Activities are included with museum admission; members are free.  

Celebrate the winter holidays at the art museum with a visit from Santa (2:00-3:30 pm)
and a card making activity. Create festive decor in honor of the holiday season.


All Ages Holiday Party

This tour is included with museum admission; members are free.  

Join mural artist Rafael Blanco on a tour of his solo exhibition to explore how he reimagined rejected mural designs from cities across the country to create these new exhibition. Gain insights into Rafael’s personal journey turning refusal into renewal by using rejection as a motivation.

This exhibition is sponsored by Wintrust Bank with additional support from the Tom Watson and Mary Cunningham Family Charitable Fund, the Illinois Arts Council, Discover DuPage, and Enjoy Illinois.   

Image credit: Rafael Blanco. *The Jump* (detail), Mural Study, 2014. 60” x 125”

Artist-led Exhibition Tour: Rafael Blanco

Exhibition: December 1st to January 5th, 2025

Featured Artist: Jennifer Starchvill 

Jennifer Starchvill is a former graphic designer, admirer of typography & crisp, clean lines, deeply inspired by our ancestral creators of petroglyphs found globally on cave walls and canyon floors. A child of the 70’s she is also quite drawn to the hip, cool, modern aesthetics of the mid 20th century & has been deeply influenced by her childhood television favorites: The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Sesame Street & The Electric Company. 

Her work is being highlighted under the banner of EVERCONNECTED this December at the Elmhurst Artists' Guild's feature wall during this year's Winter Members' Show. This show within a show celebrates how a simple act of connecting one shape to another forms unique icons (glyphs) that tell brief, fun stories or invite insightful commentary on modern ideas with themes from nature and family to technology and maybe even politics.    

Image: Jennifer Starchvill, *Mandala on Purple*, 24"x 24", acrylic painting on canvas, 2024.


Opening Reception:  Elmhurst Artists' Guild Winter Members' Show

Included with museum admission; members are free.   

In celebration of Rafael Blanco’s works as a public artist, fabricate a mural with various media on your own mini paper “wall”. Participants can adapt large-scale techniques to a smaller scale.


Create with Us: Mini Murals

(November 12, 2024 - CHICAGO) The Elmhurst Art Museum announces the appointment of Allison Peters Quinn to Executive Director and Chief Curator. An established curator, educator, and art writer based in Chicago, Peters Quinn will spearhead the Elmhurst Art Museum’s mission to spark cultural enrichment and serve as “a creative space where art is for everyone.” With her significant background presenting thought-provoking, diverse exhibitions and programming, Peters Quinn will expand the museum’s role as a cultural leader in the Chicagoland area for contemporary art, arts education, and mid-century modern architecture. Peters Quinn succeeds former Executive Director John McKinnon and Interim Executive Director Ann Quinn Kelly and begins her role effective December 2, 2024.

Peters Quinn says, “Elmhurst Art Museum brings together contemporary art, education, community, and authentic modern architecture to establish a welcoming, intentional space for culture and creativity. Sharing the museum’s belief that ‘art is for everyone’, I see exciting opportunities for the institution to expand its impact through this commitment to radical accessibility. My work over the past twenty years has been dedicated to bringing diverse audiences into civic dialog through looking at, experiencing, and making art – all of which will complement the inclusive programming at the museum. I look forward to building on the deep relationships with artists and institutional partnerships I have established in Chicago and around the world and working with the outstanding Board of Directors and staff to take the museum to the next level as an accredited and visionary leader in the field.”

As Executive Director and Chief Curator, Peters Quinn will oversee the programming and operations of the 15,000-square-foot museum campus, including its art galleries, studio classrooms, gathering spaces, and the on-campus McCormick House, a single-family home designed in 1952 by the iconic 20th century architect Mies van der Rohe. Peters Quinn builds on the recent momentum of the museum, which welcomed nearly 15,000 visitors to exhibitions and approximately 20,000 to outdoor community projects in 2023, including visitors to its annual Art in Wilder Park juried art fair.

