May and June's Meeting Information, No Meeting in July

 Meeting Information

May 3 - Noon to 2:30  Basic Kumihimo - the art of Japanese braiding by Betty Kirk.  Joan Lucht runs the meeting.

Learn how to make a braid or two. Examples of many braids will be presented as well as the applications of braids.

Betty taught elementary school art and has taught weaving at Joliet Junior College. She has been a speaker and workshop leader at local guilds as well as at regional fiber conferences. She has won awards for her work and she sells her work at art fairs in the Chicago area. Check out her website https://bbkirk.com

 

 

June 7 Noon to 2:30   Swan Lake Mixed-Media Collage by Jennifer Rizzo 

Jennifer is the artist and creator behind jenniferrizzo.com. She also owns a retail store and art studio space, Jennifer Rizzo Design Company Home + Studio in Lisle IL, where she teaches hands-on art and creative workshops. Jennifer has been teaching art workshops for over 16 years and specializes in mixed-media collage, watercolor, acrylic, and clay. As a content creator, she has been featured in and produced projects for over 20 publications, including Country Living, Somerset Life, Art Dolls, Prims, Sew Somerset, Somerset Home, Romantic Homes, Oprah.com, This Old House, and WGN Channel 9 news segments.
Presentation and workshop: Swan Lake Mixed-Media Collage. Jennifer will provide matboards, vellum, stamps and ink pads, and a packet of ephemera cut-out pieces. 

Supplies to bring: Scissors, glue sticks or other adhesives, plastic tablecloth or large sheet of paper to protect the tables, baby wipes or a cloth for clean up, ruler. Optional: pens, colored pencils. Joan Petranovich runs the meeting.

 

July  -  No meeting

August 2 - Work day 

 

MEMBERSHIP

Membership for 2026 – 2027 renews on April 1. Please make checks payable to Midwest Collage Society in the amount of $20. If you are also interested in joining the National Collage Society, dues are an additional $35.

A membership form is attached. Please send the completed form and your check to:
Midwest Collage Society
c/o Joan Petranovich
1513 Maple Ave
Downers Grove IL 60515
If you have any questions, please contact Joan at 630-512-0141 or dijitize@aol.com.

 

EXHIBITS

Relational Relevance 

August 29 through October 23, at the Holmstad in Batavia. 

This will be a judged show with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place with monetary awards

 and  honorable mention ribbons. 

Bring your bio up to date and be ready to provide a photo of your work for advertising. 

We will need to hang the exhibit ourselves and we are looking for volunteers. 

Adrienne Austin and Joan Lucht will take the lead.

 

Exquisite Corpse

April's Meeting all good standing members of MCS received their free packet of 3 wood panels, 

d-strap hangers and wire with templates. At this point the MCS Board approved the purchase 

for its members to do this exhibit project. If you are a member and didn't receive a packet and

would like to do this exhibition project please contact Laura at lonecrow4@gmail.com to 

pick up one. Not all members need to do this; there may be an opportunity for other collage 

work to be exhibited at Indian Prairie Public Library in November 2026.  Please be aware that 

August's Meeting will be a workday session, 9:30-2:30 for working on any collage work you 

would like including the three panels for the exquisite corpse exhibit. It would be a 

great time to take a peek at what everyone is doing in progress before hanging day.

Your wood panels can have a painted background but we hope that you will be creative as can be 

and collage it.  The side of the panels can be collaged or painted too.

Please remember that this exhibit may travel around to other exhibit opportunities so it's

 important to stick with just papers glued to the board and any items that are 3-D will need to

 be securely adhered.  Best to just stick with collage-papers.

More detail will be put in the newsletter as we get closer to November for the exhibit details.  

It's just time to create.

 

FALL CREATIVE ARTISTS RETREAT

September 23 to 27, 2026 at Camp Alexander Mack in Milford, Indiana

Don't miss the fun and gorgeous sunsets!

Early Bird fee of $370 or a deposit of $150 by June 30, 2026 and $220 due by July 31.

Registration after July 31 will be $390.

Registration form with additional information is attached.

                                                 

IMPORTANT!!!

MCS has been a group of well educated collage artists meeting for over 23 years, exhibiting all

over Chicagoland while educating our viewers about collage as an art form.

At this time we have members who are filling multiple positions and they are in need of a break.

Please consider taking a leadership role:

President, Vice President, Program/Education Chairperson, Exhibit Chairperson

If you have questions about any of these volunteer board positions please see the details under By-Laws on the Midwest Collage Society blog 

 

We played a Game, Exquisite Corpse

 

We gathered our supplies, Magazines, Glue Sticks and scissors.  With minutes between each segment we cut tore and glue down the section to resemble figures, real and imagery.   A bit frustrating because were rushed by our instructor...Laura, but we were able to complete them in enough time to gather up our three wood panels for the real deal later this year.  But really we had a good time, would have been more fun to pull our the images before hand we we would be ready for a quicker game, it was shared.  Limits and surprise and quick reaction lead to spontaneity laughter and good old fashion goofiness.  

