Oak Park PALs

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

A peace group that works to inform the community by showing documentaries and hosting speakers.

Click HERE for the Buzz’s calendar.

EASTGATE CAFE:

A  St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Young artists will be available from 12:00pm to make your face “Irish” and colorful. Danny Carlos (man in a skirt) will be arriving with his bagpipes at 3:00pm, small youth group of Step Dancers will arrive at a some time around 3. We will have special of the Day and of the Year - Corn-Beef, Potato, Cabbage (sweet and sour) and GREEN Beer all day long available to make your day special and fun.

It’s a day for everyone to be a little Irish!

Awakening the Spine

A Feldenkrais Workshop

Book Signing at Ridge Art to benefit Haitian Reconstruction

21 Harrison Street
The Working Women of Suburban Promised Land
Ridge Art and Soweto West Press will host a Women’s History Month discussion with Suburban Promised Land co-authors Stan West, Peggy Tuck Sinko, Frank Lipo, and Yves Hughes, Jr.  A portion of the sales of the book will go to reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

For more information, go HERE.

Buzz Cafe

905 S. Lombard Avenue

5-9pm - Burgers, Beers and Bands
Fabulous organic burgers, B.Y.O.B and live music!
6:30-8:30pm - Alice Brandee Brown on keyboard

CREATIVE CHANGES STUDIO

140 Harrison Street

Victory Celebration Pot Luck

Come celebrate your accomplishments!

Pot luck, BYOB, bring your music (CD or Ipod) and share your stories of personal victories. Bring your best self out! Dress up if you like, after all it is YOUR party! It is time to let your critical self take a vacation (hopefully permanent) and embrace all that you have grown to become.
For more information, please go HERE.

Eastgate Cafe

102 Harrison Street
Eastgage Cafe is open until 10:00 p.m. with Tarot Readings on Friday nights.
Join us for good food, coffee, beer or wine and see what message the cards have for you.

What’s Blooming is one of three art walks that are held during the year.    Our theme this year is “Emerging Artists.”  We invite all fine artists and craftspeople to participate to show and sell their work on Saturday, the 22nd, as we continue to emerge through all forms of creativity.

The Particulars:

Saturday, May 22nd, 12:00 - 8:00 p.m.:  Artist and Exhibitor booths will be set up on the sidewalk in the 9 block area between Ridgeland and Austin.   Each booth will be approximately 16′ wide.

There is a $35.00 non-refundable* participation fee due at the time of registration to hold your place. *The registration fee will be refunded if you are not selected to participate.  This is a rain or shine event.

The registration form, fee and an image of your artwork (if applicable) needs to be submitted for review by April 9th. Artists/vendors will be notified by April 23rd whether they have been accepted into the show.

Email images to Liz@HarrisonWorks.com or mail to:

Liz Gaylord/What’s Blooming 2010, 17 W. Harrison Street, Oak Park, IL  60304

Use your own table(s) & chair(s) or rent from us  ($15 per 8 ‘ table & $5 per chair).
Sorry, no tents are allowed.

Publicity:

This event is promoted through flyers, posters, print & internet advertising.

As artists are accepted into the show, their name will be posted on the Oak Park Arts District Facebook page.

Artists/vendors will also be listed on the Oak Park Arts District’s website.

The sooner you get your application in and approved, the sooner your name will appears and restaurants will be open both Friday and Saturday.

application-for-whats-blooming-2010

(There seems to be a problem with the application to What’s Blooming link… I’m working on it.  If you are unable to view the application, please check back later or email me at Colleen@oakparkartsdistrict.com and I will send you an attachment.  Thank you for your patience.  ~Colleen)

Read the full article from the Wednesday Journal here.

The Working Women of Suburban Promised Land

Ridge Art and Soweto West Press will host a Women’s History Month discussion with Suburban Promised Land co-authors Stan West, Peggy Tuck Sinko, Frank Lipo, and Yves Hughes, Jr.  A portion of the sales of the book will go to reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

The book is a 10-year effort by Soweto West Press and the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest to chronicle the rich history of people of color in Chicago’s western suburbs including working women like artist Geraldine McCullough and factory worker Virgie Shannon Peerman, both of whom are now deceased. Invited to participate in the rich literary conversation will be Haitian-American women in Oak Park like nurse Michelle Darang-Coleman and seamstress Florence Vincent, mother of former Miss America, Marjory Vincent.

There will also be video footage of reconstruction efforts in Jacmel, Haiti, shot by the students of Ciné Institute, a film making school in Jacmel.

Stan West has Haitian in-laws. Ridge Art specializes in Haitian art.

The event is a Third Friday program of the Oak Park Arts District.

CONTACT:

Laura Beaseley @ 708-601-9071
RidgeArt@Comcast.net

www.RidgeArt.com

or

Stan West @ 708-445-9024

By MARTY STEMPNIAK
Staff Reporter

First reported 2/19/2010 4:59 p.m.

A decision last Thursday could pave the way for a high-traffic alley closing and a long-empty building on Harrison Street in Oak Park getting a new restaurant.

The village’s plan commission voted 5-1 last week to vacate a stretch of village-owned alley to make way for local property owner Chris Kleronomos. He plans to buy the piece of land, spruce it up and use it for seating at Briejo Restaurant and another yet-to-be-found new eatery across the alley at 213-215 Harrison.

Read more here

OPAD Kid’s Summer Art Camp Program Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the cost? $360 for ½ day (morning or afternoon only) or $785 for all day camp with lunch supervision.  $10 off registrations before May 15^th.

It looks like the camps last for two weeks at a time (with two sessions to choose from). Yes, you are able to register for either our June 14^th-25^th or our August 9^th - 20^th Camp. Or register for both!

