|
NCI ARTworks is delighted to announce that we are the recipients of the prestigious Community Impact Award for 2024 from the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation Arts of Starved Rock Country Fund.
|
|
Upcoming Workshops, Exhibits & Art Adventures
On Friday, October 25, NCI ARTworks will host an opening reception for the NCI ARTworks Legacy artists from 6 to 8pm.
NCI ARTworks celebrates the art and passionate arts advocacy of current and former NCI ARTworks Board members, staff, and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to build community through the arts for the past 13 years. Artists whose work will be on display include: Mary Janusick, Emily Maze, Frank Kobilsek, Lorena Malm, Penny Boedigheimer, Francie Skoflanc, Paula Guttilla, and Julie Jenkins.
Frank Kobilsek served on the Board of NCI ARTworks for many years. He has a long history as a wood turner and carver, making bowls, platters, bottle openers, bottle stoppers, and inlaid charcuterie boards. His current body of work features 3D wall sculpture often inspired by jewelry. Where a jeweler might set a stone in a textured field of metal, Frank will inlay a colorful piece of wood or resin in a turned and carved field of wood. He is retired and exhibits at art shows throughout the Midwest.
Julie Jenkins was born and raised in rural Ottawa, Illinois, and is the co-founder North Central Illinois ARTworks. She studied art through high school, and then went on to IVCC for her A.A. in Art. Julie continued her education at SIU in Carbondale, where she received a B.S. in Art Education and later completed her M.A. in Art Education at Eastern Illinois University. Currently, she resides in Peru, Illinois, with her husband and teaches high school art at LaSalle-Peru Township High School. She is a member of the Illinois Art Education Association and has exhibited throughout the region. Her work is comprised of an ongoing study of culture, architecture and natural surroundings. In these pieces, she explores the use of watercolor, soft pastels, and mixed media. She bases her artwork on her photographs and experiences from her various travels. The current body of work is from her travels to Mexico, France, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Paula Guttilla’s passion for photography started when she received her first camera at the age of 10. She is a founding member and currently serves as treasurer of NCI ARTworks. Her photographs grace the walls of homes and businesses throughout the country and have been published in numerous books and magazines, including National Geographic and the Smithsonian Magazine. She has won many prestigious awards. Now retired and enjoying family time, she travels and photographs the inspiring nature that surrounds her wherever she goes.
Lorena Malm is a self-taught artist whose abstract work has been featured in prestigious art publications in the USA. While her main focus has been abstract work, she has expanded her artistic inventory by integrating digital art into her repertoire, creating a world of whimsical and pensive images. Malm creates images from her life experiences, memories, and sometimes from her dreams, embedding emotions into the art in order to create a connection with the viewer. Malm is currently the NCI ARTworks Gallery Operations Manager.
Emily Maze is a professional artist who lends a hand as a gallery assistant at NCI ARTworks when her busy schedule permits. She is a member of the Westclox Studio mural team that is responsible for major public art installations in the Illinois Valley, including the Mendota Union Depot mural, the Seneca “Find Your Connection” mural, and the Streator Heritage Park mural. She also works with acclaimed mosaic artist Susan Burton, teaches classes at NCI ARTworks, and has exhibited at various art shows in the region.
Francie Skoflanc is a graduate of Illinois State University with her BA in Art. She has been in the graphic design industry since 1976 and served as Graphic Design Technology Director at IVCC for many years. She is a founding member of NCI ARTworks and is currently the co-owner of a delightfully eclectic wine bar called Cat’sEye and its neighboring art collective and unique gift shop called A Mess of Things in Ottawa, Illinois. Skoflanc has been published and has won numerous awards.
Penny Boedigheimer is the Assistant Operations Manager at NCI ARTworks, whose work includes hard, dramatic pieces inspired by her former career as a law enforcement officer as well as softer, gentler pieces reflecting the nuanced reality of her formally trained artistic character and skill set. She received her formal fine arts training at Northern Illinois University and has exhibited in various galleries in the Midwest.
Mary Janusick is a founding member of NCI ARTworks. She is formally trained and currently offers art classes at The Paint Box Studio in the Westclox Building. Mary was instrumental in creating many important art events in the Illinois Valley, including the LaSalle Art Walk, the Trashion Show, and has been one of the key advocates for expanding access to all aspects of art through her volunteer work at the annual Mad Hatter Ball, which raises funds for operations and public arts installations throughout the Illinois Valley.
The NCI ARTworks Legacy Exhibition opening reception is free, and all are welcome. The exhibition will take place on October 25th from 6 to 8pm at the NCI ARTworks gallery in the west wing of the Westclox Building (400 5th Street, Peru).
