May and June bring all kinds of good things to Chicagoland! The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum has plans to celebrate with a field trip, preparations for an exhibit, a program featuring three members sharing their talents, a garden paint-out, and weekly Coffee and Art gatherings.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild and guests will receive information this week about an outing to the great city of Chicago to visit two museums currently exhibiting nature art. Participants will visit the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art for Lichen and Coral, a two-person exhibit featuring work by Guild member Sandra Wilcoxon, and Driehaus Museum for an exhibit of work by Rory McEwen, a “20th century botanical master.” Plans for lunch at a nearby cafe will also be shared. Members are welcome to bring guests, and can register here.
In late May, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive an email with all the details about, and a link to register for, an exhibit at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, IL. The newly renovated center includes a well-lit area on the second floor of the award-winning building, ideal for exhibiting artwork. Guild members’ artwork will be displayed from July 5 to August 30, 2025.
On Thursday, June 5, 2025, beginning at 7 pm, three members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will share their inspirations, insights, tools, and techniques at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. The program will be open to all, free of charge, and admission fees to the Arboretum will be waived for the event. More details soon. Note – The Guild urgently needs a volunteer to supply snacks for this meeting (costs reimbursed by the Guild). Any member who can help should email Terrie McComb or use this contact form.
June’s paint-out will be at a private garden blooming with glorious color. Details for the paint-out are being worked out, and Guild members will be the first to know when they are available.
Coffee and Art gatherings continue to meet each Wednesday morning (weather permitting) after 9. Guild members, their guests, or any other interested artists are invited to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. No registration is required (regular gate fees will apply). The Arboretum will be filled with inspiration from which Guild members may choose to begin their “Flora” artwork!
The forecast is for a cool morning with plenty of warm sunshine for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s paint-out at Lilacia Park in Lombard, IL, this Thursday.
Artists will meet at Lilacia Park on May 8, 2025 at 9:30 am to grab a coffee and one (or two?) of Celia’s homemade muffins before finding their inspiration throughout the park’s more than 7 acres.
700 lilacs, 35,000 tulips, coffee, and Celia’s homemade muffins will welcome artists arriving at the Nature Artists’ Guild’s paint-out at Lilacia Park on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 9:30 am.
In addition to the scents and scenery, Lombard’s annual Lilac Time festival honors and celebrates the park’s long and fascinating history featuring Col. William Plum and his wife, Helen Maria Williams Plum, Joy Morton, and renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen.
Quarterly cover art (left to right) by Karen Romani, Ann Lamoureux, Jean Black, and Mary Ann Jimenez.
The Nature Artists’ Quarterly is a publication consisting of artwork, articles, and announcements by and for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.
Guild members are invited to submit their artwork and articles for the 2025 summer edition of the Quarterlyby May 1 for possible inclusion (an email address and details for contributions were recently emailed to all members).
Nature Artists’ Guild members can look forward to receiving their copy of the summer Quarterly by mail in the beginning of June.
It’s time for Nature Artists’ Guild members to get started on this year’s small works project honoring The Morton Arboretum!
This year’s theme for our members’ 8 x 8 inch works, to be displayed alongside the Guild’s 2025 Autumn Exhibit at the Arboretum in November, is “Flora.”
Merriam-Webster defines “flora” as the “plant, bacteria, or fungal life . . . characteristic of a region, period, or special environment.” The special environment in this case will be The Morton Arboretum, so the available material for inspiration will be varied and plentiful!
The Arboretum is currently bursting with flora, from flowering trees and shrubs to native wildflowers and blooming bulbs, providing a perfect opportunity to do some sketching, plein air painting, or even photographing for future study.
Guild members can participate by creating up to three works, completed at or inspired by The Morton Arboretum.
Artwork must be exactly 8 by 8 inches and less than 1/2 inch in depth, unframed, and can be in almost any medium.
There will be no exhibit fee or volunteer requirement.
This special display is separate from, but will be exhibited during and alongside, the Guild’s 2025 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum.