How do I register my child for the camp? Please go to our on-line registration at www.oakparkartsdistrict.com

What are the hours of the camp? Mornings? 9:00-11:45am  Afternoons? 12:30 -3:45pm Full day? 9:00 am to 3:15pm

How many children are together at each studio? Depending upon enrollment we divide the children into groups of 8 to 10 students in age groups of 5-7 years and 8-11 years.  We may have 2 to 4 groups rotating around and various studios at the same time. Each group is given a unique artistic name and each child is given a name tag each day so that we can easily identify who they are!

Are snacks provided? No, but snack breaks are scheduled mid-morning and mid-afternoon each day and you are encouraged to send a healthy snack and beverage each day with your child.

Is lunch provided for the all day students? No, please send a healthy bag lunch each day with your child.  We will provide adult supervision each day and allow the children to play and have a nice mid-day break.  The location for lunch may vary each day depending upon the number of students enrolled.  We will include that in the schedule you receive so that you will know where your child is all day.

What’s the schedule like? Is it one day or more during the two weeks where the children will be at each of the galleries/studios listed? In most cases the children will visit two studios in the morning (9-10:15am and 10:30-11:45am) and two in the afternoon (12:30-1:45 and 2:00-3:15pm) and will visit each studio twice per week.  Depending on the number of students registered and the studios schedules this may vary slightly.

How does my child get from one studio location to another? The adult teacher/artists will escort the children from one location to another.  In many cases the studios are swapping one group of children for another mid-morning or mid-afternoon.  Please dress your child appropriately for the weather and if rain is forecasted please send an umbrella or rain poncho.

Will the children visit all of the studio/galleries listed in the program information? Not necessarily.  Depending upon whether they are registered for mornings, afternoons or June or August they may not go to every location during their participation in the program.  What we can assure you is that they will see at least 10 different studios and have a wonderful variety of experiences.  If you are interested in knowing if a particular studio will be offered at a certain time frame, please email and we will try to let you know if possible.

When will we know our child’s schedule and how do we know where to drop them off and pick them up? About a week prior to the start of your child’s camp we will send out a comprehensive email with a daily schedule for your child.  You will be given drop-off and pick-up locations for each day of the camp.  Additional camp information will also be sent via email.  All of the studio/gallery locations are within the Harrison Street area between Austin and Ridgeland Blvds.

Can our child sign up with a friend or sibling and be in the same group? Yes, please list one or two children that your child would like to be in the same group with. (In the comments section of the registration or at the bottom of the print form)  We will do everything possible to put them with at least one other child that they would like to be with.  Please keep in mind that we attempt to balance groups by numbers of students and by age.

What about emergency situations? We request that you give us any and all phone numbers that the child’s parents or guardians can be reached at during the camp hours.  An additional emergency contact is also requested.  We will have a back-up OPAD representative that can come to the assistance of the teaching artist in the case of an emergency situation.  We request that you be reachable at one of the numbers listed during camp hours and that if you are contacted to pick up your child you come as soon as possible to reduce the chance of disturbing or exposing the other children to possible illness.

How do you handle behavior problems or issues? Our artist/teachers have experience working with children and will do everything possible to creatively solve issues with the children.  Positive reinforcement, distraction and keeping them occupied all work to resolve most of the issues we’ve experienced.  If we continue to have and problem and it is disruptive to the other students we will contact the parents/guardians to see if there is something additionally we can do to make the situation work well and continue to be a positive experience for all the children and the teachers as well.

What if my child has learning or physical disabilities? We would love to discuss the possibility of accommodating your child in our program.  We would ask that if your child has known learning or behavior issues they be brought to our attention with any suggestions as to how we may better meet their learning style and needs.

What if my child has allergies, food or otherwise? Please make us aware of the allergen and we will be sure to notify other students in the camp to not bring those foods in their lunches.  We will make all possible efforts to accommodate your child’s special needs.

If our child takes both the June and August camp will they just be doing the same thing over again? If they took the camp in the past years will it be a repeat of projects?  No, the projects are varied and fresh for each camp.  They may paint again or dance again but they will be encouraged to explore further the method or technique.  Other projects will be totally new to them.  Our artist/teachers have in many cases been working with children for many years and have a long list of possible project ideas to work with.

Will pictures of my child be taken during the camp program? Yes, we do take pictures of the kids in action.  We put together a flickr.com gallery that only the camp families will have access to with a password.  We do make every attempt to get each child photographed at least once during the camp.  If you would really prefer that your child not be included in the photos, please notify us and we can remove their photo from the gallery.

If our child really likes one aspect of the program or a particular studio can he/she take more lessons or classes? In many cases, yes you can.  Many of the studios offer classes for children and adults and would love to teach you or your child more in depth.  In other cases the studio/gallery may only be teaching for this camp.  Please feel free to inquire.

How long has the Oak Park Arts District been offering the Summer Arts Camp program? We started the program in 2008 with a two week morning camp in June and a one week camp in August with 5 studio locations.  In 2009 we expanded to 2 two-week morning camps in June and August with 11 studio locations and we over doubled the enrollment of the previous year.  In 2010 we are offering the option of afternoon and all-day camps and hope to increase enrollment again.  We have 15 studios participating in the program this summer and offering a wider variety of experiences for your children.

What happens if my child loses something during camp or forgets to bring home some artwork? Please call or email Pam Penney at 708.785.7782 or pam@pamelapenney.com.  She will be collecting all lost and found items during the camp and will make every attempt to return them.

If your question was not answered here, please contact pam@pamelapenney.com or call Pamela Penney at 708.785.7782.  We are looking forward to another great camp experience!