Downtown Auroran Fall/Winter 2010-2011 issue

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Downtown Auroran Fall/Winter 2010-2011

CREATIVE COUPLES: poetry recipe photography culture calendar

LOCAL DYNAMIC DUOS ARTIST: LISA GLORIA Mural Art in Old 2nd

Downtown Auroran www.downtownauroran.com Marissa Amoni Publisher and Editor Kim Granholm at Aurora Fastprint Production Support

When Don Picton first e-mailed me about Alley (ART)

Dave Sobotka at Kelmscott Communications Graphic Design

Artist Profile Amy Perry

Joanna Goss

Festival, I replied, “Why haven’t you ever come to DAAM?” Picton wasn’t aware of the Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers and his work schedule precluded his attendance, but he sent his girlfriend to the August DAAM at DTA profile: Maureen Gasek 33 West.

It was my pleasure talk with Joanna MaureentoGasek uses color like it’sGoss her and introduce her to many of the DAAM folk.

I always enjoy sharing my best friend. She knows what makes red finds with others andshine when stumbled work, blue and Iorange light up.on Don and Jocan becomeasopriceless intimate treasure. And anna, I felt asAnd if IGasek, was 46, unveiling with color that a canvas might blush. like all good finds, everyone was quick to appreciate them.

“Color is my thing,” she says. “You have(see to know colorstory), theory tothey are also acNot only are Don and Joanna two talented local artists cover know how color works.” tive participators. They went to town making fliers and T-shirts for Alley (ART) Festival.

Don spent hours crafting aSo foldable theirorange wares and a hand painted face-in-theorange is booth never justfor straight – it’s a mixture of yellow and red. “You get vibrancy whenJoanna you mix colors,” hole board for festival spectators to snap photos. spent said an Gasek equalin amount of time unique half-round house on Aurora’s northeast side. creating unique handmadeher objects to sell. reallyJoanna want to get look at art. Everybody looks The great thing is that Don“Iand arepeople onlytotwo ofmy about 40 artists who made Alley nobody sees anymore. I want people to really look at things.

(ART) Festival spectacular. and Here is a list of all the others who made August 28, 2010 a day It is such a hectic world. We are inundated with so much stuff. to remember in downtownPeople Aurora: can relate to color, shape, movement – that is my goal –

Maureen Gasek Angelica Matczuk Chris Clabots John Heinz Valerie William R. D. Hubbard Amanda Snyder Soterios Gardiakos Kayla Eskew Lynne Saidac Jaime Torraco Lisa Manning Becka Davis Kelly Krupa Jeff Paetzold

to have them use their imagination,” she said.

Lisa Gloria Terry Rice Gasek says she has always had her “hand in art.” Rice She sold her Dianne Giammarino Nikki firstTJ piece – a collage of her hands – for a quarter when she was Banks Chrissy Wright in first grade. When she was only 13 years old, Gasek taught Roz Herrera Alexandra Simane plaster classes to adults at the plaster studio that her brother and Britt Chamberlin Gardiakou uncle owned in Wisconsin, where she grew Chryssa up. She taught them Medina Dawnthat howFernando to paint; stain and varnish the miniatureAndrea plaster statues were popular at the time.

Kevin Trudo Jen Trudo Greg Iteen Marie Lubshina Gasek has worked with clay and metals in the past and now Jill Amoni Dave Lubshina focuses on mostly acrylics. She teaches acrylic painting as well as aKevin jewelry-making Batavia.

LisainLiace Lustrupclass at Water Street Studios Danny Powell Bob Mullany She’s involved in the local art scene, is a member of the Aurora Brandy Woodworth Melissa Stoneking Art League and serves on the Cultural Creatives committee in MeganAurora.

Hatcher Jen of Evans downtown She assisted in the selection artists for the Aurora this fall.

GailArtWalk Chrisse Nate Miller Estella Lopez Gasek paints her stunning, expressive pieces in a converted back

Proofreading assistance Advertising and Submissions: E-mail downtownauroran@gmail.com On the Cover: Joanna Goss patiently waits as Don Picton serves up some hot flapjacks.

Photograph by Joanna Goss.

Sea Illuminations

Downtown Auroran (DTA) is a local independent operation. We are focused on the downtown and its success – especially the burgeoning arts and culture movement. Opinions are encouraged and expressed, but they are not necessarily those of DTA.

Downtown Auroran is published quarterly, and 2,000 copies are distributed free of charge throughout downtown and select locations in the Planetary Sunset Reef Fire Cavernous Exploration Aurora area. One copy of DTA per person, please. Share it and recycle it.