The Nature Artists’ Guild’s Daffodil Glade paint-out at The Morton Arboretum is just a few days away! Who knows what the weather will bring, but two things are for certain—the daffodils will be in full bloom, and Celia’s homemade muffins will be delicious.
The paint-out will begin at 9:30 am on April 17 as participants meet at the Fragrance Garden entrance,near the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum, to grab a cup of hot coffee and a homemade muffin before heading out to find a scenic spot among the daffodils. Registration is recommended to receive more details and possible updates about rescheduling due to inclement weather. Non-members are also invited to stop by (Arboretum gate fees will apply).
The Daffodil Glade paint-out will also be a great opportunity for members to begin working on the Guild’s annual project honoring The Morton Arboretum. This year’s theme will be “Flora.” Each artist can create up to three 8 x 8 inch works, completed at or inspired by the Arboretum, to be included in a special display at the annual Autumn Exhibit. More details to come soon!
Blackburnian Warbler, copyright Vicki Liszewski, Featured Artist of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum. Click on image for a sample of exhibit artwork.
The Nature Artists’ Guild would like to congratulate and thank all those involved in the success of the 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum!
Visitors to The Morton Arboretum were able to enjoy more than 200 lovely works of art created by 65 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild last weekend, thanks to Exhibit Co-Chairs Alice Wych and Lisa Kanellos, Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski, and all the artists, volunteers, demonstrators, and Arboretum staff who put their time, effort, and talents into making the exhibit a success.
Woods Garden and Peter’s Pond, copyright Ann Lamoureux
(Exhibit artists who haven’t already done so can send up to two images of their exhibited work to Denise Fisk this week to have them added to the online display.)
Exhibit artwork by Spring 2025 Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.
The Nature Artists’ Guild’s Spring 2025 Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum opens this Friday, April 4, 2025.
The exhibit will include more than 200 works of nature art in a wide variety of media, created by 65 members of the Guild, and will be free to attend for all Arboretum visitors (regular Arboretum gate fees will apply).
The reception on Friday evening from 4:30 until 7 pm will be open to the public, completely free of charge. Admission to The Morton Arboretum will be waived for the reception, and as always, there will be no charge for parking. No registration is required, and attendees can let the Arboretum gate attendant know they are there for the reception to be directed to parking for the event.
The exhibit will be held in the Cudahy Room and reception area adjacent to the Sterling Morton Library, in the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum, a short stroll from the Visitor Center.
Visitors to the Nature Artists’ Guild’s Spring 2025 Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum will have the opportunity to interact with talented artists as they share thoughts about their inspirations and demonstrate their methods and materials.
The exhibit will showcase more than 200 works by 65 members of the Guild, including many by Featured Artist, Vicki Liszewski. Exhibit admission will be free of charge for all visitors to The Morton Arboretum (Arboretum admission fees will still be required, except for the Friday evening reception). No registration is required.
Detail of wool and silk fiber art, copyright Sharon Malec
Detail of African Elephant, copyright Carrie Carlson
Detail of Poppy Pods, charcoal, copyright Terrie McComb
Detail of Househunting, colored pencil, copyright Linda Hilderbrant
Detail of Scratch That, acrylic, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
Detail of Prairie Drought, pen and ink, copyright Todd Serrano
Pretty in pink, copyright Lisa Kanellos. Click on the image for a sample of exhibit artwork images.
The 2025 Spring Exhibit by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild opens at The Morton Arboretum on Friday, April 4, and continues through Sunday, April 6. This exhibit of more than 200 works of art by 65 members of the Guild will be open to Arboretum visitors between 10 and 4 each day.
A reception is planned for Friday evening from 4:30 until 7, and is open to all. Reception attendees will have free admission to the Arboretum on that evening, and there will be no charge for parking or admission to the exhibit. Registration is not required.
Please click on poster for an exhibit artwork sample preview.
Poster artwork by Featured Artist, Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.