Peters Quinn comes to the Elmhurst Art Museum from the Hyde Park Art Center where she served as Director of Exhibitions and Residency Programs. Throughout her twenty-year tenure at the Art Center, Peters Quinn mounted career-altering exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists who are now well-recognized, such as Theaster Gates, Edra Soto, Cándida Alvarez, Faheem Majeed, Fo Wison, Jim Duigan, and Lan Tuazon.

Peters Quinn’s exhibitions feature social and environmental justice as a central focus, highlighting artists who engage the public in conversations and actions towards community change. Identifying and presenting Chicago artists through the lens of the social, political, ecological, and educational concerns of our time, Peters Quinn provides a critical platform for artists to take risks and realize large scale projects, launching artists into the next chapters of their careers. 

“On behalf of the Elmhurst Art Museum’s Board of Directors, I am thrilled that Allison Peters Quinn will be the museum’s next Executive Director and Chief Curator,” stated Board Chair of the Elmhurst Art Museum Joseph R. Jeffery. “Allison has earned a reputation as a creative and thoughtful leader, curator, and educator. Those talents align perfectly with the museum’s mission to serve as ‘a creative space where art is for everyone’. Allison’s decades of experience working within the Chicago artist community will allow her to draw on her deep connections to Chicago’s emerging and mid-career artists, arts patrons, galleries, and museums to ensure the museum continues to offer the engaging and impactful exhibitions for which it is known. We are beyond excited about all that Allison brings to the Elmhurst Art Museum and look forward to its next chapter under her leadership.”

Throughout her career, Peters Quinn has regularly advocated for the need for resources for artists in the form of studio space, financial support, and mentorship. Peters Quinn led Hyde Park Art Center in developing a commissioning program that pays Chicago artists to realize ambitious new artworks and installations and designed a Residency program that advanced the Art Center’s strengths in caring for artists. She also established the Artists Run Chicago Fund, which has distributed over one million dollars to nearly 100 artist-run platforms since 2020.  By building networks, encouraging new ideas, and providing opportunities for growth, Peters Quinn nurtures artistic practices in all career stages. 

At the Elmhurst Art Museum, Peters Quinn will continue to champion the work of artists from diverse backgrounds of knowledge and experience, reflecting the priorities and strengths of the museum’s exhibition program. Its recent exhibitions Rafael Blanco: Reflecting on a Decade of Public Art (2024), Norman Teague: A Love Supreme (2024), and Sentrock: The Boy Who Wanted to Fly (2023) offered first solo museum exhibitions to rising Chicagoland artists with a focus on supporting bold new commissions and site-specific works.

Deepening the museum’s investment in its community, Peters Quinn looks forward to building on the Elmhurst Art Museum’s long history of collaborating with its artists, students, staff, neighbors, and local organizations to create welcoming and educational programming for all ages. Peters Quinn’s wealth of experience in accessible art education will ensure the continued growth and quality of the museum’s youth and adult classes, camps, community workshops, and school tours.

Awarded the Ramapo College Curatorial Prize, Quinn has served as juror for national art organizations including the Artadia Award, Efroymson Award, Nohl Award, Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship, and the Ragdale Foundation, among others. Her ongoing work with alternative art spaces has led to her invitation to the Founding Board for Narrow Bridge Art Club in Woodlawn.

Texts by Peters Quinn on the historical relevance of contemporary artists’ practices have appeared in art anthologies, journals, and catalogs including Stockyard Institute: 25 Years of Art and Radical Pedagogy (DePaul Art Museum, 2023), Service Media: Is it Public Art or Art in Public Space (Green Lantern Press, 2013), and The Artists Run Chicago Digest (Three Walls, 2009) in addition to artists’ monographic publications through Hyde Park Art Center on dozens of artists like Susan Giles, Dutes & Shellabarger, and Jefferson Pinder.

Peters Quinn seeks out opportunities to mentor and teach emerging art administrators, curators, and artists to encourage dynamic conversations in art and culture. She has taught curatorial practice courses for the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and the University of Chicago Graham School and a Business in the Visual Arts course at Columbia College Chicago. She earned her MA at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, and BA at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. 

