OAK PARK ART LEAGUE | OCTOBER NEWS

Greetings OPAL community!

Hello October! Leaves are falling and so are shingles here at OPAL. As I sit here putting the final touches on this newsletter, the sound of workers on the roof overhead marks a big step in OPAL’s renovation efforts that have been years in the making. Exciting renewal for OPAL since the last re-roofing happened in 1985! And there is more to come!

Our current exhibition of youth artwork, YOUTH SPEAK TRUTH, had a great response from kids all around Oak Park! Ten merit awards were given and many originals were sold to benefit our ongoing art outreach programming at St. Angela School. The show is in the gallery until October 11, so come see and grab one of the amazing small works for just $50.

Don’t blink, or miss this! OPAL’s first, brief but vibrant, weekend POP-UP exhibition features the Groundwater Collective, four artists Jacqueline Lakely, Galen Garapolo, Kelly Donahugh and Mary Jo Parker O’Hearn.
See more details about below and be sure to stop by during the weekend long exhibition, October 12 & 13.

Join us on Friday October 25 for the reception of our juried exhibit Art for Social Change: STOP MOTION The Power of Cartoon and Animation which invites artists to interpret cartoon, animation and politically timely and responsive artworks on the eve of this important election. We will be featuring a selection of original works and prints by Keith Taylor.

And finally, I want to invite you to share your feedback about the programs at OPAL, what your experience is and ideas you have for the future in a brief survey you can find here. It will help as 2025 is not far off and next year’s exhibition calendar is nearly ready to be released.

Thank you,
Bryan Northup
Executive Director

UPCOMING EVENTS

Groundwater Collective Pop-up exhibition

We are the Groundwater Collective: Galen Garapolo, Jacqueline Rueckert Lakely, Kelly Donahugh, and Mary Jo Parker O’Hearn, four artists who have met together as a group to share, critique and grow our creative practices together.

Join Us!

Saturday October 19, 10am - 9pm

Join us for a day of fall festivities! Wander our courtyard Garden of Ghosts curated with other-worldy sculpture, shop the Pop-up Harvest Market, come for kid’s crafts and costume parade at our ‘Witching Hour’, Haunted Hayloft, evening reception and much more!

Get your tickets for a first look ‘Ghost Stories’ Reception to the Carriage House Gallery exhibition, Stop Motion : The Power of Cartoon & Animation. Wear your spooky masks, hats or full costume and enjoy an evening of Halloween themed bites and bubbly beverages in the gallery and courtyard, shiver up in our Haunted Hayloft, if you dare, and make some art. We’ll share ghost stories from OPAL’s long history and invite guests to scare us with theirs

Harvest Market Pop-Up

Shop handmade wares, art and more at our Harvest Market Pop-up, part of our day long Garden of Ghosts event, Saturday October 19, 10am - 6pm.

LASTEST NEWS

Roof work underway!

We are happy to announce that our state grant-funded building renovation will commence in the next week with the tear-off and replacement of our 40-year-old roof. Work begins Sept 30 and should be complete in about one week. Stop by after its finished to see OPAL’s new roof.

Adopt a Chair

We have new chairs in the gallery!
As a way to raise funds for more seating and gallery improvements, OPAL is starting an adoption opportunity for our brand-new chairs. For $25. you can adopt a chair and add your name and link to your website to the back.

Art & Comedy Nights at OPAL

We are thrilled to partner with Chicago Comedy Works, to bring Art & Comedy Nights to OPAL, just when we need a laugh the most! Come grab a seat and soothe the stresses of the season with hilarious comics and a gallery full of artwork.

Register for Fall 3 Classes starting Oct 4th

Teen Figure Drawing

First Sunday of each month, OPAL figure sessions will feature a clothed model. Open to teens 12+

Figure Drawing

Sundays 10am - 1pm & Thursdays 9am - noon

There are now two figure sessions per week for drawing from a live model. These are 3-hour, non-instructional figure drawing sessions. Work on your figure-dr

WORKSHOPS

IN THE GALLERY

UP NEXT - ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: STOP MOTION - The Power of Cartoon & Animation
Oct 18, 2024 – Nov 15, 2024

This exhibition is sponsored by

AKG Micro Gallery

Up next in the micro gallery, a solo exhibit by Indian artist Asma Kazi - The center of the galaxy tastes like raspberry sour sticks and popping candy

Artist In Residence: Bethany Cordero

OPAL is honored to host multi-media sculptor and Oak Parker, Bethany Cordero as our next artist in residence, beginning September 2024. You may have seen her sculpture as part of the Oak Park Sculpture Walk. You can see her studio and works in progress as well as meet Bethany at our next reception.

OPAL Shop

Discover original artworks, and new OPAL designs on swag like aprons, t-shirts, mugs and puzzles you can wear and gift to spread the word about the Oak Park Art League and help raise funds for our beloved organization.

Land Acknowledgement
Each exhibition, class and program associated with the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) takes place on the traditional homelands of the Council of Three Fires - the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa
as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk Nations.
OPAL recognizes that the region we now call Chicago and Oak Park was the traditional homeland of many Indigenous nations
and remains home to diverse Native people today.
The land we walk was, and remains Native land.

Oak Park Art League

Founded in 1921, OPAL is one of the longest, continually-running nonprofit arts organizations in Illinois, fulfilling its mission by offering high-quality art education, lectures, artist demonstrations, critiques, and monthly exhibitions in our historic gallery.

Our Mission

The Oak Park Art League's mission is to be a welcoming center of artistic inquiry, creative expression and art appreciation in Oak Park and the surrounding communities. Through the offering of dynamic public arts programming and exhibitions, our goal is to engage the beginner to professional artist in creative practices allowing for the refinement of their creative voice.

Board of Directors

President: Linda DeViller
Secretary: Maria Gedroc
Treasurer: David Baker
Buildings & Grounds: Lou Thetard
Community Outreach: Margot McMahon
Shira Slack
Ginger Brent
Mia Garcia Hills

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Thank you to our generous sponsors

GALLERY HOURS

Thursday & Friday 1-5pm,
Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 1-4pm,
Closed Monday - Wednesday

Saturday October 19, 10am - 9pm

IN THE STUDIO

Register for Fall 3 Classes starting Oct 4th

WORKSHOPS

IN THE GALLERY