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Copyrighted 2010

room of the home she shares with her handy husband –

andwho sculptor, Scottdowntown Robertson. Shefor dove painting Thank you! A big thanks to carpenter everyone came theinto festival, full time about three years ago and still runs her graphic design and a special thank you to the anonymous ARTWorks student who wrote business, Epsilon Design and Consulting. She says that down the idea of having anbalancing art festival on Watergives Street build both professions bothMall. the leftLet’s and right sideon of this momentum and continue to support her brain a workout.the myriad events happening all year round in downtown Aurora – just check out the culture calendar in this issue for a sampling. She paints her canvases on a spinning easel, a gift from her husband. And she signs each piece on the back so it can be turned on the wall to suit the viewer.

See you downtown!

“I have a real organic style,” Gasek says of her paintings. Some people see planetary or landscape themes in her work; others see dragons, fish, monsters and faces. Whether the viewer feels they are in space or under water when staring at Gasek’s imaginative paintings, they are transported to a different reality.

Fall 2009

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Downtown Auroran

Downtown Auroran

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Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Fall Ephemera

Artwork by Joanna Goss

index

cover story

By Cheryl Holz

Creative Couples

By Marissa Amoni

Hilltops

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features

By Karen Fullett-Christensen There is something sacrilegious About houses built on hilltops As if you can ignore The rules of holy nature Just because you want to And because you have Some money Living for the privilege Of peering down at neighbors The world of your unequals With no regard for slopes, Grades or topographics, Or scraping through the cactus And leafy vegetation The rocks have no dominion The trees are less majestic Than your desire for stature, Prominence and fame.

page

Days like Sullivan Used to Know

By Carlo Losurdo Comfort In the Old Family Quilt

By Marjorie Colley Polaroid

By Kevin Trudo

A u ro r a n Wo rd s

page

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DTA profile: Lisa Gloria

page

Enthroned

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A r t i s t P ro f i l e

37 S. River Street Old Second National Bank, John Warner Norton three-panel interior mural

By David Sobotka

Historical Notes

page

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Table of Contents 4 auroran words 5 locust report 6 cover story 9 citizen voices 10 downtown voices

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Downtown Auroran

11 artist profile 12 recipe 13 culture shock 14 submissions 15 historical notes

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Auroran Words Sunset Alley

By Tom Curry

Comfort In the Old Family Quilt

By Marjorie Colley

Somehow, I find comfort in sleeping with the old quilt.

The old quilt that was made for you by your mother.

The old quilt that you loved.

The old quilt that you no longer even remember.

Marjorie Colley is a photographer living in Montgomery. She wrote a number of pieces of poetry some years ago when her mother was dealing with Alzheimer’s.

Days like Sullivan Used to Know

Polaroid

By Kevin Trudo

I always think of you undressed Like a Polaroid we never took

By Carlo Losurdo Even if I seemed under impressed Do know what I’d give for one more look The poetry and fluid motion of terra cotta you Downtown dedication: ‚I’m proud to say I was a member of the team Carved and molded, iridescent and lyrical.

I oftenthrough think of the howfour-year you fold process to renovate and restore that worked Botany has been given a bold artistic voice.

Arcing at the throat and hip the 1894 old Central Fire Station to transform it into the historic gem Ornament has become an intended expression And if I’m wiser, oh, I’m infinitely old Of a building’s raison d’etre. in downtown Aurora.‛ But mostly just too dumb to quit

It is truly an American ideal; a solid base, I only think of you in metric Name: Joe Vantreese Rooted in the principles of foundational Or in Celsius degrees Stability and permanence, akin to natures’ most Title: Downtown Developer Our two orbits not resembling concentric Elegant structure; the tree.

The way our bodies to be and chief executive of The Vantreese is the seem founder

Then, rising above, the middle section where all practicality Takes over, where the eyes of a building look inward towards OhVanstrand cruel world I’d hoped for sounds a deeperimpressive point of view Group, which enough. But its soul.

Of you Vantreese was the first to act on bringing modern

Then, finally to a fitting cap; a crown that unites sky and ground. residential living toasdowntown Aurora. Granted the plans I always think of you wishing This tri-partite assemblage uniquely its own, raised organically Like paper matches or dry have changed along the leaves way, Vantreese still acquired land, stout and sturdy midwestern soil. ebbFrom ie Da Maybe yes, welcomes but dreaming of ignition vis built latent, on it and a fair share of new residents to Into the interior of humble house, bank or public stage you But do you ever think of me downtown Aurora.

See commonplace materials executed with deftness I can palpably remember And precision. Space unfolds into space.