Arts & Culture trips to Sicily: Spring & Fall
|
Join us for the arts & culture trips of a lifetime in Sicily--in June and October, 2025. Visit exquisite public and private historic landmarks, art galleries, wineries...enjoy a cooking class in a villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Eat great food. Drink great wine. Have fun at interesting places. PRICE: $5,250 per person, double occupancy Price Includes: * Airfare and Comfortable Ground Transportation from Peru to O’Hare & throughout Sicily * All accommodations * 8 meals * All entry fees to galleries and sites * Artisan workshop visits * The “Sabrina in Cucina” cooking class * The wine tasting experiences in Western Sicily |
|
NCI ARTworks Gallery Exhibit Publications
Layflat coffee table book showcasing local, regional, and national art related to substance use, personal trauma, and recovery. By partnering with The Perfectly Flawed Foundation, NCI ARTworks is able to share not only the evocative images resulting from the experiences of the artists, but also the local resources to combat and mitigate the trauma. Net proceeds after payment to artists for the work included in this collection will be donated to NCI ARTworks and The Perfectly Flawed Foundation. There are 2 book covers to choose from below; both books are identical inside. When making your purchase, please indicate which cover you prefer.
|
This full-color 11 x 14 lay flat hardcover coffee table book offers an overview of Father Joseph's life and art, from sketches to finished paintings and sculptures.
Fr. Joseph Heyd (1930-2013) was the chairman of the Art Department at St. Bede Academy. His work influenced and impacted generations of professional artists and art lovers from the Illinois Valley and beyond. BUY HIS BOOK HERE |
|
buy a delicious frozen Alfano's pizza to Support the Arts in the Illinois Valley. Place your order below.
BUY A DELICIOUS FROZEN ALFANO'S PIZZA TO SUPPORT THE ARTS IN THE ILLINOIS VALLEY. PLACE YOUR ORDER TODAY!
INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS FROZEN PIZZA FROM ALFANO'S IN OTTAWA. WE ARE SELLING THESE DELICIOUS PIZZAS AS A FUNDRAISER FOR THE NCI ARTWORKS GALLERY--AS A YUMMY WAY TO SUPPORT THE ARTS IN THE ILLINOIS VALLEY.
CHOOSE FROM THSE DELICIOUS SELECTIONS: WHITE GARLIC PIZZAS, SAUSAGE PIZZAS, PEPPERONI PIZZAS, AND MEAT LOVERS' PIZZAS. ALL ARE $16 BY CASH OR CHECK--$16.50 ONLINE (BANKING FEES).
CHECKS CAN BE MADE OUT AND MAILED TO NCI ARTWORKS (PO BOX 1251 LASALLE , IL 61301).
YOU CAN ALSO ORDER BY CALLING OR TEXTING 815-866-5167 WITH YOUR ORDER.
IF YOU WANT TO PAY BY CREDIT CARD THERE IS A 4% ADDITIONAL CHARGE, THUS THEY ARE $16.50 ONLINE WHILE THEY ARE $16.00 BY CASH OR CHECK. BUON APPETITO!
INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS FROZEN PIZZA FROM ALFANO'S IN OTTAWA. WE ARE SELLING THESE DELICIOUS PIZZAS AS A FUNDRAISER FOR THE NCI ARTWORKS GALLERY--AS A YUMMY WAY TO SUPPORT THE ARTS IN THE ILLINOIS VALLEY.
CHOOSE FROM THSE DELICIOUS SELECTIONS: WHITE GARLIC PIZZAS, SAUSAGE PIZZAS, PEPPERONI PIZZAS, AND MEAT LOVERS' PIZZAS. ALL ARE $16 BY CASH OR CHECK--$16.50 ONLINE (BANKING FEES).
CHECKS CAN BE MADE OUT AND MAILED TO NCI ARTWORKS (PO BOX 1251 LASALLE , IL 61301).
YOU CAN ALSO ORDER BY CALLING OR TEXTING 815-866-5167 WITH YOUR ORDER.
IF YOU WANT TO PAY BY CREDIT CARD THERE IS A 4% ADDITIONAL CHARGE, THUS THEY ARE $16.50 ONLINE WHILE THEY ARE $16.00 BY CASH OR CHECK. BUON APPETITO!
Arts-On-The-Go is back in business!
Providing extraordinary opportunities to experience American and foreign places, where people co-exist with artistic and cultural treasures. Join us!
Fundraising is better when people can get something extraordinarily beautiful and entertaining and interesting for their generosity, and one of the ways we achieve this objective is to partner with local travel agencies to offer artistic and cultural tours in the USA and abroad. Keep in touch for updates and details on upcoming trips in 2025.
|
We partnered with the extraordinarily talented and generous Jim West of Travel West and Craft Tours for our 2022 fundraising trip to the "Vie Dei Tesori" in Sicily. I can't thank him enough for his generosity and guidance.
|
We partnered with Colleen Dempsey Mitchell and Erin Foster of Travel Connections to do the NYC theater fundraising trip in 2022 and in 2024 that was escorted by the absolutely fabulous Don Grant Zellmer. I can't thank them enough for their guidance and generosity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All of our Opening Receptions are great successes. You can count on great food, wine, and art. We host these free events the 2nd Friday of every month. Check us out!
The Gallery of Greatness
Artists, Singers, Musicians, Muralists, Writers, Performers of all stripes use their skills and talents to make the Illinois Valley a place we can be proud to call home.
Artists, Singers, Musicians, Muralists, Writers, Performers of all stripes use their skills and talents to make the Illinois Valley a place we can be proud to call home.
|
|
|
|