Looking for a good post-Valentine’s Day celebration idea or just a night out full of fine dining paired with exquisite local art? Then look no further than the Eat Your Art Out! fundraiser sponsored by the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission.
Tickets are still available for this inaugural gala event Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Herrington Inn & Spa Pump House, 15 S. River Lane. The night begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by dinner and live auction from 7 to 9 p.m.
The Herrington’s Executive Chef Jason Tsoris will create a four-course dinner, featuring three wine offerings, that are inspired by various artwork that will be on display throughout the evening. Tsoris brings an extensive cooking background working under James Beard Award-winning Chef Sarah Stenger at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. Now in Geneva, he has honed his technique and developed a simple mission statement: “Create dishes using prime ingredients enhanced by the infusion of seasonal flavors.”
The evening’s featured artists, listed below, will have their creations available for purchase during the live auction.
• Len Bielefeldt – painter. After taking an interest in water colors at age 12, Len paints all genres, exploring and experimenting in various mediums. He now owns the Art Box in Geneva. “I am deeply touched by my surroundings and the people I know and meet. Each subject tells my heart the medium to use, the size, the style, the colors, and I allow my brushes to follow.” Visit his website at www.lenbielefeldt.com.
• Larry Johnson – sculptor. Larry holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in painting and sculpture and master’s degree in fine arts in sculpture. He studied under Virginio Ferrari, the internationally known sculptor from Verona. Larry maintains a studio in Geneva (www.lkjohnsonstudio.com) and has art collections throughout Illinois and Pennsylvania.
• Don & Ellen Ljung – glass artisans. The duo have been partners in life for more than four decades. At their Geneva studio (www.donellendesigns.com), they work collaboratively with Ellen’s expertise in color matched by Don’s experiments with new ways to design with glass. Together they create jewelry, serving pieces, art panels, table tops and wall art using the brilliant colors of glass and wide range of light diffusion.
• Jan Schmuckal – painter. A native of St. Charles, Jan graduated from University of Illinois with a degree in industrial design and spent years as a designer in that industry. She then made the choice to go in an impressionistic direction as an artist and opened an art gallery (www.janschmuckal.com) in 2005 in her historic Geneva home. “The changing light of day and the moods it evokes are the foundation of all my oil paintings.”
Tickets for this premier event are $100 and are available to purchase online (see link below), by phone at 630-938-4530 or by mail at Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, P.O. Box 537, Geneva, IL 60134. Additional art pieces will be sold during the fundraiser. Seating is limited, but reservations can be made through Friday, Feb. 14.
Proceeds from this event fund the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission’s mission for creating diverse art experiences that engage the community.