Beloit Art Center honors Sveum for his dedication
Gallery named after long-time center promoter CLINT WOLF - Beloit Daily News Senior Reporter BELOIT — Jerry Sveum has been working behind the scenes and at the front door of the Beloit Art Center for over a decade, making sure the community has a place where art can be appreciated and where artists can display their works. Now, Sveum’s name will forever be a part of the art center as the main gallery at the downtown art center was named the Sveum Gallery during a ceremony Saturday. “We just thought it was time to honor him for all his work here,” said Dawn Stadelman, a member of the Beloit Art Center Board. Stadelman was the board member who suggested naming the gallery after Sveum. The board unanimously approved the idea. Gary Dencker, the current Beloit Art Center board president, said he couldn’t list all the things Sveum has done for the art center, because they are so numerous. “He is the ultimate promoter of the art center,” Dencker said. “Jerry talked me into joining the board.” Sveum has been a board member and a past board president for the art center. He also established relationships with area artists and art groups. He has maintained contacts with area art teachers so student art exhibits could be put together. He has served as master of ceremonies for the First Friday artist receptions. He has hung paintings on the walls and arranged art pieces in the two galleries at the art center. But, there is no job too small nor too menial for Sveum, Dencker said. He has been known to paint walls, plant flowers or pull weeds and work on the plumbing at the art center. On Saturday, art center supporters, friends and family members gathered at the art center to surprise Sveum with the honor. It was a double celebration with a birthday cake being served, since Sveum will turn 80 years old on May 15. Sveum’s two sons, Scott and Tim, attended the ceremony Saturday, as did his sister, Joanie Allison. “He’s been curating this are center for 15 years,” said Scott Sveum, who traveled from Vail, Colorado for the event. Sveum is well known in the community. He was a pharmacist at Grand Avenue Pharmacy, with his partner and fellow- pharmacist, Art Carl, who also was present at the gallery naming event. Sveum said he was truly surprised by the honor. “I thought it was a joke,” he said about his reaction to all the people turning out for him. “This is wonderful. I truly appreciate it.” The Beloit Art Center is at 520 E. Grand Ave. It offers monthly art exhibits in the Sveum and Bell galleries as well as art and photography classes. Kate May Fitch | Sveum Gallery Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the May exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on May 5 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6pm. Both exhibits will be open through May 25th. The Main Gallery will feature Kate May Fitch. As an artist, Kate shows the breadth of items that fall under the umbrella of art. From bronze statues in Illinois, to painted banners in Kansas Kate encapsulates the ambiance of the American mid-west by finding the beauty in the most common. Kate has received many commissions to create larger-than-life sculptures out of bronze and fiberglass. Most recently Kate has focused on a life-size bronze statue of a Native American woman. The statue is located at Hononegah High School in Rockton, IL. Kate and her husband recently purchased the family farm and have enjoyed building a new home with their three young children. In the Bell Gallery, we are pleased to feature the photography of Cindy Vondran. With her love of ancient history, Cindy decided to bring the classic Goddesses into the modern world in this series, using models and scenery to illustrate attributes as historically depicted in each of the mythological figures. As Cindy explains, “I find it very rewarding to incorporate my passion for history into my subject matter and hope you enjoy this exhibit.” Beloit Art Center would like to thank this month’s Main Gallery sponsor, Senz Insurance and Bell Gallery sponsor Christofferson Moving and Storage. Cindy Vondran | Bell Gallery In addition to exhibits at our location downtown, each quarter the Beloit Art Center also hosts work at the Beloit Public Library. The current exhibit is by John Hines, a resident artist of the Beloit Art Center. John Hines is self-taught and was born and raised in Beloit. Most of his art instruction has come from reading books, taking online classes, and working with the Beloit Art Center Thursday night open studio artist group. In 2022 John was commissioned by the City of Beloit to paint the USS Beloit for the dedication ceremony commemorating the combat ship. John has won several awards regionally and his piece Time with Dad, received a 2021 state award from the Association of Wisconsin Artists. His exhibit at BPL will be open through June. John Hines | Beloit Public Library Calling all young artists. Beloit Art Center is offering summer classes for students ages 8 – 18. Back by popular demand, Lynette Redner will be teaching classes in cartooning, watercolor, and acrylic painting. Pottery instructor Rebecca Rehpohl will be teaching pottery classes for teens. Anna Banwell will be offering a variety of one-day workshops including papermaking, felting, and creating a recycled art journal. Nancy Mayhew will return again this summer with two mosaic classes for kids. Visit www.beloitartcenter.com/summer-classes-for-students.html for all of the offerings and how to sign up.
