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January Newsletter

Art by Lilian Weidmer

Two new and exciting exhibits will open in January.

 Please join us from 5-7pm on Friday, January 17 to celebrate the opening of a diverse array of art from our valued artists in the Regional Art gallery and innovative Street Art in the Special Exhibit space.

Dear Friend of the Arts,

Greetings in the New Year!

While we at the Center don’t have resolutions, we do have many plans for the year to come. One of our goals in the last year was to expand our outreach with young artists, and we had a great start in 2024 with our new Student Gallery, and with two Children’s Theater productions. We plan to continue to include more focus on youth, while expanding our adult art opportunities as well. This year we will be hosting two days of the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, which we hope will spur other film opportunities. We have several plays and performances already booked, and more to come, including a “Re-Homing Art Sale”.  Keep reading your newsletters so you are up to date on what’s happening at the Center.

Thanks so much to all of you who have supported us. We are so appreciative, and hope that we are fulfilling your expectations for showcasing the arts in Jo Daviess County. Please, share with us your ideas, as we continue to expand and grow.



Best wishes for a rewarding, peaceful and art-filled new year!

Carole

Center Open Hours

The Gallery and Gift Shop are open from 1-4pm

Thursdays through Sundays

* Please note that the center will be closed

from January 5th-15th, except for special events.*

Become a Member!

Did you know you can become a member,

renew your membership, or donate online?

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To learn more about membership options and benefits click.

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To donate online click or send your check to:

The Galena Center for the Arts

971 Gear Street, Galena, Illinois 61036.

Studio Rental

If interested in renting an art studio, please contact Sandra Evans

 The waitlist is shorter than it has been in quite a while, so reserve your place on the list today!

Click here for the Center's Calendar

Current Exhibits

Regional Artist Collection and

Scenes of the Season

Thursdays-Sundays 1-4pm

This lovely quilt by Amy Ottens, and much other art, will be available for purchase until January 3rd when the current exhibits – both the Regional Art gallery as well as the Scenes of the Season will end.

Student Gallery

Galena High School

National Art Honor Society

"Spaced Out"

in the Tilton Student Gallery

The Galena High School National Art Honor Society exhibit Spaced Out is on display through the month of January in the Tilton Student Gallery. Make sure to stop in and check out this remarkable collection of work - it's out of this world!

New Exhibit & Call for Art

Art by K Kriesel

"Street Art" and Regional Art Gallery

Exhibit Opening

Friday, January 17 5-7pm

Street Art originated, and evolved, from graffiti. Graffiti was a way for otherwise disenfranchised people to express themselves in public places, usually without permission, to question ownership. While graffiti began as mainly text done with spray paint, mediums used in street art are as varied as the art itself but are usually still done in the public sphere (on walls, overpasses, train terminals). The commonality in most, however, is that street art provokes thought and challenges the status quo. Artists of street art bring attention to the current social and political issues of their time, creating art for art’s sake as it usually exists outside of the commercial art world.





CALL FOR ART

Artists are limited to two pieces per exhibit. All art submitted needs to be available for purchase. Please bring your art submissions to the Center on either Sunday, January 12 from 1:00 – 4:00 or on Monday, January 13 from 12:00 – 2:00.

Artists who submit works are requested to be members of the Center. If you are not yet a member, you can sign click here to sign up and pay.

CALL FOR "RE-HOMING" ART

Are you planning some spring cleaning, or downsizing? Have some original artwork in your home that you no longer have a place for?   We can help!  We will be having a “Re-Homing” art sale in April. You bring us artworks you would like to sell to a good home. This will be a juried exhibit, so the crayon portrait your child drew in kindergarten probably isn’t appropriate! You set the price for the artwork. We will exhibit it.  If it sells, half of the selling price will be a donation to the Center, the other half goes to you. The exhibit opens on April 3, and will be up for two to three weeks. Call Carole for details.

Current Events

In partnership with Galena LitFest:

Dr. Kevin Koch will take participants on a photographic journey through natural spaces across each of the twelve Midwestern states, including short excerpts from his newest book, Midwest Bedrock: The Search for Nature’s Soul in America’s Heartland (Indiana University Press, 2024). Koch’s writing style blends narrative and informative techniques to invoke Sense of Place.

This is an hybrid program presented at the The Galena Center for the Arts and simultaneously on Zoom. Please click here to register.



Galena LitFest 2025 is the eleventh annual literary festival organized and funded by the Galena Public Library with support from the Friends of the Galena Public Library. Several events will take place throughout January in-person and virtually, click here to learn more.

Qi Gong and Tai Chi Basic Moves

Six-session class instructed by Amy Alderman

9am Mondays January 13-February 17

Six session fee: $60. All levels of experience are welcome

There's only a few spots open - please register by January 6.

Click here to sign up by email

Qi Gong, translating to breath work, and Tai Chi Ch’uan are mind-body exercises. Often referred to as meditation in motion, these ancient practices serve as powerful tools to help individuals connect with themselves and the world around them, all while gaining strength and flexibility. In this class, participants will build upon simple movements and techniques that can be easily integrated into their daily lives, enhancing both physical well-being and overall mindfulness.