Reality check: River Street Plaza initially included plans for Or did I find it in a book The arched entryway is understood as exuberant statement four newdovetailed four-story perfectly brick and limestone buildings along Our bodies together and grand illusion. both sides of South River Street south of Benton Street. The In Polaroids we never took Oak is exalted, it is pierced and shaped. plaza was to house more than two-dozen restaurants and The geometry of triangle, square, rectangle and circle Kevin Trudo is a musician who lives in Aurora. Polaroid is a song Truis given a full oneand two-bedroom condos. do 180 wrote in 2007.

Trudo likes pencils and dogs and enjoys sitting on his And hearty measure of playful devotion. porch in the historic Tanner district. He performs as The Kevin Trudo.

Steve Aupon Age is not defined nor chiseled hallowed walls rwathe dy of history.

His edict; ‘Do not be a slave to our toga clad ancestors’ 25 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE & GROWING! Wood and plaster, stone and stained glass become ageless The classical column and the entablature now bow reverently before The visage of Form and Function.

The days of antiquity are now behind us.

Now a new bell clangs for all to hear.

Democratic architecture for all.

Carlo Losurdo graduated from the College of Architecture and the Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Aurora and e is a currently ntrees working on a lecture presentation on noted Prairie School V Joe architect, George Grant Elmslie’s Aurora buildings and writing a book showcasing the lives and architectural work of Aurora natives Ben and Frank Holden.

Do wnto wn re or: ‚I view what I do as a personal effort to re-animate or ate a 4 neighborhood through not only economic investments, Downtown Auroran o through investing time and organization skills into ing the surrounding community problems and directing

We provide professional management for approximately 15,000 “doors” in 65 local Condominium and Homeowner Associations.

www.baumprop.com ~ (630) 897-0500 Fall/Winter 2010-2011

The Locust Report Reporting the News and Gossip in Downtown Aurora Restaurant Row revisited:

Samantha Oulavong

• Chef Amaury Rosado doesn’t know if he’ll ever move into the Elks Club building at Benton and Stolp, but for now he is cozy at 33 W. New York St. Rosado recently celebrated the grand opening of Chef Amaury at 33 West as he consolidated Chef Amaury’s Epicurean Affair and 33 West Trattoria into one upscale and tasty combo.

•C omfort Zone BBQ is getting ready to sing the blues and patrons are ready to listen. Chef Rich and Shirley Green, owners of the barbeque joint, hope to unveil the expansion and book live jazz and blues acts soon.

•L uigi’s Pizza and Billy Goat Tavern were both slated to open up on the row this summer. They haven’t and we’re wondering if they ever will. Some federal dollars were approved to get things moving and Bill Poss, owner of Luigi’s Pizza, is eager to start serving up brick oven pizzas. Keep your fingers crossed.

Amy Roth

•R .I.P. Marie Wilkinson. Arguably a saint living in Aurora, Wilkinson died in August at the age of 101. She basically ran a food pantry out of her humble home on North View Street in Aurora – now the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry serves the masses at 834 N. Highland Ave. Wilkinson was a powerful advocate for human and civil rights in the area and helped to start more than 60 charitable organizations. Since 2008, she sits in bronze and welcomes others to sit next to her on a bench outside of the main library on Benton Street.

•L isa Gloria put her money where her mouth is and opened up her own art studio at 7 W. Downer Pl. in downtown Aurora. Gloria uses the studio mostly to paint her contemporary realist drawings (see this issue’s DTA profile). But she does open up her studio to the public for figure drawing on Tuesday nights from 7-10 p.m. Lisagloria.com for more information.

•Y ou probably heard about it. We’re still coming down from the buzz. The inaugural Alley (ART) Festival was just that spectacular. Artists, music, crafts, food, puppets, drawing and hundreds of people brought Water Street Mall to life on Aug. 28. It’ll happen again next summer. Stay tuned. Search Alley Art Festival on Facebook.

•N ow that folks are hip to the greatness of Water Street Mall (between Galena and Downer, near City Hall), some locals are starting to utilize the public space. Brandy Woodworth and Meg Hatcher, of Hoopatomic, invited hula hoopers of all ages to join them at Mundy Park (the grassy area along Water Street Mall) for a hoop gathering in September. Hoopatomic is on Facebook.

•R .I.P. Howard Arenkill Sr. A lifelong Auroran, Arenkill was a third generation owner and operator of Arenkill’s Loan Bank which opened in 1925 on Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora (now at 11 N. Broadway). “He was always looking to make downtown Aurora a better place,” noted his obituary in September. He died at the age of 82.

•M iss Lee’s Lounge is a hidden gem in downtown Aurora and it happens to be for sale. The lounge, owned by 72-year-old Lee X, is located at 215 E. Galena Blvd. and with its pool tables, long bar, friendly bartenders and fabulous outdoor beer garden; it is a stellar example of a downtown establishment. Dan Hites took a small group on a tour of the bar in July to glean interest from others on turning Miss Lee’s into a local venue for bands and performers. Hites is also keen on showing movies downtown. If you’re on board to wake up downtown with movies and music, e-mail him at danhites@hotmail.com.

Marissa Amoni

•A nnie’s Om Towne Fitness is now in a much brighter and roomier space at 14 W. Downer Pl., above River’s Edge Cafe. Owner Annie Craig has room to grow; she is looking for motivated selfstarters (aestheticians, nail technicians, etc.) interested in being their own boss.

Visit Craig for a yoga class and maybe even a facial!

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Downtown Auroran

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Cover Story

Creative Couples These urban pairs make it über-cool

By Marissa Amoni

Don & Joanna

When Joanna Goss looked out of her apartment window and saw Don Picton across the street, she wasn’t about to miss the opportunity. Picton was visiting the campus at Northern Illinois University for an art show and Goss, a student at the time, was eager for a face-to-face.

She quickly ran across the street and positioned herself in a visible hallway in the art building. The strategic placement paid off and the two mused for some time about their chance encounter until Goss later confessed her modus operandi.

“She lured me in by her knowledge of screen printing,” Picton said, but it was that perfect meeting at NIU that got the ball rolling.

Goss found Picton (whose art she had seen covering the walls at a house party when she was 16-years-old) on MySpace a few years earlier, but her youth was against her – she was all grown up now, so the not-so-fortuitous event came at the right time.

“We were aware of each others’ work for a while,” said Goss, 24, who paints among other things. “He’s really a graphic artist and I went to school for painting. I introduced him to gouache (a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water) and I’ve been doing ink work since I’ve been dating him.”

Picton and Goss started dating last fall and they’ve already gone to prom (a house prom party), held an aging hipster yard sale and ran a popular booth at the Alley (ART) Festival in downtown Aurora over the summer.

They both share an affinity for making things – cute and cool things – out of used, found and vintage items. Their Alley (ART) Festival booth “Hermit Crab Studios” was an assemblage of his business, Friend Prices, and hers, Prairie Dog Museum.

They sold handmade kaleidoscopes, paper earrings, wool felted objects, comic books and Picton’s original coloring book, The Fantmagical World of Ray Harryhausen.

“We both have full time jobs. We spend the weekends making stuff in the basement. We both try to keep busy and have something to show for our hard work,” said Picton, 35, who rents an historic Victorian on the East Side of Aurora. Picton works second shift as a delivery 6

driver and Goss works similar hours during the school year as a custodian.

“We kind of compete unconsciously,” Goss offered. She gets up early and Picton stays up late to work on a multitude of projects – some just for them, others end up for sale on Etsy.com. Picton’s coloring and activity book is currently for sale at Quimby’s Bookstore in Chicago.

Him: Picton is a self-taught artist who held drawing competi-

tions at the age of five and was drawing monsters in second grade.

He read a lot of MAD Magazine and watched inappropriate movies (comedies, horror and sci-fi). He credits both of his dads for his humor and his good work ethic. Some of the comic artists who inspire him: Dan Clowes, Charles Burns and Jack Kirby.

Her: Goss studied painting at NIU where she received her BFA in

2009. Her classmates from first grade at Autumn Creek Elementary in Yorkville might remember Goss giving them lessons on how to draw an old man with a cane or a rabbit. She’s a fan of gouache on paper and held a show last spring at Ebersmoore gallery in Chicago’s West Loop. The Family Creative Workshop books from the 1970s currently inspire her.

Jen & Kevin

When Jennifer Tanner met Kevin Trudo at a martini bar in downtown Aurora in 2001, she was married and he was a jerky bartender. Then they got to know each other, stuff happened and they got married a year ago in June at the Paramount Theatre.

Kevin proposed in October 2008 while playing a gig at Uncommon Ground in Chicago. Jen (now Trudo) remembers the question coming between “Polaroid” and “A Little While” – songs of Kevin’s that will stick with her forever.

“He’s a writer who happens to be a musician,” Jen says of Kevin, who is known as The Kevin Trudo around town, plays with other musicians in an ensemble called The Kevin Trudo plus Meathawk and performs covers as the alias Doug Tunnels in Debbie Does Covers.

When the Trudos met, Kevin sang and played guitar in a band called Five Year Jacket. Now, at age 36, he does music exclusively and is putting a record together with Meathawk. “I’m experimenting to see what I can get away with. The goal is to make a living,” said Kevin, who recently started giving private music lessons after saying goodbye to his day job.

