattelle & Jeanne Yargicoglu

[Learn more](https://www.elmhurstartistsguild.org/)

We Are Our Volunteers

__Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth__ is a group exhibition exploring human connection to the land and the many ways the earth sustains us. Participating artists Barbara Ciurej + Lindsay Lochman, Chunbo Zhang, Lydia Cheshewalla, Claire Pentecost, and Tomiko Jones work in a variety of methodologies addressing human relationships to the land, exploring a broad spectrum of themes including nutrition, cultural relationship to food, scientific investigation, spirit, history, and the future. Humor and creativity are woven throughout, guiding viewers through a rich tapestry of ideas about how we interact with the earth.

Curated by Liz Chilsen.

Image: Installation view of the exhibition *Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth, 2025. Photography by Siegfred Mueller. 

Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth

__*Landscape Photographs by Joe Jachna and Michael Tropea*__, a two-person exhibition in Mies van der Rohe’s [McCormick House](https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/architecture), presents remarkable black and white photographs by the Chicago photographers. Images by Joe Jachna (b,1935) redefine the landscape in abstract compositions often incorporating light and reflection, which impart a mysterious otherworldly sense. Michael Tropea (b. 1950) focuses on industrial and pastoral views and transforms everyday settings into intricate visual narratives using a Kodak Panorama #1 camera manufactured at the turn of the 20th Century. The twenty-three photographs featured in the exhibition are selected from a gift to the Museum’s permanent collection by the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation.

Curated by Liz Chilsen.

Image credit:  Michael Tropea, *Railroad Yard, Chicago*. From Landscape Portfolio, 1979-1981. 

Landscape Photographs by Joe Jachna and Michael Tropea

The Elmhurst Artists' Guild current exhibit, Joyful Notions, runs from Jan. 25th
to Feb. 21st. Guest judge Marie Gnesda will present the awards at the Opening Reception on Jan. 31st. 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Refreshments and appetizers will be served. Free and open to the public.

Image: Jeanne Yargicoglu, *Some Lines Are Blurred*, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 25 x 40 inches

Elmhurst Artists' Guild Members' Show: Joyful Notions

Exhibition: December 1st to January 5th, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, December 6th, 7-9 pm   

Featured Artist: Jennifer Starchvill

Jennifer Starchvill is a former graphic designer, admirer of typography & crisp, clean lines, deeply inspired by our ancestral creators of petroglyphs found globally on cave walls and canyon floors. A child of the 70’s she is also quite drawn to the hip, cool, modern aesthetics of the mid 20th century & has been deeply influenced by her childhood television favorites: The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Sesame Street & The Electric Company. 

Her work is being highlighted under the banner of EVERCONNECTED this December at the Elmhurst Artists' Guild's feature wall during this year's Winter Members' Show. This show within a show celebrates how a simple act of connecting one shape to another forms unique icons (glyphs) that tell brief, fun stories or invite insightful commentary on modern ideas with themes from nature and family to technology and maybe even politics. 

Image:  Jennifer Starchvill, *Mandala on Purple*, 24"x 24", acrylic painting on canvas, 2024.

Elmhurst Artists' Guild Winter Members' Show

The Elmhurst Artists' Guild celebrates their Fall Members' Show with a theme of Day of the Dead.   

Forty-eight Guild members are participating in the show.  Several of the exhibition artists received awards:

Best of Theme: Ted Strahdt, *Sleep*

Awards of Excellence:    
Ken Reif, *Perpetually Surprised Barn*   
Donna Castellanos, *Give a Dog a Bone*   
John Duffy, *The Good, The Bad, &amp; The Dead*

Honorable Mention:   
Fletcher Hayes, *Hopefully I’m Evolving*   
Deb Vaccaro, *Queen Catrina*   
Diana Gondek, *Maria*__

Artwork this page: Deb Vaccaro, *Queen Catrina*


Elmhurst Artists' Guild Fall Members Show


__*Magic & Imaginary Realms*__ presents selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum’s Collection with works by artists who share uniquely inventive perceptions of the world around us - or who invent worlds we are invited to inhabit.   

