FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 Tri-Cities

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dailyherald.com

Pushing the envelope

Geneva Arts Fair presents original work in all categories
By Hailey Czarnecki
hczarnecki@dailyherald.com

If you go
What: Geneva Arts Fair When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29 Where: South Third Street, Geneva, between James and South streets Cost: Free Details: Call the Geneva Chamber of Commerceat (630) 232-6060 or visit genevachamber.com.

The Geneva Arts Fair presents a unique opportunity for buyers. It is one of the only art fairs in the area in which all pieces are original. Everything shown cannot be seen or bought anywhere else. More than 150 artists from around the country are brought together to show their work across four blocks in downtown Geneva. Artwork on display will include photography, pottery, fiber, printmaking, glass, mixed media, watercolor, oil, wood, sculpture and jewelry. Erin Melloy was hired by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce 12 years ago to organize the event and has helped create the past 11 shows. The show takes a lot of planning, she says. We are starting it right now for next year, and the show hasnt even started yet, Melloy said. She is an event planner who specializes in outdoor festivals. Awards of excellence of $500 will be given to the top four artists in the 2-D and 3-D categories. Typically, contestants win for the collective score of each piece in their booth. On occasion, one entry will set the artist above the rest. Sometimes theres one piece that is just wow, Melloy said. Melloy finds the artists by announcing the opportunity in art magazines, lists from previous festivals and by word-of-mouth. It takes more than two weeks to sort through the applicants and choose the artists. When the artists are picked, they are juried by a committee which judges their work using same criteria as the judges at the festival. There are two judges, one for two-dimensional art and one for three-dimensional art. Judges show up at 10 a.m. Saturday and assess the booths for five to six hours. Melloy meets the judges the day of the event to ensure everything is unbiased. The artists are judged

Marge Hall of Winfield works on one of her photo realism oil paintings while displaying her art at last years Geneva Arts Fair.

P H O T O S B Y M A R K B L A C K / mblack@dailyherald.com

on everything from impact to quality to the entirety of their booth. I strive for uniqueness of work, Melloy said about choosing the artists to showcase in the Emerging Artists section. Were trying to give the artists a place to show their work ... give them a feel of what its like to be in a big show, she said. It takes a very brave person to put their work in the spotlight at a big show like this, she said. I am constantly looking for artists who are constantly pushing the envelope, she said. This years section has artists from high school, college, a graffiti artist and even the city manager of Batavia, Bill McGrath, who does sculpture. McGrath said he became serious about sculpting five years ago. I have always been curious, and interested in

sculpture and architecture and building, McGrath said. He finds his inspiration from what he sees about him through shapes, shadows, buildings and thoughts, he said. I express myself very visually, so its a natural thing to turn to sculpture, mainly metal, but I am playing with other things. I did a piece with rope I really liked because its texture was just so strong, he said. Sculpting is not an easy expression, though. Im still learning, so mainly it takes a lot of time and mistakes to make a piece, McGrath said, It also takes some skin-thickening as you need to ignore others opinions and pay attention to your own feelings about it. Many seasoned artists who show their work at the Geneva Arts Fair have participated in many shows around the country.

Art lovers visit the various booths at the last years Geneva Arts Fair.

M A R K B L A C K / mblack@dailyherald.com

These arent weekend artists this is how they make their living, Melloy said. The fair will feature the work of several couples. Diana and Ken Ferguson, of Lake Geneva, Wis., were both chosen to show their work again this year. Both grew up in the Chicago suburbs, Diana from Glen Ellyn and

Ken from Downers Grove. Its been a blast revisiting the communities that have meant so much to us after being away for more than 10 years, Diana said. They travel around the country to show their pieces in 12 to 15 shows a year, Diana said. They do about half of them together.

It is a lot of work to set up both displays, but if there is a good show, like the Geneva Arts festival, we always make the effort. Plus, since I create art jewelry and Ken creates paintings, we are able to hit totally different demographics within each show and that always works for us, Diana said. Although the event attracts about 10,000 visitors, they dont come for fair food or live music. The Geneva Arts Fair isnt a typical festival, Melloy said. When you come to Geneva Arts Fair, thats what you get art. Visitors wont have to leave the kids at home. There will also be an interactive part of the show for children. Hangers holding paper will be in the trees for kids to decorate. Plandscape Inc. designs the landscape of the event to complement the artists work. This year, they have added lights to show a completely different scene at night. They have been a nice addition and partnership to our festival, Melloy said. Im appreciative of this festival and the huge movement in the Fox Valley for strong support for selfexpression, McGrath said. Its good for everyone, especially for those following us. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29, along South Third Street between James and South streets. Visit genevachamber.com for details.