On the other hand, Jen likes the security of a day job. “I would like to be in a position where I can take photos,” she said. So she works multiple jobs, goes to school for a business degree and snaps photos whenever she can.

Downtown Auroran

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

“My earliest memory of Andrea is when she beat me for the solo in the Christmas musical,” said Zach, who always got the lead, until then. He was pretty miffed, but a love note from Andrea changed his tune. She said her crush on Zach began when she heard him sing Amazing Grace (Hallelujah).

They married in August 2005, left the neighboring small towns of Zion and Winthrop, Ill., attended Trinity Christian College and later moved to Aurora to live with friends.

to live in Aurora

It was at college that Andrea realized how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. It was during the second semester of her senior year when she said, “Forget all this. I’m going to do me now.”

She spent the remainder of the year making her first full-length album as a class final project and was able to get college credit for it. She received a degree in business communications.

“She was supposed to be the fail safe,” said Zach, who went for a less conventional degree in vocal music performance. Zach was raised around music and he is skilled at playing many instruments – drums, electric bass, etc. Andrea mostly plays the piano and she’s really good. She started taking lessons when she was 5-years-old and said she failed as a classical musician.

She likes experimenting with photography by using different cameras and enjoys molding what she captures through the editing process. She is humble about her artistic eye however and is eager to learn more about the technical side of photography.

“I would really like to become better. There is always room for improvement,” she said.

Kevin encourages Jen to take pictures and she’s at all of his shows (as long as a babysitter is lined up for Maddie, her fiveyear-old daughter). It’s a match made, well…um, in downtown Aurora.

Him: Kevin Trudo gave up the life of a traveling musician

when he was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2002. “I kind of quit everything. I didn’t know there was an in between,” he says.

Until one day, he got lonesome and picked up a mandolin.

Now he jams with the who’s who of local musicians including Chris Bauler, Matt McCain and Ben Smith. Meathawk is Justin O’Connell, Chad Watson and Ron Donavan.

Her: Jen Trudo used to have her friends dress up and pose for

her camera; now she finds beauty in the ordinary, like a pair of high heels or her daughter wielding a stick. Her photographs of Soterios Gardiakos were featured in the fall 2009 issue of Downtown Auroran magazine and she is the official photographer for all of her husband’s bands.

Andrea & Zach

At 25, she performs as Andrea Dawn, has three albums and is getting ready to tour this spring. She plays local venues like Frankie’s Blue Room in Naperville and is working on her first studio full-length album. “We have a big vision for it,” she said.

“I always believed in it and knew she was good,” Zach says of Andrea’s music career. He works as her manager and plays bass in the band. He is also the arts director at Christ Community Church in Montgomery.

“We never thought we’d do music together,” Zach said. It wasn’t until after they were married that they started working on music projects together and with friends, including local singer/songwriter Jeremy Keen. They said it helps living on a second floor apartment above a commercial space in downtown Aurora. “We don’t have any neighbors. We can be as loud as we want,” Zach said. “It’s great,” Andrea added.

Him: Zach was raised to be a singer – his mom sang in an a

cappella group and he has been singing his whole life. It is instruments, however that Zach usually is playing and teaching. He teaches it all: guitar, bass, drums – and voice.

Her:

Puppy love can be the real thing. Just ask Andrea and Zach Goforth. They met in church youth group when they were barely teenagers and started dating when Andrea was 14 and Zach was 15. It wasn’t necessarily love at first sight, though.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

“I never got any good,” she said about classical music, but she was able to build cords and play by ear at 12. So she joined a rock band and took voice lessons.

Marissa Amoni

Jennifer Trudo

Jen has been taking photos since she received her first 110 film camera for Christmas when she was about nine years old. She says her parents were supportive and didn’t mind paying to process rolls filled with cemetery photos.

She later graduated to a Nikon SLR camera and now plays with a variety of vintage cameras in her collection.

Andrea has a knack for songwriting and her lyrics and sultry voice can easily capture an audience. She played outdoors at the Alley (ART) Festival in August and spectators marveled at her talent. Last year, she won the Songwriter Showcase at Backthird Audio in downtown Aurora. Her latest CD, “Live at Backthird Audio,” is on sale at River’s Edge Café, 18 W. Downer.

Downtown Auroran

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Sam Oulavong

    

In September, John Blassingame and others organized Spoken Word Expo Aurora, a 3-day event that brought the art of spoken word and expressive art to Aurora.

In this photo, Rebecca “Butterfly” Vaughns performs at Prisco Community Center in Aurora.

