Legacies: Selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum Permanent Collection

CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams

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The McCormick House 

Nothing says America like listening to a Barbershop Quartet and eating Ice Cream! For our annual Visitor Appreciation Day, the Museum hosts strolling performances in the galleries and museum campus featuring the vocal stylings of Brew City Harmony. The quartet specializes in Barbershop, which is a truly original American musical art form, emerging here in the late 1800s largely from the same African harmonic and rhythmic heritage that produced Gospel, Ragtime and Dixieland jazz. This don’t-miss event is for all-ages.  

Enjoy the live musical performances, which are included with museum admission, and experience the two exhibitions on view - *Legacies: Selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum Permanent Collection* and *CROSSINGS* by Bernard Williams.

__More about Brew City Harmony:__

Brew City Harmony is Niel Johnson, Rick VanGomple, Bruce Vitale, and John Peters. The quartet draws together these four members of the Barbershop Harmony Society from several choruses in the Milwaukee area, with combined Barbershopping experience totaling 125 years!

Sung in four-part harmony, without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), Barbershop differs from traditional choral music by placing the melody (Barbershop “lead”) in the middle rather than highest voice part, with a high tenor harmonizing above, a bass singer providing foundational harmonies below, and a baritone sweetening the mix with intricate harmonies in-between. Historically sung with improvised harmony (typically among men loitering in local barber shops), today’s Barbershop music is artfully arranged to create unusual chords designed to “ring” with resonant overtones. 

Formed in 1938 to preserve and promote this style of singing, the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) today comprises more than 14,000 members. Approximately 670 choruses and more than 1800 quartets perform in the U.S. and Canada (both male and female) as part of BHS, with thousands more among affiliated organizations in at least 11 other countries contributing to an estimated total of 70,000 Barbershoppers worldwide.  


Red, White, and Tunes

Just 90 miles from Elmhurst, this special day trip to Harbor Country, Michigan will introduce you to a private sculpture garden and artists' studios in a beautiful setting. Meet longtime collectors, artist Janis Kanter and Chicago gallery owner, Tom McCormick and hear from them about their passion for outdoor sculpture. The trip includes transportation, catered lunch, studio visits with artists, and a visit to the incredible 13 acre property. 

This events is exclusively for EAM members. Contact Jenn Guistolise, Manager of Individual Giving at (630) 834-0202 x 13,to learn more about membership, or [enroll here.](https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/support/membership)

[Purchase tickets to Art in the Prairie.](https://shop.elmhurstartmuseum.org/collections/online-shop/products/art-on-the-prairie-day-trip "Art in the Prairie tickets")

 Day trip: Art on the Prairie

Elmhurst Art Museum in partnership with the [Chicago Film Archives (CFA)](https://www.chicagofilmarchives.org/) presents an evening screening of selected short films from the Chicago Film Archives Media Mixers series. This project pairs visual and sound artists who collaborate to make new video work using archival footage from the CFA collection. 

The evening includes snacks and an opportunity to view the summer exhibitions. 

This is a ticketed event.[ Purchase Tickets](https://shop.elmhurstartmuseum.org/collections/online-shop/products/film-screening-a-collection-of-short-films-from-the-chicago-film-archives-media-mixer "Film Ticket Purchase")

Image: *The Mermaid* (2020) — 8 min
Concept & Edit by: Jean Sousa / Music by: Kioto Aoki
Commissioned by Chicago Film Archives for the 2020 Media Mixer

Film Screening: 

Interested in collecting art, or curious how to get started? Join us for a salon-style program and learn about buying artwork specific to your needs. *Not Just Another Pretty Face* is a triennial program created by [Hyde Park Art Center](https://www.hydeparkart.org/) in the mid-1990s that introduces artists to potential art buyers. This project facilitates a fun and accessible commissioning process that builds lasting relationships between artists and patrons, creates a new base of support for artists, and invests in the vitality of Chicago’s cultural community.

To date, the Art Center has raised more than $1,000,000 — half of which goes directly into the hands of artists, with the other half supporting Art Center programs. Through Not Just Another Pretty Face, 375+ original works of art have been commissioned by 275 new and established collectors interested in investing in Chicago’s artists.

This event is presented at the Museum in conjunction with the exhibition [*Legacies: Selected work from the Elmhurst Art Museum Permanent Collection.* ](https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/exhibitions/Legacies:%20Selections%20from%20the%20Elmhurst%20Art%20Museum's%20Permanent%20Collection "Legacies")

Contact Jenn Guistolise, Manager of Individual Giving at (630) 834-0202 x 13, for more information.

Image: Mayumi Lake, *Lucent Petals*, 2023, pigment print, gold leaf, resin, wood, 28 x 26 x 2 inches. Commissioned by Claire Rice. Image courtesy of Hyde Park Art Center.


Not Just Another Pretty Face Salon For Members

Join us for *__Aces & Art__*: A Night of Luck and Giving at Elmhurst Art Museum*; an evening filled with style, and a touch of casino-night fun — all in support of the museum’s exhibitions and education programs.

The evening includes:

• Gaming tables of Roulette, blackjack, craps, and more put the fun in FUNdraising!

• Complimentary cocktails & delicious bites

• DJ and dancing 

• Raffles, artful prizes & surprises 

Whether you're feeling lucky or just love a night out surrounded by creativity, this is the can't-miss event of the season. Tickets go on sale for $150 on July 1, 2025. 

Special thanks to the *Aces & Art* Committee:

Jen Blanchette

Alina Cahill

Kristi Bieber Gibbs

Christina Kanno

Kierstin Madda

Karen O'Keefe

Kate Subramanian

Karon Sullivan

Christina Witt


Legacies: Selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum Permanent Collection

Contemporary and Modern Art & Design gems that you never knew you needed to know!

CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams

New Public Sculpture traverses the Museum's campus!

Create & Learn - Sign up for a Camp or Class Today

The McCormick House

Experience contemporary art by Bernard Williams in this single family home designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Elmhurst Art Museum: Where art is for everyone

Events

Upcoming Events

Red, White, and Tunes

Day trip: Art on the Prairie

Film Screening:

Not Just Another Pretty Face Salon For Members

Aces & Art

Mon - Tues	closed
Wed - Thurs	12 – 5
Fri - Sun	11 – 5