ABOUT THE ELMHURST ART MUSEUM 
The Elmhurst Art Museum is located at 150 South Cottage Hill Avenue in Elmhurst (IL), 25 minutes from downtown Chicago by car or public transportation (Metra). On the museum’s campus is the McCormick House, a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th Century. The McCormick House is one of only three residences designed and built by van der Rohe in the United States – and one of only two open to the public.

The Museum is open Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Regular admission prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors 65+, $10 for students (ages 18+) with school ID, $5 for children 5-17, and free for children under 5. For more information, please call 630.834.0202 or visit elmhurstartmuseum.org. 

# # #

Image: Allison Peters Quinn, photo by Tone Stockenstrom Photography.


The Elmhurst Art Museum Announces the Appointment of Allison Peters Quinn to Executive Director & Chief Curator

$23 for Non-members, Free to Members

Join us to learn more about the unique history and design of Mies van der Rohe's 1952 McCormick House.

Tours are led by museum docents. Capacity is limited and spots sell out, so advance tickets are recommended. Your ticket for the tour includes admission to the rest of the museum. Please check-in at the Front Desk of the museum upon your arrival.

__About the McCormick House __

The McCormick House is a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th Century. It is one of only three free-standing residences designed and built by Mies in the United States--and one of only two open to the public.

McCormick House Tour

6 pm — Early access for museum members and exhibition VIPs. Members are entitled to the number of free admissions that correspond with their membership level. Member RSVP required and link can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TpdvizeTaU0uHmQjE7XstA2Sl9jaNM_mRbkJ8x75XTY/edit).

7 pm — Non-member ticketed entry. Non-members tickets can be purchased [here](https://shop.elmhurstartmuseum.org/collections/online-shop/products/sustenance-land-opening-reception-ticket).

Join us to celebrate the opening of __Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth__ and the accompanying exhibition of photographs from the Museum’s permanent collection in the McCormick House by Joe Jachna and Michael Tropea.

Enjoy light bites, beverages, and lively conversation with the artists and fellow EAM members.

Image credit: Tomiko Jones, *These Grand Places*, (detail). Digital Image collage: BW photograph with cyanotype overlay, 2020. Dimensions variable.

Sustenance & Land:  Opening Reception

The McCormick House is a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th Century. It is one of only three free-standing residences designed and built by Mies in the United States--and one of only two open to the public.   

Join us to learn more about its unique history and design.  Museum docents lead tours. Capacity is limited, so we recommend that you secure tickets in advance. Elmhurst Art Museum members are free. Please call us at 630.834.0202 x10 or email us at info@elmhurstartmuseum.org to obtain the discount code to redeem your free ticket. Tickets for non-members are available online ($23). Your ticket for the tour includes admission to the rest of the museum. Please check in at the museum's front desk upon your arrival.     

Image of McCormick House interior by Liz Chilsen, photographer.

*text in italic*Artists exhibiting in __Sustenance & Land__ will share insights into their work in an informal conversation and exhibition walk-through. Learn about their art and their perspectives on our relationship with the earth. The event includes brief presentations and a Q&A with the artists.

This program is included with museum admission. Members are free.   

Image: Chunbo Zhang, *Greasy Cheeseburger* from the Food Treasure Series, 36" x 48", acrylic on canvas, 2023


Artist Talk & Exhibition Walk-Through: Sustenance & Land

$40 for Non Members / $30 for Members.  

Tickets can be purchased [here](https://shop.elmhurstartmuseum.org/collections/online-shop/products/the-seldoms-dance-performance-an-evening-of-dance-inspired-by-the-earth).

Join us for an unforgettable evening with The Seldoms, Chicago’s acclaimed dance troupe, as they perform excerpts from three celebrated works; *Floe* (2020), *GRASS* (2021), and *Superbloom* (2023). Inspired by nature, exploring themes of climate, growth and transformation, these innovative works are followed by a lively discussion with the dancers. Enjoy light bites, beverages, and the chance to view the exhibition — an ideal pre-Valentine’s Day night out.

