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Arts & Culture

We are proud to be a destination for arts and cultural programming in Geneva. Visit our lobby gallery to view curated exhibitions, open-call community shows, student work, and more. Our gallery’s mission is to bring informative and engaging exhibitions to our community and to promote the work of artists at all ages and stages of their careers, from local students to working professionals. 

Visit our 2nd-floor exhibition space to view Freya, the head and tail of the Viking ship dating back to 1893.

You will also find captivating public art throughout the Library campus. Please see below for information on our public art program.

To keep up to date with arts and culture programs at the Library, subscribe to our newsletter.

Current Gallery Exhibit
Land and Sea: Visions of Our Natural World
Land and Sea: Visions of Our Natural World
Artist(s): Charles Cassell, Thomas Celewicz, Rupali Kumbhani, and Katie Simcik
Dates on Display: September 2024-January 2025
Past Gallery Exhibits 2024
Prairie and Particles: Exploring Nature and Physics Through Cyanotype
Prairie and Particles: Exploring Nature and Physics Through Cyanotype
Artist(s): Georgia Schwender
Dates on Display: May 2024-September 2024

Georgia Schwender’s work is a visual exploration that intertwines the realms of high-energy physics research and the delicate ecosystem of the tallgrass prairie, both symbolizing our origins and the essence of continued learning. 

Georgia Schwender has been the visual arts coordinator at Fermilab National Laboratory since 2001, curating and coordinating over 100 exhibits. Her work has been exhibited nationally at the Schingoethe Museum/Aurora University, Woman Made Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Water Street Studios, and internationally at Stills Gallery, Scotland, and Quatre Villes Partenaires de Croissy, France.
Trust the Process
Trust the Process
Artist(s): GHS AP Art and Advanced Photography Students
Dates on Display: May 2024

Trust the Process featured work from students in the Geneva High School AP Art and Advanced Photography classes.
You Are Here
You Are Here
Artist(s): Members of the Geneva community
Dates on Display: February 2024-March 2024

You Are Here: A Community Art Exhibit, was part of the month-long One Book, One Community event. Interested artists were not given a specific theme for their submissions, but among the selected pieces, several themes emerged. Nature was a source of inspiration to many of the artists, while others drew from personal experiences, both joyful and heartbreaking. There were scenes of faraway destinations, as well as familiar local spots. Some artists worked in the abstract, while others created pieces that were stunningly realistic. Whether just starting out, or having worked for years as professional artists, this talented group of individuals showed that we are connected by what inspires us.
Past Gallery Exhibits 2023
Joshua Enck: Selected Sculptures
Joshua Enck: Selected Sculptures
Artist(s): Joshua Enck
Dates on Display: September 2023-January 2024

As a prelude to the installation of his sculpture, Hortus, in Dudley D. and Delores R. Malone Memorial Garden, the Library held an exhibition of wall-mounted and pedestal scale pieces by sculptor Joshua Enck. The show featured meticulously crafted abstract sculptures created by the artist at his studio in upstate New York.
The Big Picture of US
The Big Picture of US
Artist(s): Claudia Canon and Katherine Kratzer
Dates on Display: July 2023-September 2023

The Big Picture of US featured the work of artists Claudia Canon and Katherine Kratzer. This show was presented in partnership with the Geneva Foundation for the Arts.

“Paper is the language we choose to tell a story about what matters to us. Nature is beautiful, powerful, and ever evolving. By manipulating paper into themes of nature, we explore both the problems and the possibilities of our world.” --Claudia Canon and Katherine Kratzer
Inner Experiences
Inner Experiences
Artist(s): Dimitri Pavlotsky
Dates on Display: June 2023-July 2023

The Library, in partnership with the Geneva Foundation for the Arts, hosted the exhibition Inner Experiences, featuring the work of Chicago-based artist Dimitri Pavlotsky. His work explores the figure by creating interior emotional landscapes. The direction of his prolific art practice has evolved from a thirst for whimsy and self-expression, and as a reaction to his previous academic training and successful career in architecture.
Guided Ramblings
Guided Ramblings
Artist(s): GHS AP Art and Advanced Photography Students
Dates on Display: May 2023

The student in Geneva High School’s AP Art and Advanced Photography classes showcased their portfolio pieces in this group exhibit.
Interior Painting
Interior Painting
Artist(s): Anna Lentz
Dates on Display: March 2023-April 2024

Anna Lentz is a visual artist and arts educator living in Dundee, IL. Her paintings and textiles rely heavily on bright, saturated colors that demand to be looked at. Lentz is inspired by the natural worlds of her woodland home where she practices conservation and agroforestry.
Translucent, Transparent, Opaque
Translucent, Transparent, Opaque
Artist(s): Alison Balcanoff
Dates on Display: March 2023-May 2023

The Library hosted work by Alison Balcanoff as part of the group exhibition, Translucent, Transparent, Opaque, held at the Geneva Center for the Arts. Balcanoff’s intricate cut paper artwork is layered and stacked to make free-flowing and gorgeous reference to the natural world.

This exhibit was presented in conjunction with the Geneva Foundation for the Arts
Prairie Passage
Prairie Passage
Artist(s): Joanne Aono
Dates on Display: January 2023-March 2023

The lobby gallery hosted selections from Joanne Aono’s Prairie Passage exhibition at the Geneva Center for the Arts. Prairie Passage consisted of drawings and an installation referencing the wild and cultivated plants that have grown on the prairie, providing food for the area’s inhabitants throughout history.

This exhibit was presented in conjunction with the Geneva Foundation for the Arts
Second Floor Exhibition Space
FreyaIn our second floor exhibition space you will see Freya, the head and tail of the ship Viking that is currently on display in Good Templar Park on Geneva’s east side. Her journey to Geneva began when she sailed from Norway to the U.S. for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The Viking’s popularity at the Fair touched off a worldwide fascination with Viking lore and culture, which we still see to this day.

Visit the second floor of the Library to see Freya in person, learn more about her history, and browse our collection of Viking inspired books and other materials.
Public Art
Nick Bottom
Nick Bottom
Artist(s): Ray Kobald
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Bronze
Date:
Description:
Hortus
Hortus
Artist(s): Joshua Enck
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Korten steel
Date:
Description:
Willow
Willow
Artist(s): R.C. Anderson
Medium: Sculpture
Material:
Date:
Description: