Arts & Entertainment

New Group Will Help Artists Connect, Promote Work

The Buffalo Grove Arts Commission's Artists League will provide opportunities for local artists to network, share talent with the public.

Buffalo Grove artists will soon have a new avenue for networking and, eventually, sharing their work.

The village’s Arts Commission is in the process of establishing an Artists League that will help connect local talent while providing more exposure for suburban artists.

“We have fabulous theater and music programs, but people think if they want to engage with the arts, they have to wait for the art fair or go to the city,” said Arts Commissioner Sharon Borstein, who is helping spearhead the creation of the new group along with fellow artist and commissioner Fred Weissman. “The reality is we have this amazing amount of talent right here in this area.”

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The Artists League will connect a variety of artists who will gather regularly to share their knowledge, market their work and raise awareness of the visual arts in the village.

In addition to Borstein, whose work includes sculpture, painting and letter arts, and Weissman, a wood turner woodworker, interested artists include a jeweler, glassblower and welder, Borstein said.

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She said she hopes the group will find spaces in the village — perhaps empty storefronts — to host pop-up galleries throughout the year to let the diverse group of artists showcase their work.

But first, more artists are needed. The group will hold its inaugural meeting next week to brainstorm ideas. Residents of Buffalo Grove and surrounding towns are invited to attend. Borstein said high school and college-age artists are also welcome.

“We’re not looking for hobbyists so much as we’re looking for artists,” she said. “I encourage anybody who’s making really cool stuff to come join us.”

Village President Elliott Hartstein praised the work of the Arts Commission, which organizes the village’s Invitational Fine Art Festival each summer. The Artists League, he said, is “another way of fostering the promotion of the arts in the community.”

Interested artists are invited to attend share ideas and samples of their work during the league’s kickoff meeting from 7-9 p.m. Jan. 24 at . RSVPs are requested. For more information, email BGArts@vbg.org, attn: Sharon Borstein/Carol Berman, or call 847-459-2518.


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