Image Credit: The Seldoms in *Superbloom*, photo by William Frederking.

The Seldoms: An Evening Of Dance Inspired By The Earth

In this hands-on, sensory workshop with soil scientist /ecologist Nance Klehm of Social Ecologies, participants will be in-vited to touch, smell, examine and learn to ‘read’ many different soils, sands, and clays gathered from many places in the Midwest. This collective reading will dig into themes from the exhibition and offer newfound appreciation and insight into the soil beneath our feet. Activity is appropriate to ages 10 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

This program is included with museum admission. Members are free.   

Image Credit: Claire Pentecost. *Our Bodies Our Soils Shelves*

Soil Reading

Want to play with your food? Inspired by works on view at the museum, we’ll use images of food to create whimsical landscapes. From 1:00 - 1:30 pm, exhibiting artists Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman will give a short introduction to their process and share works by artists who have used art and food to express myriad views of the world, followed by drop-in hands-on collage-making from 1:30 - 4:00 pm. This collage-
making activity will help visitors explore the relationships between food, our environments, and ourselves.

The activity is included with museum admission. Members are free.   

Image credit: Barbara Ciurej + Lindsay Lochman. *Fruit Loops Landscape from Processed Views: Surveying the Industrial Landscape*, Pigment print, 45 x 54 inches 2016

Create with Us: Landscape Collages

The McCormick House is a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th Century. It is one of only three free-standing residences designed and built by Mies in the United States--and one of only two open to the public.   

Join us to learn more about the unique history and design of Mies van der Rohe's 1952 McCormick House. Tours are led by museum docents and are approximately 1-hour in length.  Capacity is limited and spots sell out quickly, so advance tickets are recommended.  Your ticket for the tour includes admission to the rest of the museum. Please check-in at the Front Desk of the museum upon your arrival.  You may view the museum exhibitions either before or after the tour.

Image of McCormick House interior by Liz Chilsen, photographer.

$25 for Non Members / $15 for Members.    
Tickets can be purchased [here](https://shop.elmhurstartmuseum.org/collections/online-shop/products/poetry-workshop-what-sustains-us).

5:30 - 6:00 pm: Museum opens to participants for exhibition viewing   
6:00 - 8:00 pm: Poetry workshop   

In celebration of National Poetry Month and inspired by the spring exhibition, we invite community members to join us for an evening of enjoying and creating poetry that explores the intersection of who we are and the food that sustains us. Participants will listen to poems exploring relationships between food, culture, and identity. Next, Elmhurst University professor Dr. Ann Frank Wake will guide participants as they write their poems about a food that is meaningful to them. No writing experience is required.


Poetry Workshop: What Sustains Us

Create a mosaic inspired by the artistry of indigenous communities from the Midwest. Using seeds and other natural materials, explore the complexity and beauty of traditional patterns.   

Activity is included with museum admission. Members are free.   

Image Credit: Lydia Cheshewalla, *What Kind of Love Aren’t You Looking For?* (detail) Ephemeral collaboration with time, place, and more-than-human kin. Dimensions variable. 2024.

Events

Upcoming Events

Sustenance & Land: Opening Reception

McCormick House Tour

Artist Talk & Exhibition Walk-Through: Sustenance & Land

The Seldoms: An Evening Of Dance Inspired By The Earth

Soil Reading

Create with Us: Landscape Collages

McCormick House Tour

Poetry Workshop: What Sustains Us

McCormick House Tour

Create With Us: Mosaic Masterpieces

Past Events

All Ages Holiday Party

Artist-led Exhibition Tour: Rafael Blanco

Opening Reception: Elmhurst Artists' Guild Winter Members' Show

Create with Us: Mini Murals

The Elmhurst Art Museum Announces the Appointment of Allison Peters Quinn to Executive Director & Chief Curator

McCormick House Tour

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