December Newsletter
Northern Cardinal, photograph by Barbara Baird
Dear Friends of the Arts,
My heart is full. 
 
Donations, large and small, started to come into the Center even before we mailed out our annual appeal requests. It is so reinforcing to know how many others share our vision for the arts in the Driftless Area. Thank you, thank you, thank you to every one of you who has encouraged and inspired us in this project; to everyone who has shared ideas and expertise, or donated time or energy or cash. You are the treasures of the Holiday season.

This extended community of art-lovers and artists, who reach out to help others and make the world a better place through art, exemplify the real meaning of the holidays.
Wishing you meaningful and rewarding holidays, filled with love.

Carole
Galena Center for the Arts
Non-Profit of the Year
Galena Area Chamber of Commerce
What a wonderful honor to be chosen as the Non-Profit of the Year by the Galena Area Chamber of Commerce! We are so lucky to live in a beautiful area with such an amazing community of friends and supporters. Thanks to everyone, including our hardworking staff and many artists and volunteers!
Barb Hocker, Carole Sullivan, and Angela DeVere
Photo compliments of the Galena Gazette

Become a Member
Did you know you can become a member online?
Click HERE for information about our membership program.
Progress Report for October
We no longer have “see-through” walls at the new Center. With few exceptions, the drywall has been installed, and the drywall finishers from Weckerly Drywall in Monroe, Wisconsin, are now hard at work. We had a local finisher who planned to do the work, but he had an accident at another site and is off for a while. Weckerly came to our rescue, and we are very grateful. I’m glad they are the ones balancing on the stilts!
Drywall finisher Rich Manring working on the performance space walls
Photo by Jan Lavacek
We have found a number of large framed mirrors for our restroom wall. Now we need to fill in with smaller framed mirrors. If you have one you don’t need, give us a call! (779) 214-0261
SPECIAL THANKS
We were honored and delighted when Faye Wrubel asked to name one of our new upstairs artist studios in memory of Jo Mead, who was so instrumental in attracting artists to Galena, starting in the 1960s. Thank you, Faye, for your donation, and for keeping Jo’s memory alive.
Board President Matt Blaum accepting the check from Faye Wrubel,
in front of a portrait of Jo Mead
Virtual Exhibit
grat·i·tude
Eighteen regional artists have contributed to this virtual exhibit of gratitude. Click here or on the image below to view. They have showed us things and people they are grateful for and representations of gratitude itself. Art inspires us to think beyond ourselves. What are you grateful for?

We are grateful for all the artists who continue to work through these trying times, and look forward to a real, physical gallery in the new year. 

Many of the artworks are for sale. If you are interested in adding a piece to your collection, let us know, and we will connect you with the artist. Contact Patricia, gallery manager.
Robert Rivoire has again collected beautiful photos of the many things he is grateful for in this YouTube presentation "gratitude."

Sit back and enjoy this amazing montage.
And enjoy all of our past virtual books at:
Call for Art
Great Expectations
A new virtual exhibit, debuting in January, will embody our hopes and dreams for the new year, a new gallery, a new chapter to our lives, new seasons, new relationships, new hope, new….you fill in the blank. Charles Dickens’ book by this title, published in the 1860s, was written around the themes of wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and the eventual triumph of good over evil.

Please consider contributing to this exhibit with your artwork, in any medium, including poetry or written word, and tell us a little bit about your Great Expectations, and why you chose the subject of your artwork. 

Email Patricia, the Gallery Manager, by clicking on this link, for details on how to submit your work. The deadline for submissions is December 29.
Getting to Know You, watercolor by James Lehnhardt
View from the Studio
With the physical gallery still shuttered, and construction in our new site, we thought you might want to see what our regional artists are up to.
Karen Wilson
Karen Wilson is a needlework designer and embroiderer. She began her craft in her youth. After retiring as a university manager from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business ten years ago, she completed a Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework in Surrey, United Kingdom. She is now skilled in various types of traditional and contemporary needlework.
Karen enjoys working at home and creating her original designs for her business, appropriately named Paints With Thread Studio.
Feeding the Arts
We have always been known for tasty food at our gallery opening receptions, Songwriters Showcase and theatrical events. Now you can purchase a cookbook for many of these great recipes at:

** Aldrich House 900 3rd Street (815-777-3323)
** Galena Book & Paper 306 S. Main Street (815-281-9404)
** The Grateful Gourmet, 204 N. Main St. (815-777-1922)
** Tammy’s Piggly Wiggly 997 Galena Square Drive (815-777-1111)

All in Galena.

