Warrenville Arts Council pursues homegrown works
Plenty of people think to head to Warrenville's AMC Cantera movie theaters when they want to see the latest Hollywood blockbusters, but a small group of residents believes the community could become better known for its homegrown art.
The city is home to a variety of visual and performing artists, and members of the newly formed Warrenville Arts Council aim to make art the town's hallmark.
Just months after its creation, the council is working to coordinate with other organizations in the city and members are planning Art Works '09. Artists with ties to Warrenville are invited to display and sell their pieces or perform for audiences at the showcase in November.
Janis Guter, the council's publicity co-chairwoman, discusses the group's vision.
Q. What is the council's mission?
A. The Warrenville Arts Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to public arts programming. Our mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts in Warrenville. Our objectives include a variety of community benefits such as enhanced quality of life and the expansion of economic activity.
Q. How do you work toward those goals?
A. The council will sponsor a variety of events encompassing both visual and performing arts, drawing upon local talent as well as talent from throughout the Western suburbs. It also will work toward unifying the efforts of the various arts organizations in the community.
Q. When and why did the council start? How has it grown?
A. A group of Warrenville residents has attempted to create an organization to promote the arts in the past, but it never flourished as planned. Another effort was begun early this year that attracted the current members of the steering committee, who first met officially in April. The committee is in the process of recruiting new members.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. We were fortunate to secure an excellent venue for our first event at no cost and are very grateful that a local graphic artist has created a logo and publicity pieces for us.
Q. What challenges does the council currently face?
A. Our biggest challenge is raising money for operational costs and publicity. Without funding for the proper publicity, it's difficult to let the community know what we're trying to do.
Q. What is the council best known for in the community? How do you contribute to the community?
A. Because we've only been in existence for a little more than two months, we're still developing recognition in the community. We've received positive feedback so far, so we're optimistic that once people are aware of our goals, they will support our efforts.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about your efforts?
A. A primary reason we formed the organization is because we believed that the majority of residents in Warrenville were not aware of the substantial number of visual and performing artists who reside in the community.
Q. What would surprise most people if they spent time with the council?
A. I think most people would be surprised that we have made substantial progress in such a short time. We now have officers, a logo, and a basic Web site. We recently began to distribute professionally printed posters around town to recruit artists and performers, and we are inviting local businesses to support our first event.
Q. Who are your members? What qualities do you look for in new members?
A. We currently have a five-member steering committee composed of individuals with expertise in the following areas: arts appreciation and programming, business and finance, publicity and public communication, community knowledge, and organizational development. We all live in Warrenville and cover a broad range of ages. The majority of the group is or has been professional musicians or visual artists; others are avid supporters of the arts.
One of our goals is to recruit new members who represent a variety of arts organizations in Warrenville to form a general council. The general council will work to coordinate efforts among the various groups.
Q. What do you expect of your members?
A. The steering committee meets biweekly, and members often arrange other work sessions between meetings. Each person concentrates on a specific set of tasks and reports results to the group at the next meeting. The time commitment at present can be demanding because we are a startup organization.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. The council will host its inaugural event on Sunday, Nov. 22, called Art Works '09: A Warrenville Showcase, which will display the talents of visual and performing artists who reside in Warrenville or are affiliated with schools serving the community.
Visual artists may submit their work either for display or for sale. Solo and small ensemble performing artists will be featured in an enclosed auditorium setting and may provide informal entertainment throughout the exhibit areas.
Art Works '09 will concentrate on local talent and demonstrate that a wide variety of future arts events will continue to promote community involvement, pride in our residents, and interest from surrounding towns. As our events increase in scope and size, we expect the results to enhance the economic development of Warrenville.
For further information or to become involved with the council's activities, please call (630) 876-2935 or e-mail warrenvilleartscouncil@comcast.net.
Vital stats
Funding sources: Developing funding through community service organizations, local business owners, grants and the Tourism and Arts Commission, a funding agency established by the Warrenville City Council
Dues: Council is determining a membership fee
Members: 5
Phone: (630) 876-2935
E-mail: warrenvilleartscouncil@comcast.net
Web site: warrenvilleartscouncil.com
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go </p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> Art Works '09, a showcase of Warrenville visual and performing artists </p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 22</p> <p class="News"><b>Place:</b> IBEW, 28600 Bella Vista Parkway, #1000, Warrenville</p> <p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Free</p> <p class="News"><b>Info: </b>(630) 876-2935 or <a href="mailto:warrenvilleartscouncil@comcast.net">warrenvilleartscouncil@comcast.net</a></p>