This peek into the collection draws inspiration from the whimsical worlds of __*The Neighborhood of Make-Believe*__ and __*Someplace Else*__, created by Fred Rogers and continued into today's PBS KIDS show __*Donkey Hodie*__, which were showcased in the Museum's galleries this past summer.

Here, we present visions of the strange and magical by artists working in a variety of media and representing a broad range of dates and approaches. Included are the completely made-up beings in works by __Peter Max__ and __Sonia Delaunay__, strange and mystical interior spaces created by __Nicholas Sistler__ and __Phillip Hansen__, oddly revealing juxtapositions framed by photographer __Caroline Allison__, or the bizarre collision of worlds experienced by __Rebecca Keller__ whilst standing at a photocopy machine, presented to us on a shoe.

The selection of artworks presented here is indicative of the range and depth of the EAM Collection which includes works by local and regional artists together with those of international acclaim.

Artists:

Caroline Allison, Tarrant Clements, Sonia Delaunay, Philip Hansen, Sophia Harmon, Nancy Josephson, Rebecca Keller, Richard Koppe, Aleš Lamr, Miles Lowry, Peter Max, Hollis Sigler, Nicholas Sistler, Buzz Spector, Junsuke Watarai 

Curated by Liz Chilsen

__Artwork Image Above:__

Peter Max   
American, b. 1937   
__Universal Runner__, 1970   
Color Serigraph   
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Ronald H. Stefani, Jr.   
2010.02

Magic & Imaginary Realms:  Selections From the Elmhurst Art Museum Collection

Magic & Imaginary Realms: Selections From the Elmhurst Art Museum Collection

*CROSSINGS* traverses the Museum’s campus and features several dynamic vehicle sculptures by Bernard Williams in Wilder Park, Hostetler Gallery and large paintings in the McCormick House. Through the artworks on view, the artist addresses the concept of mobility as both the physical movement forward and the human aspiration to rise to better circumstances.

The Chicago-based artist has been making public murals and sculptures for over thirty years. Bold thick lines and generalized, flat shapes common in graphic illustration define his unique and playful sculptural style. Williams often researches and highlights little known or forgotten narratives in history to make his sculptures, paintings and murals, which offer new perspectives on the engineering innovations of the past and how they impact contemporary culture. The works are also a tribute to Black achievement in transportation and agriculture throughout American history. Pilot Bessie Coleman, NASCAR driver Wendell Scott, and the recent Black Farmers’ Settlement are some of the histories being honored in this exhibition. For Elmhurst, Williams also recognizes the lifetime achievements of the local NASCAR winner, Fred Lorenzen (1934-2024). 

*CROSSINGS* runs concurrently with the exhibition *Legacies: New Views of the Elmhurst Art Collection*, which features Williams’ small sculptures from the collection of Cleve Carney, along with dozens of other artists in the Museum’s collection. 

Curated by Allison Peters Quinn.

CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams is generously supported by:
![Bill Wangler & Company](//images.ctfassets.net/df2y673eghyz/QIVADVIlpZE2meBJao72U/5cf05d1f9bba912a3186638a27fa43d8/Wangler_small_logo.jpg)

Image: Bernard Williams, Route 27, painted plywood, aluminum, 6 x 6 x 20 feet. Photography by Michelle W.C. Anderson

CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams

Over time, the Museum has acquired a unique assortment of paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings with a concentration of late 20th Century American Art and Mid-Century Design. The exhibition delves into the connections between the artworks and the people who once owned them to present __*Legacies*__. Much of EAM’s collection is the result of personal relationships between artist, artwork, collector, and Museum. This exhibition draws these relationships into focus, inviting visitors to understand the artwork not just as an isolated piece, but as part of a larger, ongoing narrative that includes culture, history, and personal legacy.

Small installations presented across the galleries will feature a colorful array of artworks from the EAM collection while addressing the nature of collecting. How do collectors choose the works they put in their collection? Visitors can gain insight into what might have drawn certain collectors to types of works or specific artists.

Image credit: Liz Chilsen

Exhibitions