Arts & Culture

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.

Learn More About the Artist Reception

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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