Aurora

   

By Eric Barr



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Downtown Auroran

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Citizen Voices What brought you downtown today?

Compiled by Anna Miller – east of downtown

Ana Ruiz, North Aurora Accountant for City of Aurora “I came downtown for work today, but sometimes I visit downtown to see the ArtWalk,” Ruiz said. Ruiz comes downtown for work everyday, but also comes down during the summer for Downtown Alive! events.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Navin Kamal, Naperville Manager of Aurora Dental Office “Just for another day of work, and to stop into the coffee shop,” said Kamal.

Kamal comes downtown everyday, and sometimes comes down on weekends for work or to eat out.

Cecilia Zepeda, Aurora Student at Waubonsie Valley High School “My art class homework.

We are painting the dam,” said Zepeda. Zepeda comes downtown nearly every day to attend art class through the ARTWorks program and eat at the local restaurants, like Ballydoyle.

Downtown Auroran

George Miller, Bolingbrook Teacher at Lewis University “I love the historic location.

I also came down to eat at Julio’s,” Miller said. Miller comes downtown a few times a year to go shopping and look for good deals.

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Downtown Voices Q & A with Paramount Theatre Executive Director, Tim Rater “What is your “Top 5” list of things to do as the new executive director of the Paramount Theatre?”

1) More.

2) Even more.

3) Get the word out about this season’s fantastic shows. We just added new acts to the schedule including B.B. King, The Vagina Monologues and Flanagan’s Wake. The Vagina Monologues and Flanagan’s Wake will be in our intimate Copley Theater. These are shows you do not want to miss, trust me.

4) We are already working on the 2011-2012 season. Next year will be our 80th anniversary and we will be working to blow the roof off the facility with amazing new acts and Broadway Shows. We need partners to make the very best season possible, so we are working closely to get things lined up.

5) The Aurora community is incredibly supportive of the Paramount Theatre, helping make us a success. I want to help build upon our successes and help support our community in whatever way possible. We are going to push forward with more activity, both in our Copley Theater and on the Paramount stage. We are exploring an extended Classic Movie Monday series. We are looking into the possibility of developing a School of Performing Arts. There is a lot to do.

My days are never dull.

Rater, 35, moved to Aurora in early August from Arlington Heights.

He married his college sweetheart and they have two young children.

“Downtown Aurora will probably never again function as the regional shopping destination it once was. But it can be a thriving urban center where people can live, work & play.”

Charlie Zine

10

Aurora is…

By John and Beverly Nachtrieb

S

ix months ago, when we announced to friends and family that we were moving to Aurora the response was consistently a gasp and an admonishment: “Be careful.” Admittedly, we had some trepidation because of the long held perception of Aurora as a crime infested town in decline - interesting only to gamblers. But a determined Internet search to find a place to live that didn’t involve tract houses, townhomes and buildings distinguished only by their numbers led us here. Pure serendipity led us to the historically significant and delightful place known as “The Dye House” in downtown Aurora, the center of the city, where we enjoy each day.

Now that we no longer depend on perception, but rather on experience, Aurora has moved out of the shadows and away from the negative perception. Why? So many people who are genuinely committed to the continued revitalization of the city – and who invite our participation - have welcomed us. And there is SO MUCH going on. We can walk out our door to enjoy friends at River’s Edge Café and join a lively debate over local issues; attend musical events at Backthird Audio; get to know the library; walk to art events, music festivals, book club meetings, parades and restaurants. We can also sit on the deck and watch great blue herons and chimney swallows and simply enjoy the river’s bounty.

So now when we tell people we live in downtown Aurora, we wait for the inevitable gasp and we are prepared with a whole list of “didja knows.” We politely ask, “Didja know: Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois with a master redevelopment plan that includes going “green” (and has a very dedicated core of committed, socially responsible citizens who want to preserve its architecture and diversity and have already brought the city a long way)? There is a strong commitment to the arts, a million-square foot community center with a fitness center, a new hospital and medical center and the family-friendly, delightful Blackberry Farm? And “didja know” about the natural delights of the Fox River and the nearby Red Oak Nature Center?” The list goes on and on.

So, how is the negative perception of Aurora perpetuated? Is it at least in part by Aurorans? Maybe those who have sad memories of a deep decline, those who have not been downtown for years, or whose busy lives have precluded them from participating in the revitalization projects? We really don’t know. Yet, as newcomers, we believe Aurora’s biggest challenge is that gasp, that perception.

