Community Calendar

GET FIT AND GET FUN Can you walk 25? 50? 100? miles with Algonquin Commons? Register with Algonquin Commons to track your miles this summer for your chance to win a $250 mall gift card. Walk or run where ever you normally do, but track with us to be entered to win. We have marked our mall sidewalks with distance markers so you can keep track of your walks while you shop. Come on up today for your health and fun and a chance to win $250! We will be giving away 2 gift cards each month to signed up walkers or runners all summer long. Plus, any walker that hits 100 miles gets an Algonquin Commons 100 miles medal!

Algonquin Commons announces a call for artists-Wondrous Windows. This is a juried art exhibition, up to 6 winners will be awarded $500 and their artwork will be reproduced to cover windows at the mall. Open to all artists 18 years and older. All painting mediums allowed including drawing mediums, digital painting and photography. (For this competition, all painted or drawn physical artwork must be digitized to follow the standards below.) Artworks containing pornographic, hate, political, discrimination or satanic content will not be taken into consideration. Artists may submit up to 3 artworks for consideration. All artwork must be original and created by the submitting artist. No video, sculpture or sound art is accepted. This is a 2D art competition Images must be 600 dpi and saved in jpg format not to exceed 3MB. Images must be cropped to exclude frames, mats and background and must be correctly oriented. Final submissions size should be 36” wide by 18” tall at the 600 dpi. All winning artists will receive an award certificate, the top 6 submissions will be largely displayed with an article about the artist and their work. Winning artwork will be scale reproduced by the mall on open window spaces at Algonquin Commons. All accepted works will be displayed with the artist name, title of work, and a link back to their website, or email address if they do not have a website. All Accepted artists will receive extensive online publicity and promotion on our website, plus an opening reception with press coverage. Enter here: https://www.algonquincommonsevents.com/artatac/

the Next Picture Show's second show of the year at KSB features work created around the subject of water. This show is also the largest art exhibit ever presented at Commerce Towers featuring work in acrylic, digital photography, film photography, oil, pastel, pen and watercolor. The exhibit is open for viewing during regular business hours at 215 E 1st St, Dixon, IL Health & Safety: Mask required · Temperature check required. Be sure and vote for your favorite art piece on the KSB website page at https://www.ksbhospital.com/art/

Summer Camp 2021 Wild Things For 4-6-year-olds | 9 AM-12 PM | Camp Fee: $85/member, $100/general admission June 7-11 | Little Heroes It’s back and better than ever! Join us for an action-packed week filled with heroic adventures. We will be tackling fun challenges and learning more about ourselves and nature along the way.

Art Exhibition that runs from April 17th - August 7th. <br>A site-specific photographic installation with immersive sound and fabrics, with accompanying works on paper. <br>This recent work is a gathering of several female bird calls woven together — referencing the iconic Persian poem from 1177 — The Conference of the Birds and the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. This Epic poem, in which the birds of the world unite to seek out the truth and the wisdom of the world, is a parable for our time as well. After their trajectory, the birds find that the truth and wisdom were actually within themselves all along. We need the wisdom of the birds — unite however we can— and summon deep within ourselves to help humanity survive its own short-sightedness. <br>Sound wave patterns of actual bird calls are colored in the natural hues of that particular species—Archives Courtesy of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. <br>Join us on May 22nd at 1 pm for a live Zoom conversation with Alice Hargrave. <br>Register on FAM's website by May 20th to receive a Zoom link for this event.

An art exhibition featuring the work of 26 Illinois artists from Freeport and beyond. <br>Ellie Bartels, Phyllis Bergagna, Carrie Carlson, Molly Carter, Diana Garrett, Lisa Goesling, Roger Goodspeed, Judith Joseph, Norm Knott, Lucian Kuranz, Barbara Larsen, Boruch Lev, Janice Lockwood, Jenny Mathews, Larry McCoy, Tim McGinnis, Nanette Mosher, Mia Rudolph, Ethel Schroer, Frances Shriver, Kelly Simler, Ginni Smith, Kevin Veara, Linda Vietmeyer, Katherine Weber, Sheila Welch <br>Since the 1970's birds have experienced a drastic reduction in numbers - 27% fewer makes 3 billion gone. The canaries in the ecological coal mine are telling us something is wrong through quieter skies. <br>This exhibit celebrates birds as metaphors, biological wonders, and an indicator species. This creature's astounding range of aesthetic beauty, with between 9,000 and 10,000 species, affords ample inspiration for any artist. As subject matter, birds are irresistible, filled with beautiful colors, striking patterns, and uplifting songs. They can also represent our souls' darker reaches — witness the collective nouns — "an unkindness of ravens" and "a murder of crows."

Twenty-nine bird portraits by Barry Treu. Each bird is on the 2020 Illinois Endangered and Threatened list. Contemporary Gallery, Freeport Art Museum

McHenry County Conservation District invites you to view a special exhibit “Observations: Walking in Wonder” by Barbara Schneider, on display May 7–July 4 at Lost Valley Visitor Center in Glacial Park, Route 31 &amp; Harts Rd., Ringwood. This exhibit is free and is open to the public Daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. An artist reception will be held at the exhibit on Sunday, May 16 from 3-5 pm. <br>Local artist Barbara Schneider uses nature as the starting point for creating abstract, sophisticated interpretations in mixed media. Her work is meant to make you view nature with new eyes and provide the opportunity for physical, mental, or emotional reflection. She walked many of the Conservation District sites and recorded what she saw, heard, smelled, and experienced. She used these observations to create hand-stitched textile maps that serve as a record of her natural journey. <br>Barbara began quilting in 1996, and discovered the pleasure of working with cloth, paint, dye, and thread. Her interest in the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi strongly influences her work. She teaches as well as exhibits nationally and internationally. Her work is in both private and public collections.

Nature Art Explorations For ages 14 &amp; up. Creative materials will be provided, although you are welcome to bring supplies. $7/ Members, $10/ General Admission June 2 | 1 to 3 p.m. Origami, the art of paper folding, dates back thousands of years, with endless inspirations from nature. Learn beautiful stories about Japanese folklore of origami while folding traditional, nature-based designs! June 16 | 1 to 3 p.m. Giant, textured summer leaves are everywhere, and they are oh-so-gorgeous. Join us as we explore the forest for some big, beautiful leaves and turn them into a clay art project—complete with beautiful paint, of course—to take home! June 30 | 1 to 3 p.m. Enjoy a peaceful walk around our pollinator garden and bird feeding stations to learn about sound, music, and creativity. Create your own sound map as you listen and put what you hear into visual art!

Nature Art Explorations For ages 14 &amp; up. Creative materials will be provided, although you are welcome to bring supplies. $7/ Members, $10/ General Admission May 19 | 1 to 3 p.m. Take a series of short hikes around Severson Dells in a guided journaling activity. Although prompts are provided, you can put any words from your heart to paper as you find yourself immersed in various surroundings, from our fields to our birdfeeders, for an abundance of inspiration in nature. June 2 | 1 to 3 p.m. Origami, the art of paper folding, dates back thousands of years, with endless inspirations from nature. Learn beautiful stories about Japanese folklore of origami while folding traditional, nature-based designs! June 16 | 1 to 3 p.m. Giant, textured summer leaves are everywhere, and they are oh-so-gorgeous. Join us as we explore the forest for some big, beautiful leaves and turn them into a clay art project—complete with beautiful paint, of course—to take home! June 30 | 1 to 3 p.m. Enjoy a peaceful walk around our pollinator garden and bird feeding stations to learn about sound, music, and creativity. Create your own sound map as you listen and put what you hear into visual art!