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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.

In our 2nd floor exhibition space you will find Freya, the head and tail of the Viking ship which sailed from Norway to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, as well as two scale models of the Geneva Public Library’s old and new buildings, constructed entirely from LEGO® bricks.

Our library’s campus is also home to several engaging pieces of public art. Click the buttons below for more information.

Current Gallery Exhibit

Dream Garden

Artist(s): Ana Žanić
Dates on Display: September 2025 - January 2026 | Artists’ Reception November 18, 6-7:30pm

Ana Žanić’s watercolor paintings are both an exploration of the formal visual elements, as well as her personal feelings through an intuitive, spontaneous process. Reminiscent of imaginary landscapes, her organic abstractions bring to mind abandoned landscapes, ancient scribbles, notions of the undersea life, amoebic flows, and distant constellations. Her distinct fluid forms evolve through layers of transparent washes. The emphasis on the mark-making in Žanić’s work is closely tied to calligraphy, language, and symbolic communication. Žanić holds an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and is in notable private and public collections worldwide, including the prestigious Agnes Gund Collection in New York. She lives and works in Geneva.

Past Gallery Exhibits 2025

Through My Eyes

Artist(s): Members of Geneva Public Library’s community outreach programs, in partnership with Books and Beyond, Joshua Tree, Marklund, Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative, and Rising Lights Project.
Dates on Display: June-September 2025 | Artists’ Reception July 1, 3:30-5pm

Discover the power of perspective in Through My Eyes, an inspiring art exhibition showcasing the work of artists from Geneva Public Library’s community outreach programs. Each piece offers a window into the artist’s individual experience, celebrating creativity, self-expression, and the meaningful connections built through art.

Phoenix on Fire

Artist(s): Student artists from Geneva High School's AP Art and Photography programs.
Dates on Display: May 2025

Participating artists in this exhibition include:

Audrey Arima
Emilie Beaupre
Ethan Benning
Cecilia DeAngelis
Layla Flowers
Lucy Hansing
Andrew Hosman
Willow Houck
Dylan Johnson
Amanda Kirschbaum
John Kozlowski
Aubrey Kraus
Koi Lapsley
Lily McConnell
Emma Nolan
Wrenn Stanfield
Noemi Zacarias

Tell Your Story: A Community Art Exhibit

Artist(s): Members of the Geneva Community
Dates on Display: February 2025-April 2025

Tell Your Story: A Community Art Exhibit is part of the annual One Book, One Community event. Local artists were invited to share artwork that tells their stories, either through their experiences, inspiration, or the materials that shape their artistic practice. Over 40 local artists' work is on display, ranging from painting, to photography, to ceramics and fiber arts. Come explore the exhibit and celebrate the talent right here in our community. An artists' reception will take place on March 27, 6-7:30 p.m.

Past Gallery Exhibits 2024

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

Land and Sea is a visual exploration of the natural world, showcasing land- and seascapes that invite contemplation and celebrate the beauty of nature. Participating artists include Charles Cassell, Thomas Celewicz, Rupali Kumbhani, and Katie Simcik.

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.

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

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

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

Artist(s): Joshua Enck
Dates on Display: September 2023-January 2024

As a prelude to the installation of his sculpture, Hortus, in the 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

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

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 a successful career in architecture.

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

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

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

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

Freya

Freya is the head and tail of the Viking ship that sailed from Norway to the United States for the 1893 World’s Fair. Standing over 8 feet tall, Freya is an impressive example of Scandinavian craftsmanship. Visit the 2nd floor display to learn more about Freya’s history and see other Viking artifacts.

Freya is on loan from the Friends of the Viking Ship.

LEGO Models

Also in the 2nd floor exhibition space are two scale models, one of the original Geneva Public Library building on James Street, and one of the new building on Seventh Street. Each of the models was carefully constructed from thousands of LEGO® bricks, by artist Matt De Lanoy.

The Seventh Street Building model was generously sponsored by the Geneva Library Foundation.

Public Art

Nick Bottom

Artist(s): Ray Kobald
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Bronze
Description: Commissioned by the Friends of the Library, with additional community funding, this charming bronze statue of the famous character from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was created by artist Ray Kobald in 2005. After living many years in the garden of the old Library building, Nick Bottom was carefully reinstalled at his new home in the eastern alcove of the Library building. Keen observers will note that Nick Bottom is also visible from within the lobby gallery.

Joy

Artist(s): Cecilia Lueza
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Powder-coated aluminum
Description: Commissioned by the Friends of the Library, Joy celebrates the beauty of nature and the concept of community. The sculpture’s dynamic composition consists of a white circular shape from which butterflies of different species and sizes seem to emerge to take flight. The circle symbolizes unity and balance, while the butterflies represent connections and interactions.

Hortus

Artist(s): Joshua Enck
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Corten steel
Description: Hortus was commissioned by the Dudley D. and Delores R. Malone Family Foundation for their namesake Memorial Garden. Created by sculptor Joshua Enck, it is comprised of Corten steel and stands 14 feet tall. The whimsical flowers in bright, primary colors evoke Swedish design and provide a pleasant contrast to the natural hues of the Library building.

Willow

Artist(s): R.C. Anderson
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Steel and brass
Description: Willow is an interactive garden kaleidoscope sculpture, commissioned with generous funding from donors Ken and Sharon Celic. The sculpture was designed by R.C. Anderson, an artist based in Door County, Wisconsin. Willow’s three teleidoscopes of varying height focus on a central planter bowl that rotates, creating a delightful kaleidoscope effect. The planter is changed out seasonally, emphasizing the dynamic and playful nature of the sculpture.

Arts & Culture

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