South Holland’s Annual Art Gallery Unites Community

Lee Edwards | As of Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Village of South Holland is presenting its 2014 Artists’ Gallery at the South Holland Community Center, 501 E. 170th St., South Holland, Ill., from Wednesday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 30 as part of its Heritage Fest.
The Village of South Holland is presenting its 2014 Artists’ Gallery at the South Holland Community Center, 501 E. 170th St., South Holland, Ill., from Wednesday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 30 as part of its Heritage Fest. Photo by Lee Edwards.

The Village of South Holland is presenting its 2014 Artists’ Gallery at the South Holland Community Center, 501 E. 170th St., South Holland, Ill., from Wednesday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 30 as part of its Heritage Fest. Heritage Fest, a staple community engagement event that has been a South Holland tradition for over 60 years, pays homage to South Holland’s past while, celebrating the diversity and future of the village, and usually is held on Labor Day weekend.

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“South Holland has taken the lead in proactively approaching diversity and because art is such a wonderful expression of individual and collective gifts it has a tenacity to break down any walls and any barriers across gender lines, ethnic and racial lines, it is a very proactive way of having people interact with each other.” - South Holland Mayor Don A. De Graff on the importance of art and why the Village of South Holland has made and effort to showcase art annually at the Artists’ Gallery.

“We have a rich history of applauding those who have been gifted with artistic expression and the Village of South Holland is one who does whatever it can to bring people together collaboratively,” said South Holland Mayor Don A. De Graff. “South Holland has taken the lead in proactively approaching diversity and because art is such a wonderful expression of individual and collective gifts it has a tenacity to break down any walls and any barriers across gender lines, ethnic and racial lines, it is a very proactive way of having people interact with each other. That’s one of the tools that we’ve successfully used as a role model for other communities, to allow art to break down those walls and build bridges between people.”

According to Village of South Holland Public Relations & Marketing Manager Mary Ann Thornton, this year’s Artists’ Gallery theme is Artistic Expressions. To be eligible to display artwork in the gallery, an individual must be a South Holland resident, be willing to submit family appropriate samples of their work for approval, and register before the final application deadline.

This year, 27 artists were selected to display their work and an invitation only reception will be held for them on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at the South Holland Community Center.

“The Village has hosted this event for well over a decade and it’s just our attempt to show support for the local artists,” said Thornton. “For the mayor, Don A. De Graff, it’s really important to bring the community together so we host these events because we want families to come out, to get to know each other.”

The Chicago Citizen Newspaper spoke with, Rene, an artist from South Africa who will be participating in South Holland's 2014 Artist's Gallery. Rene described her work this year as “very South Holland” and stated that she prefers to work with oils on canvas and on large landscapes. She explained the significance of art and how it impacts the lives of South Holland residents.

“The artist gallery was such a wonderful venue for meeting other artists and informing South Holland residents of the beauty of South Holland,” said Rene.

Founded in 1847, South Holland, IL is a located 24 miles southwest of Chicago, IL.

For more information visit http://www.southholland.org/index.php

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