Alderman is certified in teaching the Tai Chi Fundamentals Adapted program, which is designed to make tai chi accessible to people of all ages and abilities. She is also a trainee in the Tai Chi Teacher Training program, the regimen outlined by Dr. Peter Wayne in the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi.

Songwriters Showcase featuring

Barefoot and Sunshine

Thursday, January 16 at 7pm

Vagina Monologues

Casting Call

Saturday, January 18 at 2pm & Monday, January 20 at 6pm

Alfie Mueller Room

Meet the Artist: K Kriesel

January 26 1-3pm

On Sunday, January 26 the Art Gallery is hosting artist K. Kriesel from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. They will have additional artwork for sale besides what is currently on display in the gallery. K will share their sources of inspiration, their creative process, and the techniques they use as well as answer any questions you may have. Come meet and support our local artists!



K (they/them) is a textile artist who integrates natural and spiritual themes into their work. They utilize sewing, embroidery, beading, and 3d printing and they're currently experimenting with 3 dimensional pieces such as shrines. They have a B.A. in studio art from Alverno College in Milwaukee.

Save the Dates

Feb 4 - Say Anything (all text based artwork) Regional Student opening

Feb 6 - Galena Speech Team Showcase

Feb 13 and Thursdays thereafter - Coffee & Conversation

Join us for a dose of coffee and conversation: two good things in life. Beginning on February 13 from 10:00 – 12:00 and every week thereafter, Coffee and Conversation will be held in the Alfie Mueller room. The Center will provide the coffee and you the conversation. Artists, art lovers, and anyone who enjoys a cup of coffee are welcome!

Feb 15,16,21,22,23 – A Darkness Lovely

Based on an epic poem written by Ted Williams in 2013, this series of five dark tales are woven into a single dynamic stage play, produced and performed for the very first time at the Galena Center for the Arts.

Feb 20 – Songwriters Showcase - Weary Ramblers

Broad Ideas Call for Art

Recent Activities at the Center

LoveNotes at Tree Lighting

LOVENOTES sang as the entertainment at the annual Tree-lighting Ceremony for the Auxiliary for Midwest Medical Center. Pictured (L-R) Joe Berning, Stephen Hartley, Krista Wilhelm, Carole Sullivan and Moira Kelly, with Susan Lipnick at the piano.  

Ring of Kerry Celtic Christmas Concert

Over two hundred people attended the Celtic Christmas Concert by Ring of Kerry. Galena’s Turner Hall was festively decorated, the music was wonderful, and the dancing by the McNulty Irish Dancers was entrancing. Many thanks to the First Community Bank for sponsoring the event.

Summit Street Singers

Summit Street Singers, under the direction of Larry Cording, shared holiday music with the residents of Galena Stauss Assisted Living. The choral group will resume rehearsals on February 11.

The Best Holiday of All

Sold out shows for both performances of this charming children's production! Many thanks to Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa for your sponsorship!

Here is a video recap of all the great things we’ve experienced together in 2024. All of the art, theater, music and fellowship! Whether you’re near or far, we thank you for your support and look forward to all of the exciting things we will do together in 2025. Cheers!

Corporate Spotlight

Many thanks to new Corporate Members Derinda Valley Landscape Design! We are extremely grateful for all the efforts of their crew, clearing numerous shrubs and vines last summer, making the Center's grounds more inviting and manageable. We are truly thankful for their support!

A big thank you to Corporate Member Poopsie's! In addition to their membership, Poopsie's has also supported the Center immensely through their mission to give back to community organizations, as well as sharing our posts and events.

Click here for the Center's Calendar

THANK YOU!

WISH LIST

We are looking for a volunteer who would like to tend a bird feeder on the grounds near the picnic table. And someone to care for a bluebird house that we hope to put up in spring. 

Volunteer!

Time to get involved! We still need greeters for the gallery and volunteers to help with serving at openings, ushering at music and theatre events, garden maintenance, painting, and more!

• All our volunteer opportunities are easily accessed by clicking on the link www.signupgenius.com/findasignup.
• Don’t let the “Our Mind-reading Device is on the Fritz again...” message confuse you.
• Copy and paste the email address volunteers@galenacenterforthearts.com into “SEARCH FOR A SIGNUP,” check I'm not a robot, click on Search and all upcoming events will be visible.
• This includes Gallery Openings, Theatrical events, Gallery Greeters, etc. This should make it easier for everyone to match interests with activities.

Thanks so much!

All River Road Talent hosts a monthly art drive the first weekend of each month. All River Road Talent is a synergy of artists building a cultural and visitor awareness of artistic talent in the Galena region of Northwest Illinois. The next ARRT tour is January 3-5.

Please Donate

Please help us to advance our mission to

elevate and celebrate regional arts and artists.



To donate online click, or send your check to:

The Galena Center for the Arts

971 Gear Street, Galena, Illinois 61036

(815) 402-3111

Click for the Center Website

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Click to contact us by email

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These programs are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

These programs are supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

These programs are supported in part by a grant from Illinois Humanities

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Thanks so much for your support of the Galena Center for the Arts!

Newsletter produced by Dennis Waltman