This spring Beloit Art Center is excited to announce the 2023 BUTTERFLY BELOIT Fundraiser. Community members are invited to decorate a butterfly with their choice of materials and donate it to the Beloit Art Center. The butterflies will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to support community art scholarships and programming. If you would like to create a butterfly, 24” x 20” wood cutouts can be purchased for $15 at the Beloit Art Center Gift Shop. Be sure to get your butterfly soon, we expect them to go fast! If you need inspiration, Nancy Mayhew will host a free demonstration at 10 am on Saturday, May 13 in the gallery. The completed butterflies should be delivered back to the Beloit Art Center by May 31st. Please see our website for more May classes and events, including our weekly Open Studio Art Group, which meets on Thursdays at 5:30, as well as our monthly Photography Club, which meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6 pm. Beloit Art Center is free and open to the public and is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit. Gallery and gift shop hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. This month the Beloit Art Center is pleased to present the 14th Annual High School Art Exhibit. A First Friday Gallery Reception will be held on April 7th from 5 – 7 p.m. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators, as well as the public are encouraged to attend to see the collective talent of the young artists in Beloit. Participating schools are Beloit Turner, Beloit Memorial, Rock County Christian, and The Lincoln Academy. The exhibit highlights artwork ranging from painting, digital art, mixed media, pottery, sculpture, and stained glass. Several pieces will be selected to represent Beloit in the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA) Statewide Teen Art Mentor Program (STAMP). The work chosen will be exhibited and published at the Pyle Center on the UW Madison campus this August. Thank you to our April show sponsor, Hendricks Commercial Properties, for their generous support of this exhibit and the youth in Beloit. The exhibit will be open through April 27th. For more information about events happening at Beloit Art Center, read our April newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/6367bee5bb2d/gallery-shows-at-beloit-art-center-6273803 ![]() On Friday, March 3rd, the Beloit Art Center held a gallery reception and awards ceremony for the 12th Annual Juried Photography Exhibit. The lively, near-capacity crowd included gallery and community members, as well as the photographers who submitted entries and their families and friends. Awards were presented to the top ten photographers, with the top three entries receiving monetary awards. The first-place winner received $150 and was awarded to Jeff McDonald for Very Large Array. The $100 second-place award went to Paul Pinzarrone for Andromeda, and the third-place award for $50 was taken by Zach Hubner Schorsch for Grand Mosque. The seven other award winners in the top ten were James Meldrum for Big Hill Reflections, Heather Walker for Northern Lakes, Scott Ide for Weathered Dreams, Judy Robson for Tidal Pools Amelia Island, Randall Manus for Psycho Silo Saloon, Brenda Daniels for Slash and Philip Schorsch for Louvre. The People’s Choice Award went to Alexa Larson for Alleyway of San Juan. The Beloit Art Center welcomes the community to view the exhibit through March 30. The Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. and is free and open to the public. Gallery and gift shop hours are Monday 10am - 2pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am – 5pm, and Saturday from 10am – 2pm. For more information about gallery exhibits, classes, and events visit www.beloitartcenter.com. First Place - Very Large Array by Jeff McDonald Second Place - Andromeda by Paul Pinzarrone Third Place - Grand Mosque by Zach Hubner Schorsch Top 10 and Peoples' Choice - hover over image for photographer and title. More than 70 images will be exhibited during the month of March at the Beloit Art Center's 12th annual juried photography contest. On Friday, March 3, the Center will host a First Friday Gallery Reception from 5-7pm, with an awards ceremony beginning at 6pm. In the Bell Gallery we welcome local painter Carol Scott, who will be exhibiting her work in public for the first time.
Amateur photographers from the region submitted images to be reviewed by a group of three jurors. Each individually reviews the digital entries and gives them a score based on composition, creative and subject matter, and technical merit. The three scores are then tallied, determining the images that are accepted into the exhibit. The final in-person juror critique occurs after the images are delivered to the gallery. The results are kept under wraps until the night of the reception, at which time the top ten awards are presented, with the first-place award winner receiving $150, second place $100 and third place $50. A theme for next year’s exhibit will also be announced. The exhibit will be open for viewing from March 3 through March 23. This year's featured photographers are: Kathy Baker Stuart Berg David Buchen Brenda Daniels Beth Doerrfeld Samantha Harrison Kristine Hinrichs Zach Hubner-Schorsch Scott Ide Tom Jordan Alexa Larson Melissa Lauer Paul Lindquist Deb Lynch Randall Manus Jeff McDonald James Meldrum Diane Nichols Ashley Phoenix Paul Pinzarrone Judy Robson Kristine Schend Brad Schmitt Philip Schorsch Heather Walker David Williams The Bell Gallery will feature the artwork of Rockton artist Carol Scott. Born and raised in Winnebago, Illinois, Carol is a self-taught artist who enjoys bringing the beauty of nature onto canvas. Inspired by artists such as Chuck Black and Michael James Smith, Carol has found they challenge her to set the bar high in her work. “I have had a great amount of success with commissioned work, having sent my pieces all over the United States and overseas,” says Carol, “I hope that you enjoy the exhibit.” Last November Carol received a State Award at the Beloit Wisconsin Regional Artist Program (WRAP) Exhibit and will be a featured artist in the State WRAP Exhibit at the Pyle Center in Madison this July. View our February newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/223654462695/gallery-shows-at-beloit-art-center-6269459mailchi.mp/223654462695/gallery-shows-at-beloit-art-center-6269459 Main Gallery - Kathleen D'Angelo Main Gallery - Tony D'Angelo Bell Gallery - Dan Kelly Beloit Art Center is pleased to announce the February exhibits which will open with a First Friday Gallery Reception on February 3 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk featuring the artists will be held at 6pm. Both exhibits will be open through February 23rd. The Main Gallery will feature Kathleen and Tony D’Angelo. As a painter, Kathleen has always found a connection with the natural world is integral to what she does. As she explains, “Light, the absence of light, shadow, and texture hold a fascination for me.” Her exhibit entitled Wisconsin Landscape includes paintings from 1998 through the present. It represents a timeline of a self-taught painter’s struggles to successfully learn how to use watercolor, pastel, acrylic and other mediums. “At times my paintings are very realistic and other times they can become abstracted. I have come to realize that I have no need to settle down to one particular style of painting and enjoy the freedom of letting intuition and emotion direct my brush.” Tony’s art is presented in the form of two and three dimensions and often abstract. “Most of my work is not preconceived. I do not start with a distinct idea of the finished product,” he says. “My working style is more of a journey and exploration. I usually work in spurts, creative bursts. All of my work is to satisfy my sense of self.” In the Bell Gallery we are pleased to feature the drawings and paintings of Janesville artist, Dan Kelly. “I started drawing with pencil at a very young age, filling sketch books with a variety of subject matter including landscapes, favorite musicians, athletes, and wildlife.” says Kelly. For several years Dan’s choice of medium was pastel pencil. Inspired by the work of Roby Baer, he dove into creating wildlife pieces and Roby was kind enough to assist with some helpful tips. During lockdown Dan decided to give acrylic painting a try and has found it to be his preferred medium. The Beloit Art Center would like to thank our main gallery sponsor LifeCircle and Bell Gallery sponsor Angus Young Architects/Engineers for supporting the visual arts in our community. February is gearing up to be a busy month at the Art Center. Introduction to Digital Photography I class begins February 6th. We are offering a Still Life Charcoal Drawing workshop February 11th, and two pottery offerings are also set to begin. For more information and to register visit www.beloitartcenter.com In addition to classes and workshops, our weekly Open Studio Art Group, which meets on Thursdays at 5:30 is always looking for new attendees, as well as our monthly Photography Club, which meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6pm. Beloit Art Center is free and open to the public and is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. Gallery and gift shop hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. We would like to thank your February Main Gallery sponsor, LifeCircle and our Bell Gallery sponsor, Angus-Young Architects/Engineers To sign up for a class, please visit the classes and events tab on our website. |
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