Members will be hang their collage work at Indian Prairie Public Library in the Fall. Each member that is in good standing were offered three wood panels to work on three different body parts so we can hang them all.  

This a way to wrap the wire for pictures frames when using the D-strap hangers that each were giving.  

Members EX. Corpse Info

April's Meeting and Exhibits

 

MEETINGS

April 12 - Noon - 2:30  Exquisite Corpse Game and materials pickup (see below)

Each member will receive a piece of drawing paper 9 x 12 with instructions on how to fold the paper and on how to play the game. We will be passing the game piece around and having everyone take part in this game.
Supplies you will need to bring.

· Magazines with images of people or animals and interesting things

· Scissors

· a few glue sticks

· dollar store plastic tablecloth or large sheet of paper to protect the tables.

· baby wipes or a cloth that can be moistened for clean up.

· Ruler

· Pencil, (optional pens, geli pens, stabilo or colored pencils.)

Exquisite Corpse Exhibit Materials Pick Up
If you have signed up for the Three- 8 x 8 wooden panels this will be the meeting to come and pick them up. You will receive panels and D strap hangers with screws for the back.  Three templates will be given for identifying the placement of the body sections.

There is plenty of time to create these three pieces for the exhibit at Indian Prairie Public Library in November 2026. August 2nd meeting will be set aside for a Work Day where members can bring their wood panels and work on them together or other collage art if they have finished them already. Please note you need to be a 2026-2027 new member or renewed member to receive these panels at April's Meeting.

 

May 3 - Noon to 2:30  Basic Kumihimo - the art of Japanese braiding by Betty Kirk. 

Learn how to make a braid or two. Examples of many braids will be presented as well as the applications of braids.

Betty taught elementary school art and has taught weaving at Joliet Junior College. She has been a speaker and workshop leader at local guilds as well as at regional fiber conferences. She has won awards for her work and she sells her work at art fairs in the Chicago area. Check out her website https://bbkirk.com

Material Fee is $3.00 per person. 

Joan Lucht runs the meeting. 

 

June 7 Noon to 2:30  Speaker needed

July  -  No meeting

August 2 - Work day-Exquisite Corpse 

 

MEMBERSHIP

Membership for 2026 – 2027 renews on April 1. Please make checks payable to Midwest Collage Society in the amount of $20. If you are also interested in joining the National Collage Society, dues are an additional $35.

Membership Form  Please send the completed form and your check to:
Midwest Collage Society
c/o Joan Petranovich
1513 Maple Ave
Downers Grove IL 60515
If you have any questions, please contact Joan at 630-512-0141 or dijitize@aol.com.

EXHIBITS

Downers Grove Library  1050 Curtis St., Downers Grove, IL

Run dates March 6-April 7, 2026
Pick up on Saturday, April 11 from 10 - 11 a.m.

 

Future Exhibit

August 28 through October 23, at the Holmstad in Batavia. 

This will be a judged show with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and honorable mention ribbons. 

We will need to hang the exhibit ourselves and we are looking for a volunteer. 

Theme will be announced in the May newsletter. Reply to this newsletter with suggestions.

Adrienne Austin and Joan Lucht will take the lead. 

 

FALL CREATIVE ARTISTS RETREAT

September 23 to 27, 2026 at Camp Alexander Mack in Milford, Indiana

Let the fun begin! 

Early Bird fee of $370 or a deposit of $150 by June 30, 2026 and $220 due by July 31.

Registration after July 31 will be $390.

Registration form with additional information Link HERE

                  

                    

 

MEMBERS

Laura Lein-Svencner is presenting a Two Day Intuitive Collage Workshop at McCord Gallery 

and Culture Center, 9602 W. Creek Road Palos Park, IL 60464 

Saturday April 18th-Sunday April 18th, 9:30-3:30 each day

Call to Register 708.671.0648  OR office@mccordgallery.org

A CALL FOR ART

TLD Design Center and Gallery in Westmont

Link to Enter

 

ART SUPPLIES

Bonnie VanDine has closed her curated paper arts & crafts shop on Etsy. She has a lot of 

wonderful stock left that she was unable to sell and is offering everything at steep discounts.
Items include but not limited to 12 X 12 papercraft kits, pads, 6 X 6 pads, cling stamp sets, 

furniture decor transfers,  Italian letter writing sets, wax seal initial sets, Murano glass pen sets, die cuts, German glass glitter, German scrap relief sheets, vintage music sheets , etc.
Please reply via email Bonniemarie20@comcast.net or phone or text: 630 291-4777
She is in unincorporated West Chicago near Warrenville & Wheaton