We have also featured many of the artists who exhibit in the galleries, with full color covers and divider pages, and line drawings incorporated with the recipes. It makes a perfect gift for yourself, or friends and family who enjoy the art of cooking. Delicious recipes for appetizers, sweets, soups, and beverages are contributed by our community of artists and art enthusiasts.
"Cooking Season” is upon us! and they make great holiday gifts for your friends and family to sample a taste of Galena Center for the Arts. 
Stop & Shop at Poopsie's
Finish your holiday shopping and help Galena Center for the Arts! Shop Poopsie's Dec 6 - Dec 12th, mention Galena Center for the Arts and we get 20% donated back to us. We'd love your support! Happy Shopping!
Corporate Spotlight for December
Paul Chase Graphic Guitars
We are very appreciative of the many businesses that have become Corporate Members of the Center, and will be featuring them monthly in our newsletter as a way of letting everyone know the many ways they reach out to help their community.
Paul Chase Graphic Guitars was one of the Galena Center for the Arts’ first corporate members in 2016. Paul, who is a creative, multi-talented artist, spent his career teaching art and graphic arts at the high school and college level, and, in retirement, his artwork has graced the galleries of the Center many times. Paul’s art and artistic exploration personify the mission of the Galena Center for the Arts to elevate and celebrate the arts. We are grateful to have his continued corporate support.
Coming Event
Broad Ideas is back!
The Broads are making plans, and would like you to consider submitting artwork for the March 2022 exhibit.

Check out the
submission guidelines here:
THANK YOU, Poopsie’s,
for donating to Broad Ideas in your
November Stop & Shop event!
Photo by Jan Lavacek
THANK YOU!
  • Julie AuWerter
  • Barbara Baird
  • Beth Baranski
  • Jim Baranski
  • Jimmy Berg
  • Christina Calderon
  • John Cox
  • Angela DeVere
  • Cathy Dorwick
  • Janet Eggleston
  • Elkay Manufacturing Company
  • Cathie Elsbree
  • Charles Fach
  • Galena Chamber of Commerce
  • Mary Hartman
  • Illinois Bank & Trust
  • Terri Jackman
  • Julie Johnson
  • Amanda Kevern
  • Mary Jo Losey
  • Lord of Love Lutheran Church
  • Joe Mattingley
  • Deb, Paul and Geoffrey Mikol
  • Josh and Jennifer Montgomery
  • Montgomery-Timmerman Construction
  • Poopsie’s
  • Andy Robson
  • Sarah Roodhouse
  • Nisha Shah
  • Liz Snavely
  • Brittani Stephenson
  • Alana Turner
  • Dennis Waltman
  • Leslie Waltman
  • Dustin Weckerly
  • Faye Wrubel
WISH LIST
From the staff at the Center
We wish you Happy Holidays!
l-r Jan Lavacek, Elizabeth Boggess, Patricia Lehnhardt,
Carole Sullivan, Karen Wilson
Subscribe on YouTube for Notification of This and All New
Galena Center for the Arts Video Releases

Click on this link, scroll down to the Center's logo, move your cursor
to the right and click on SUBSCRIBE. To receive notification of new videos, click on the bell icon next to SUBSCRIBED, then click on ALL.
Support us with AmazonSmile Foundation Donations
We invite you to show your support for the Center when shopping on Amazon. We are now established as a charitable organization for contributions via the AmazonSmile Foundation. The Foundation will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to us whenever you designate the Center as the charitable organization of your choice.

Here’s how to support the Center:

  1. Visit smile.amazon.com (you need to follow this step each time you designate donations).
  2. Log in with your regular Amazon account information.
  3. Select “Galena Center For The Arts Inc” as your charitable organization choice.
  4. Begin shopping.

Thank you for your support! We truly appreciate your thinking of us when shopping with Amazon!
Become a Member
Did you know you can become a member online?
Click HERE for information about our membership program.
Please Donate
Please help us to advance our mission to
elevate and celebrate regional arts and artists.
To donate online click on This Link, or send your check to:
The Galena Center for the Arts
971A Gear Street, Galena, Illinois 61036
(779) 214-0261
Please forward our newsletter to your friends and relatives. They can click below to receive their own monthly update. Thanks for sharing our news with others!
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is funded in part by a
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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Thanks so much for your support of the Galena Center for the Arts!
 
Newsletter produced by Dennis Waltman