McCord Gallery and Cultural Center
CALL FOR ARTISTS: "Pets-Our Animal Friends Exhibition"
Deadline to Enter: May 29, 2026
Find out more at: https://www.
Monday, May 4, 2026
Sunday, May 3, 2026
May's Meeting Kuminimo
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
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
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
Sunday, April 12, 2026
We played a Game, Exquisite Corpse
.jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
Thursday, April 2, 2026
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
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
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