Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have so much to do this Autumn! Here is a quick reminder about some upcoming events and deadlines –
On Wednesday, October 2, members of the Guild will meet at the gardens of Cantigny Park for the last paint-out of the season from 9:30 until noon. Registration is recommended, but drop-ins are also welcome.
All are invited to the October 3, 2024 presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild at The Morton Arboretum from 7 until 9 pm. Artist Don Widmer will be sharing some of his techniques for creating textural art using paper pulp. There will be no charge to attend this presentation.
Guild members who would like to contribute to the gift baskets to be raffled at the upcoming 2024 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum can drop off items at the October 3 meeting. An email was recently sent to members with all the details.
Posters and postcards for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2024 Autumn Exhibit will be available at the October 3rd meeting for members and guests to pick up to share with friends, family, and local businesses.
Nature Artists’ Guild members who are interested in learning more about next year’s open volunteer positions can speak with current volunteers at the October 3rd meeting after the presentation is over (the attendant at the welcome table can steer members to the appropriate person to answer their questions).
The final day for Guild members to register online or by mail for the special exhibit “Trees” will also be October 7, 2024.
Also coming soon – artwork by the 2024 Autumn Exhibit Featured Artist, Dale Olsen, as well as many more of the exhibitors. Details for contributing images will be emailed to all exhibiting artists soon.
2024 Nature Artists’ Guild’s Autumn Exhibit Poster. Poster artwork by Dale Olsen, poster design by Jane Kellenberger. Copies of the exhibit poster and postcard will be available at the October 3 meeting of the Nature Artists’ Guild at the Thornhill Education Center.
What a busy season for the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum!
The Guild paint-out at the lovely gardens of Cantigny Park will be the last of the year. Members can register in advance to be placed on an email list for updates, or just drop-in on the morning of October 2, 2024 after 9:30. More about this paint-out coming soon.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that the speaker for the October 3, 2024 meeting will be paper artist Don Widmer. The meeting will be open to all, free of charge, at 7 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. More to come about Don and his work.
Guild members and guests are always welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum (near the cafe) to chat, sketch, or just enjoy a quiet morning with fellow artists any Wednesday between 9 and 11 at a Coffee and Art gathering.
Finally, the Nature Artists’ Guild is looking for a few volunteers for positions opening soon. The Social Committeewill need a new chairperson for next year, as well as assistance this year in planning and managing the annual holiday party. The Outside Exhibits Committee will also need two new co-chairpersons, who would begin late this year by helping to plan the January 2025 exhibit at the Downers Grove Library, and continue throughout next year. Volunteers for either position will work alongside current committee members until comfortable working independently.For more information, click on the links above for position descriptions or click here to have a board member contact you.
Autumn, Sterling Pond, copyright Dale Olsen. Dale will be the Featured Artist for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2024 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum.
Today’s beginning of meteorological autumn brings more than just a new tongue-twisting term for the Nature Artists’ Guild. It also brings opportunities for creating, exhibiting, and sharing artwork that celebrates the season. Here are a few coming up –
The prospectus for the 2024 Autumn Exhibit of Nature Art at The Morton Arboretum will be emailed to all Guild members within the next few days. (There is still time to join the Nature Artists’ Guild and receive a prospectus!) Much more about the exhibit coming soon.
The Autumn Quarterly, featuring artwork, photos, and news about and by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be arriving in members’ mailboxes soon, just in time to enjoy along with a favorite beverage and some wonderful weather.
The final paint-outs of the year are in September and October. A paint-out at the Grand Garden of The Morton Arboretum is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, September 5, 2024. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to drop by and even bring a friend or two to this paint-out (applicable Arboretum entrance fees will apply). Registration is recommended, but not required. (October’s paint-out will take place at the always-lovely gardens of Cantigny Park – more details in coming weeks.)
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who would like to share articles or images of their autumn-inspired artwork in the members-only publication, the Quarterly, should forward them to Jane Kellenberger by August 1, 2024. Guild members recently received an email with details and an email address for submitting.
Nature Artists’ Guild members are reminded that the theme of theGuild’s annual tribute to The Morton Arboretum (8 x 8-inch works of art inspired by their collections) is “Trees” for 2024. This special display will be exhibited during the Guild’s annual Autumn Exhibit at the Arboretum in November. More information here.
The 90-minute workshop, led by Guild member Sandra Wilcoxon, will be open to all, but attendance will be limited to fifteen participants (more details and registration form here). All supplies will be provided. The workshop will be held at the Aurora Public Art gallery on July 13, 2024 (the final day of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s exhibit) from 2 to 3:30 pm.
