Our exhibit for the month of October is Jeanne O’Melia’s papier mache sculptures. Jeanne is pictured at right with some of her art. An open house will be held at our gallery on Sunday, October 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. Stop by and enjoy her talent!
Sharon Michaelsen and Karen Stewart Casper received awards for their art entered in the Geneseo Art League’s Maple City Show. They are shown below at the opening reception at 125 N. State Street in Geneseo.
Sharon’s pastel received a 1st place award in the two-dimensional category and Karen’s watercolor won 3rd place. Congratulations to both! Joyce Mattan entered with her art including her wonderful photographs from the USS Arizona in Hawaii.
On Saturday, October 4, Joyce Mattan will be painting (weather permitting) during the State Street Market event in Geneseo, a full-day event which draws crowds to the downtown for fall treats. Stop by and say hello and see what she has created.
Upcoming events include the Scarecrow Row in City Park on Saturday, October 25 where treats will be handed out to young ones and artists and community members can enjoy the scarecrows created and costumes of visitors alike. We’ll be there with our “scarecrow.” ;-)
After that will be Witches Weekend in Geneseo on Thursday through Saturday, October 30 through November 1. We plan to be open for Witches Night Out between 4 and 7 on Thursday, October 30. Time for pumpkins and festive lights now that the days are shorter and cooling off!
On Christmas Open House weekend, November 14 through 15, we will be open and showcasing our holiday spirit. It’s hard to believe the year has passed so quickly but we look forward to the warmth and generosity the season brings.
Christmas Walk in Geneseo will be on Saturday, December 13 and we are asking for great weather this year! We will be open for the Walk and will have our windows decorated for the event!
Marinn Cisna of Galva, IL is pictured with her Best of Show entry, “Bringing Her Home” done in oil. Marinn has joined our organization and we look forward to seeing more of her excellent art!
Artwalk 10 in Geneseo was a blast! Many people were in the gallery to see Joyce Mattan working in pastel, Karen Vroman doing copper tooling and Les Hoste working in watercolor. We were also taking art in so it was a busy day but weather was wonderful!
Pictured are Sue Elliott and Joyce Mattan at ArtWalk 10. Fun day in Geneseo!
Below are some past fun photos from events. :-)
New member Jeanne O’Melia presented two Chinese Brush Painting classes in March. Above is Jeanne (in red hat! :-) ) with the class attendees and their work.
Members, clockwise from top left, Elaine Hofman, Mary Copersmet, Joyce Mattan, Sharon Michaelsen, Lexi Gordon and Les Hoste on a gallery studio day.
Karen Vroman photographing our cyanotype class projects for our FaceBook page. Class was great fun!
Sharon with a pastel of our mascot, Clancy. He has crossed the Rainbow Bridge but is not forgotten. <3
Jeanne O’Melia is pictures here with some of her art for her October show in our gallery. Jeanne has several papier mache pieces on display and her largest piece is in our front window. Impressively, she had these pieces loaded in the back of her vehicle to get them to the gallery. Stop in and enjoy her artistic expressions!
Les Hoste works in watercolor and wood. His work is featured here as well as some wood pieces by Bob Claerhout.
Our thanks to Geneseo Foundation, The Cellar Restaurant, Central Bank Illinois, Wyffels Hybrids, Inc. and Vorac Pharmacy in addition to Blick Art Materials for their sponsorship of our 2025 Geneseo Fine Arts Exhibit. They and our patrons and members are greatly appreciated!!
The Geneseo High School Awards Night was held on May 7. RutabagA provided scholarships to two recipients - the Decnie Jeschke Memorial Award (provided by Pauline Swanson in honor of her granddaughter) was awarded to Emma Skovranski of Colona and the RutabagA Art Scholarship was provided to Antonio Ramirez of Colona. Antonio and Emma are pictured above with Karen Stewart Casper of RutabagA who presented the awards. Congratulations to you both and best of luck in your artistic endeavors!
Want to support the arts? Enjoy working with other artists? Join our nonprofit side, RutabagA, the Heart of Regional Art, NFP! Stop by the gallery and ask a member for further details.
Here's a sampling of the community enrichments our members have been involved in over the years.
Sponsoring a regional judged art competition, the Maple City Fine Arts Exhibit, for 35 years and now starting our own, the Geneseo Fine Art Exhibit, begun in 2023.
Partnering with civic groups to provide low- and no-cost instruction for children.
Leading art projects for life enrichment at area senior care facilities.
Teaching art for local home-schooling families.
Teaching classical fine art techniques.
Bringing nationally-known instructors to teach in Geneseo.
Painting community murals.
Giving time to area causes, such as Dress For Success, Henry County Humane Society, Braveheart Childrens' Advocacy Center, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and others.
Geneseo High School held its 2024 Senior Awards Night on May 1. Sharon Michaelsen presented the RutabagA Scholarship to Kay McAvoy and Pauline Swanson presented the Decnie Jeschke Memorial Scholarship to Kathryn Hogue. Above, from left to right, are Pauline, Kathryn, Sharon and Kay. Congratulations to these young women and we wish them well on their journey utilizing the fine arts!
Below is a group photo of members from late 2021. It is a pleasure to work with these artists and call them friends. Salute!
Blick Art Materials can be found online at: https://www.dickblick.com.