The St. Charles Art Council is always proud to showcase the talents of students across Kane County at the annual Fox River Valley Student Art Show.
The organization is a local nonprofit dedicated to maintaining the rich local creative scene in Kane County supported by several installations and fundraisers throughout the year.
“Right now, we are working on the Fox River Valley Student Art Show,” Director Kathy Hill said. “For that event, we invite student artists in kindergarten through grade 12 from Batavia, Geneva, Aurora, and St. Charles to participate. We host an exhibit for them at the 116 Gallery, which is right downtown in St. Charles, and have a marvelous artists reception on April 6.”
Students are welcome to attend with their families and have a fantastic day celebrating their art and the creativity of their peers.
“They’re so proud of the artwork because it’s a regular art show,” Hill said. “We have refreshments, and the kids take all kinds of opportunities to get pictures taken right next to their artwork, to be celebrated. It’s such a fun evening with a two-hour reception.”
In 2023, the Council hosted nearly 320 people at the event, and about 100 kids applied for the installation, with the Art Council working to accept at least one piece from every student who applied.
“I think we found about 120 pieces of art last year,” Hill said.
The Art Council will host “Paint the Riverside” on May 11 before the following art show on Memorial Day Weekend.
“It’s such a fun event,” Hill said. “Last year, we had close to 150 people that stopped by and helped paint and it was just such a feel-good event. We try to keep everything we do community oriented.”
In August, the St. Charles Art Council will introduce their new signature event, Plein Air.
“It’s an outdoor painting event,” Hill said. “It will take place from Aug. 19 through 25. Then, in October, we’re going to do another murder mystery and in November we do our dessert auction, which has been a huge success since we started doing that.”
Every week, Hill sends out an email blast informing the community of the Council’s news and encouraging other arts organizations to, in turn, send her information she can support and promote on the Council’s website.
“It’s been wonderful to hear from everybody and the arts organizations are incredibly supportive,” she said. “We really rely on volunteers, and we welcome all interest in helping our organization continue to grow.”
To find out more about sponsorship and the many local businesses and organizations who support the council, visit www.stcharlesartscouncil.org. You will also find ways to help volunteer with the organization and where to sign up to participate in their special events.