Reminder to exhibitors – Artwork pick-up will be on July 13 from 4 to 5:30 pm at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery.
In 2024, the third year of these projects honoring The Morton Arboretum, the theme is simply and fittingly,“Trees”. Entire forests, individual specimens, leaves, branches, roots, berries, buds, bark, birds, or bugs are all suitable subjects.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to create up to three works of art in almost any medium to be exhibited in the lobby of the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum during the same hours of the Guild’s 2024 Autumn Exhibit in November.
Artwork must be inspired by or created at The Morton Arboretum and follow basic Guild exhibition guidelines for subject matter and the “Trees” theme. (The listed matting, framing, and size guidelines should be disregarded for this special exhibit).
Artwork must not be framed in order to fit into the display. The final size of each piece must be exactly 8 by 8 inches and less than one half inch deep.
There will be no fee or volunteering requirement to participate. A simple registration will be requested before the exhibit, and drop-off and pick-up hours will be the same as those for the Autumn Exhibit.
This project is otherwise separate from and will not affect or depend on participation in the Autumn exhibit. (Details about the 2024 Autumn Exhibit will be shared in upcoming months.)
Garden of Anne and Charles Bouchard, Glen Ellyn, IL. Photo credit Anne and Charles Bouchard.
Update: Paint-out has been canceled due to cicada activity.
The Bouchards of Glen Ellyn have invited members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to attend a paint-out and enjoy a buffet at their home on Sunday, June 23, 2024 from noon until 3 in conjunction with a garden party reception for volunteers of the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center.
This plein-air opportunity isavailable to thefirst 12 Guild members who register, and the Bouchard’s spacious and lovely gardens, originally designed by landscape architect and artist Anthony Tyznik, will be in full bloom.
Just added – An opportunity for members to create and exhibit up to three 8 x 8 inch works of art in a special display during the Guild’s annual Autumn exhibit in November. These two-dimensional works must be inspired by or created at The Morton Arboretum, and the 2024 theme will be, fittingly, “Trees”. This display of art celebrating trees or their parts or inhabitants will be in addition to the regular autumn exhibit and no entry fee or framing will be required for participating artists. More about this opportunity coming soon!
Background artwork by Nicki Metz, Beth Berry, Laurie Peters, Patty Koenigsaecker, Vicki Liszewski. Click on image for original postcard.
A special exhibit featuring works by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum opens this Friday at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery in Aurora, IL.
The opening of Art Inspired by Earth on the evening of Friday, June 7, 2024 at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery will include a reception with refreshments and live music, and coincides with the city’s popular First Friday event. All are welcome to drop by!
Everyone is also invited to the Nature Artists’ Guild’s June presentation on Thursday, June 6 from 7 to 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. Three members of the Guild will demonstrate the creation of art inspired by nature using media and techniques both old and new. Light refreshments and plenty of seating will be available for this free event.
More than just cicadas are coming to Chicagoland over the next few weeks. For members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, June also marks the arrival of –
One of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s most popular annual programs, featuring short demonstrations and discussions by three talented members, at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on the evening of Thursday, June 6, 2024 (open to all, free of charge). This year’s artists will share tools, tips, and techniques for creating botanical art using pen and ink, drawing with silverpoint, and using glazes when painting in oil or acrylic. Details to come soon.
An exciting new special exhibit at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery. Participating Guild artists are dropping off their work this weekend, and in less than two weeks, the exhibit opens. Aurora’s First Friday event on June 7, 2024 will include a reception at the gallery for the Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit (open to all) with light refreshments and live music.
A paint-out, tentatively planned for late June at the lovely private garden of one of the Guild’s members. The date of the paint-out will be determined in June, and will depend on weather and possible cicada activity.
Postcards for the 2024 Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit at the Aurora Public Art Commission Gallery are readyfor sharing with friends and family!
Copies can be obtained from the attendant at the front desk of the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum (the same building that includes the Cudahy Room and Sterling Morton Library) beginning on May 7. The postcards will also be available in Aurora by arrangement with Cheryl Holz.
All members and friends of the Guild are encouraged to share copies of the exhibit postcard either digitally or by mailing to friends or dropping off at local businesses.
The postcards for Art Inspired by Earth were designed by Special Exhibits Co-Chair Cheryl Holz, and feature artwork by some of the exhibiting Guild members, Nicki Metz, Beth Berry, Laurie Peters, Patty Koenigsaecker, and Vicki Liszewski.
Nature Artists' Guild 
