On Aug. 24, the annual Garage Galleries will be underway in Forest Park for a 10th year. The event is a volunteer-driven neighborhood art walk that highlights the work of artists from Forest Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Residents will open their garages and transform them into temporary art galleries from noon to 6 p.m. The art on display includes a wide range of types including pottery, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, woodwork, and more.
A complete list of each gallery location and the artists can be found online at www.garagegalleriesfp.com. There will also be an interactive online map that locates the address of each gallery, which is available to be downloaded or printed.
The event is organized by the Garage Galleries committee in the Arts Alliance Forest Park. According to the alliance, of the 100 artists whose work is featured, about 70% – 80% are from the Forest Park neighborhood. Additional artists are based out of surrounding areas or suburbs including Berwyn, Riverside, Brookfield, LaGrange, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Naperville, Arlington Heights, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Champaign, and New Buffalo in Michigan.
Garage Galleries began in 2014 from the efforts of local artist Amy Turilli. When it began it included only two garages and was called “GarArt.” Turilli eventually left Forest Park and moved to California. Once the Arts Alliance committee took over the event the name was changed to Garage Galleries and has since grown year after year.
Part of the mission of the Arts Alliance Garage Galleries committee is not only host a wide variety of artists and artisans, but also showcase to visitors the creativity and talent pf Forest Park residents. The alliance said that some of the artists make their living in their creative fields, but few will live solely by their art.
One artist local to the Forest Park neighborhood is Bridget Lane who has been making pottery for over 50 years. Lane said she fell in love with pottery after taking an art class in Kewanee High School. Since then, she has participated in group studios and gathered knowledge from master potters to refine her craft.
“It’s just been a journey,” Lane said. “It’s the most incredibly relaxing and tranquil thing to do, and people really, really enjoy using something that’s this artistic for their everyday coffee, dessert plate, bowl they leave out with fruit in it. It’s just so much nicer than commercial stuff, and I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback.”
The artists featured in Garage Galleries each went through an application process overseen by the Arts Alliance committee. The process, which begins in April, requires applicants to submit examples of their works in the application. Only original pieces of art or a craft are accepted, as opposed to a piece produced from a kit or commercial pattern, the Arts Alliance committee said. Prints and reproductions by the artist are permitted.
While reviewing the applications, the committee said it prioritizes work that falls within the confines of fine art and craft without becoming pretentious or unapproachable. The creators of work that fall under more craft and less art are referred to the Arts Alliance Forest Park Makers’Market.