More than thirty pieces by members of the Nature Artist’s Guild will be exhibited at the Downers Grove Public Library throughout January 2023.
Everyone is invited to stop in and enjoy the exhibit during regular library hours.
On Thursday, January 19, 2023, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet in the Cudahy Room of the Administration and Research Center of The Morton Arboretum from 9:30 am until 12:30 pm to study and draw specimens from the Arboretum’s Herbarium.
A Closer Look at the 100-Year-Old Arboretum Herbarium gives the fascinating history of the collection of plant specimens (now numbering in hundreds of thousands) established by Joy Morton in 1922. “Notable samples include dried plants from William Edward Parry’s Arctic expeditions of the 1820s, a hybrid buckeye grown from seed collected by George Washington, and a fern collected by Ernest Hemingway’s father in 1891.”
The paint-out is limited to twelve participants. Interested Nature Artists’ Guild members can reserve a spot by contacting Celia Rodee by email or by completing this form.
Many thanks to Celia Rodee for coordinating this year’s exchange of handmade holiday cards and to all the participating members for sharing their time and talents.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to co-sponsor an upcoming workshop with The Morton Arboretum by renowned botanical artist Heeyoung Kim. The workshop is open to all, but members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive a 10 percent discount by enrolling by phone and confirming their membership. (If enrollment in the workshop is being given as a gift, the discount is available if the attendee is a current member of the Nature Artists’ Guild.)
Botanical Watercolor: A Strategic Approach and Fundamental Techniques is for intermediate and advanced artists with some experience using watercolor and will take place in person at The Morton Arboretum in March 2023.
Programs, paint-outs, exhibits, workshops, gatherings, and issues of the Quarterly are already being planned for the new year and it’s easy to join or renew for 2023 by mail or online.
The subtle tones of winter return as the Nature Artists’ Guild prepares for 2023. After celebrating the many moods of the prairie last autumn, members of the guild can now look forward to studying the nuances of local and exotic plants in various phases during the upcoming months.
Dates, times, and other details for these and other upcoming events will be shared with members by email and on this website as they become available.
Downers Grove Public Library will host an exhibit of works by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum throughout January 2023. The library has a long tradition of proudly collecting and exhibiting the work of a wide variety of artists, from local to international, within two dedicated gallery spaces. The Nature Artists’ Guild is honored to participate each January.
Links to the prospectus and a library disclaimer were emailed to members on November 21, 2022. All artwork must have been included in a previous Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit and members will need to have renewed their guild membership for 2023 in order to participate. Completed forms must be returned by mail to Gary Chipman, postmarked by Saturday, December 10, 2022 and the artwork drop-off will be on the following Saturday, December 17.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to experience this wonder along with the joys of sharing food and laughter with friends and fellow artists at the annual Holiday Party tonight, December 1, 2022.
Festivities begin at 6 pm in the Founder’s Room (originally the library of the country estate of Joy Morton) at the lovely and historic Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
All the details were emailed to members on November 26. No RSVP is necessary and each member is invited to bring a guest.
No need to snatch peanuts, hop around, or chatter away (although it might be fun!) – there is another way to join these endearing little birds in spreading cheer during the cold, short days of winter.
2022 is the third year for the newest tradition for the Nature Artists’ Guild, the exchange of handmade cards at the end of the year to share and celebrate the wonders of nature and spread some cheer.
Interested Nature Artists’ Guild members can sign up with Celia Rodee (by email or by clicking here) by Sunday, December 4, 2022. Celia will randomly match each name with a recipient and email the recipient’s name and address to the sender on Monday, December 5. Every member who sends a card will receive one from another randomly-selected member.
A blank multi-media card and envelope will be available to pick up at the Nature Artists’ Guild’s holiday party at the Thornhill Education Center on December 1 for each participant, but any mail-able art surface is acceptable to use.
Cards should be mailed by Thursday, December 15, 2022. Before mailing out their handmade cards, participants are encouraged to take a photo to share on this website (email to Denise Fisk) to spread the cheer even further. The images won’t be shared on the website until after all cards have been received in the mail – no spoilers here!