Conservation group takes final midnight bike ride

By Annalisa Rodriguez
arodriguez@dailyherald.com

At midnight Sunday, July 29, Jill Johnson will stand back and watch 500 red, blinking lights ride off in the darkness as Eric Claptons After Midnight plays in the background. Those blinking lights will belong to bicyclists participating in the Chase the Moon Midnight Bike Ride to benefit the Naperville-based Conservation Foundation. The ride will begin from the Warrenville Commons Shopping Center at the corner of Route 59 and Batavia Road in Warrenville and follow a route that will take riders through Fermilab. Festivities will begin Saturday night in the shopping centers parking lot with a 10 p.m. pre-party, which will include music, food and stretching before the ride. The cost is $40, $5 less for Conservation Foundation members, and $20 for children 12 and younger. Those interested can register at chasethemoon.com. Walkin registration is $45 for all adults and $25 for children. The ride raises between $15,000 and $20,000 each

year. in Fermilabs policies All money raised supabout letting groups use ports our programs, which the land. Johnson said are to preserve open there are no plans to spaces, improve water continue the bike ride quality and environmental after this year, but she education and what we call hopes its participants will sustainable development, find another way to get said Johnson, the groups involved with the memmarketing communicaber-supported Conservations manager. tion Foundation. When development Well be sad to see it occurs, we want to make go, and obviously the revsure it happens with the enue stream is imporbest possible relationship tant, she said. Mostly, its to the environment. just something quirky and The Conservation Founfun. dation was started in 1972 Donald Cooley of Wheaby a group of influential ton is a member of the people who were visionarConservation Foundation, ies for that time and realand this will be his third DAILY HERALD FILE PHOTO ized there was still unde- Marketing Communications Manager Jill Johnson said the darkness year riding in the Chase veloped, open space that doesnt lend itself well to viewing the nature, but riders can feel the the Moon Midnight Bike needed to be preserved, open space around them and hear night sounds. Its a neat energy Ride. Johnson said. Cooley said hes very that you can feel, she said. They wanted to make interested in what the sure some of that remained theres wooded areas, she in open spaces. foundation does and is a for the future, she said. said. That really speaks to Johnson said the dark- participant in its ConservaThe ride was taken over by our mission. ness doesnt lend itself well tion@Home program. the foundation in 2006 and is Its also fitting that the to viewing nature during the His house is certified, in its ninth and final year. event is a bike ride, Johnson ride, but riders can feel the meaning hes taken measures It was originally started said, because people need open space that surrounds to conserve native plants and by just two people who knew open spaces to ride their them and hear owls and water on his property. each other and wanted to do bikes in, and the mission of other night sounds. Its a promotional thing something good, Johnson the foundation is to preserve You get to kind of experi- for awareness, Cooley said. said. those areas. ence that magic, she said. Im very environmentally Johnson said the rides FerIf youre a bicyclist, you People love it. Its a neat conscious. milab location is fitting for the need places to ride your energy that you can feel. So its only fitting that Conservation Foundation. bike, she said. Its a lot This will be the rides final Cooley would also participate Theres prairie areas; more pleasurable to do that year because of a change in the midnight bike ride. He

If you go
What: The Conservation Foundations Chase the Moon Midnight Bike Ride When: 10 p.m. pre-party Saturday, July 28; ride kicks off midnight Sunday, July 29 Where: Warrenville Commons Shopping Center at the corner of Route 59 and Batavia Road in Warrenville Cost: $35 for members, $40 nonmembers and $20 children ages 12 and younger; walk-in registration $45 adults and $25 children Info: chasethemoon.com

said he is sorely disappointed to see such a great tradition go. Part of it is just that its so different going for a ride with 500 other people at midnight in a place where you dont have to fight traffic, Cooley said. On those rides, Cooley said he often finds himself alone for miles. Mostly, it was just me and the moon, and that was just a great experience being out there by yourself with nothing but your headlight.