When Shruti Vijay’s husband started studying at Northwestern, she took up urban sketching in Evanston as a hobby.
Now, Vijay’s artwork has become a staple of the community, and she has been teaching urban sketching classes with Evanston Made for many of the five years she’s lived in the city. As a teacher, she has cultivated her skills and built a community following of amateur artists expanding their eye for drawing and watercoloring the area.
“I discovered the Evanston art community years ago,” Vijay said. “The journey began when I was able to meet other artists and that made me think a little more seriously about the art that I was doing.”
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Drone s eye view of Cécile Trentini s Red-Zone Earth, created at Lee Street Beach on Earth Day. (Photo by Patrick Hughes Jr.)
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An outdoor art installation titled “Red-Zone Earth” by Evanston artist Cécile Trentini decorated Lee Street beach on April 22 in honor of Earth Day. The piece, 24 feet in diameter, resembled a globe with deep grooves cutting through it. Non-toxic red sand ran through the grooves, bringing vibrancy to the work but also serving as a warning.
Educate, engage and inspire. Those are Evanston Made’s goals this Earth Month as the group organizes a collaborative nature art exhibit that is out of this world.
Art for the Earth 2021, running through April 30, invites residents to explore the natural treasures of Evanston and create art inspired by them. Participants can create their nature art either at a green public space or their own backyard and share a photo of their creation on social media and to the Evanston Made team.
Chelsea Lytle, another Evanston artist featured at Art for the Earth, works with birds and bugs to create nature art. (Courtesy of Chelsea Lytle)
Evanston Made brings first Little Free Art Gallery to Evanston
April 6, 2021
“This is art for everyone, by everyone,” Page said.
The gallery, which functions similarly to a free library pop-up and is located at 1127 Dewey Ave, does not require an even exchange of art anyone can leave or take works as they wish. The pieces, which must be under five by seven inches in size, are of all different types of mediums and are original work by local art lovers of all ages.
Although Licky Lab & Alpaca Gallery is the first of its kind in Evanston, it is not the last. The gallery, and another on Hinman Avenue, are both part of a movement inspired by Little Free Art Galleries that began in Seattle. Evanston Made Founder and Executive Director Lisa Degliantoni said she was inspired to advocate for the movement’s arrival in Evanston after seeing one in St. Louis on Facebook.
Evanston groups host inaugural winter games
Anybody have a torch? The inaugural Evanston Winter Games have come to town.
The City of Evanston, Downtown Evanston, Amita Health, Byline Bank, the Family Institute at Northwestern University, the Main-Dempster Mile and the Central Street Special Service Areas are partnering to put on a series of community-building challenges throughout the month of February.
Participants are assigned a team color and earn points through outdoor activities like hiking and ice skating, at-home challenges, charitable acts and shopping at local businesses. Residents can participate through the free app Eventzee.
Colored lights adorn storefronts throughout Downtown Evanston and along the Main-Dempster Mile and Central Street, with the colors showcasing businesses’ team affiliations. Participants can earn double points by shopping at stores belonging to their teams.