But this isn’t “our first rodeo” either. We know there is crime in Aurora, as there is everywhere. We know it will take years to revitalize downtown. It already has been years of work for many. But that’s the good news, not the bad news. Aurora is not just a city that “is a great place to live” – it is also a great place to give. And if we all participate in the revitalization of downtown (or any neighborhood), more people will view the City of Lights as a diverse, forward looking and interesting community – very different from just another “burb” along the I-88 corridor. As for us, we have put off looking for that little house in the country. We are delighted to be right here.

John and Beverly Nachtrieb moved to downtown Aurora six months ago from La Grange. They have been married for almost 40 years and own a small business that offers precision imaging, bar code and RFID solutions to industries.

Downtown Auroran

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

A r ti s t P r o f i l e DTA profile: Lisa Gloria “I

just paint stuff – stuff that interests me,” says Lisa Gloria while sitting comfortably in her new studio in the Sherer Block on Downer Place in downtown Aurora. After months of looking extensively for studio space to share with other artists, Gloria is happy to settle into a space of her own.

“I wanted a place that was super close to my house,” Gloria said about her choice to paint in the hustle and bustle of downtown.

Gloria lives in the historic Tanner District with her husband, Bret, and five daughters. “I just really like it here. There is all kinds of stuff to do.”

Gloria, 39, quickly grabbed up the vacant storefront in June after spending the winter and spring viewing potential locations for Fox River Arts, her idea for an artist community along the river.

In the end, she said the risk and cost of such a large venture was too much to undertake. She was sorry to disappoint artists, but heeded the good advice that her time was better spent painting.

Fish heads and peeled oranges, painted alla prima (in one sitting) now shimmer in oils and locals are getting a weekly opportunity to join Gloria at the studio for figure drawing.

“I want to teach here,” Gloria said. She will soon start booking some formal six-week workshops; she also offers private lessons and online workshops. The uninstructed Tuesday night figure drawing is an opportunity for “people who are mutually interested” to get together and draw.

Galleries in North Carolina and in Connecticut represent Gloria, who is best known for her still life paintings of flowers. She is a contemporary realist, which means she paints in a simple realistic style. A bouquet of peonies or a single magnolia branch are both painted as Gloria sees them, but with a touch of emotion – usually bordering on the dark or intimate.

“Peony Glass” by Lisa Gloria Gloria spent the first years of her life in Chicago, where the old, “creepy” houses and the items that filled them had an affect on her. “I try to recreate that feeling,” she said. “Like I am a foreigner – observing an arrangement. It’s far away and unobtainable. I try to make it look special or singular.”

See more of Gloria’s work at lisagloria.com. Visit her blog at lisagloria.blogspot.com.

She fell into painting flowers since they are popular at the galleries, but they do not define her portfolio. “I like things that are funny or strange – maybe a little bit scary,” she said. Her latest alla prima paintings are just that – a little mysterious. She has a flair for painting everyday things, as well as portraits of girls and women, with an added touch of oddity.

Whether it is a painting of Mexican tilapia on a shiny white plate or a woman on hands and knees cleaning a wood floor, Gloria gives her paintings emotion. She appreciated it when someone described her paintings as “unheimlich,” a German word that describes when the familiar can seem eerie.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Downtown Auroran

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PARADE n Step off at Benton and rade ceremony starts at 11:15 d on Downer across from the .aurora-il.org.

CELEBRATING 100 YRS OF BOY SCOUTING IN AMERICA June thru Dec The Aurora Historical Society exhibit traces the history of scouting over the pa century, including highlights of some of Aurora oldest troops. Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4. Free.

David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E.Downer. (630) 906-0650. www.aurorahistory.net.

San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

orth River Park (across the olice station). m.

SOMETHING’S COMING!

BROADW A AY SOMETHING BIG.

ALK The 2010 ArtWalk is here! experience their work. me alive with culture. Several downtown Aurora. org.

CANOE & KAYAK RACE -Am race down the Fox es and Batavia to Aurora.

Park at Illinois Ave. and 606. istrict.org.

AURORA FARMERS MARKET Saturdays June 12 thru Oct 23 from 8 to noon Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadwa Ave. (630) 844-4731.

Matt Jung

AUGUST

PUERTO RICAN FESTIVAL AND PARADE Sun Aug 1 from 1-9 Parade kicks off at 1 in downtown Aurora. (630) 859-3593. www.auroraprcc.org.

ART AT CITY HALL: GREG GOVERNAL Thru Oct 1 An exhibit of wildlife and nature photography. Open Mon-Fri, 8-5. Free. Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place. www.aurorail.org.

RIVERFRONT PLAYHOUSE Call for current schedule. Riverfront Playhous GROOVE ON THE FOX 11-13 Water Street Mall, is a 90 seat, not-forFri Aug 7 and 20 from 3 til dark Live music profit theatre located next to City Hall on the hosted by local band Groove Ethics. Free.

Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora. $12-$15 Millennium Plaza Park at Stolp Ave & Galena 630-897-9496. www.riverfrontplayhouse.com.

This ad paid for by AACVB ParamountAurora.com Blvd, 630.896.6666 across from downtown • Waubonsee campus.

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FEBRUARY 2011

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AUTO ROW CAR SHOW ark at Stolp Ave & Galena Sun Aug 8 from 11-3 2nd auto show on historic Butternut Squash Bruschetta Topping wntown Waubonsee campus.

LaSalle Street open to cars 1975 and older.

Contributed by Kate Purl – west of downtown Spectators FREE! LaSalle St. between Benton St. OX Butternut squash is easy to grow in your home garden, and it keeps and Downer Pl. 630.251.3533. for a2long time during the fall and winter months. If you didn’t grow 10 and Sat June 19 from LaSalle60505@sbcglobal.net. your own, head downtown to the Aurora Farmers Market before it Downtown Alive! series. closes for the season! This puree is delicious on bruschetta (grilled ntown Aurora. (630) 264ALLEY (ART) FESTIVAL wnaliveaurora.com. bread slices rubbed with garlic), but it also goes well with pork dishes Augfall 28flavor. from This noon-5 Amazing art or pasta forSat terrific recipe makes summer a large amount, so be sure to share. spectacular. Art, music, performances and more.

Open to everyone. FREE! Water St. between Ingredients: Downer Pl.8and 1 butternut squash basilGalena leaves Blvd. next to City Hall.

1 T. olive oil Kosher salton Facebook.

“Alley Art Festival” E FOX 1/8 cup red onion, chopped Freshly ground black pepper om 3 til dark Live music ¼ tsp. minced garlic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional garnish) Groove Ethics. Free. ark at Stolp Ave & Galena Directions: wntownCut Waubonsee squash in campus. half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and strings. Cook in microwave SPOKEN WORD 11-13 minutes on High. Once it cools, scoop theEXPO squashAURORA out of the skin and set aside.

Thurs Sept heat.

9 thru Satonions Sept 11 Add andPoetry, a pinchspoken of salt. When ADE Heat olive oil in pan over medium-low start to turn translucent, Cook 1-3 additional minutes,(630) stirring wordadd andgarlic. open mic event.

Multiple venues.

Kick offonions at River and Benton often. Place squash and onion mixture in the food processor and pulse a few times to 888-1104. www.spokenwordexpoaurora.com. il.org.

SEPTEMBER

get everything broken up. Add basil, another pinch of salt, and a generous shake of on low smooth.

Taste and OF adjust seasoning. Top VE! freshly ground pepper. Process FIESTA DEuntil LUCES FESTIVAL LIGHTS each piece of bruschetta with the squash, then garnish with a curl of shaved Parmigiaom 6-10 Rock on the Fox Sept 18 from 2-7 Commuter lot at Spring St. and no-Reggiano.

This is best served just above room temperature.

Score! ings classic rock and more to Lincoln Ave. (630) 264-INFO.

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www.aurora-il.org/specialevents.

12

Downtown Auroran

Downtown Auroran

18 W. Downer Place downtown Fresh food and brews!

We cater!

(630) 897-3343 Fall/Winter 2010-2011

13

Culture Shock OCTOBER

DECEMBER

AURORA FARMERS MARKET Sat Oct 23 at 8 a.m. - noon Celebrating its 98th year, the farmers market features farm-fresh produce and more. Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway Ave.

TINY CANDLE Dec 10, 11 and 17 at 7 p.m. Fifth annual holiday concert featuring Benjie and sister, Mandy Hughes, Andrea Dawn, Ben Thomas and more. Backthird Audio, 67 S. Stolp Ave. 630-264-2366. www. backthirdaudio.com.

NIGHTMARES – BASEMENT OF THE DEAD Thru Oct 31 Award-winning haunted house located in the heart of Downtown Aurora. 42 N. New York St. (630) 896-2466. www.42fear.com.

NOVEMBER ELMSLIE AND THE AURORA FIVE Thurs Nov 4 from 7 - 8:30 Join Carlo Losurdo from the Aurora Historic Preservation Commission for a virtual architectural tour of five historic Aurora buildings designed by noted Prairie School architect George Grant Elmslie. Aurora Public Library – West Branch. 233 S. Constitution Dr. www.aurora.lib.il.us.

VETERAN’S DAY PARADE Wed Nov 11 at 10:15 Step off at Benton and Water streets. Ceremony at 10:30 honoring all who served, rifle salute at 11 a.m. GAR Hall, 23 E. Downer Place. www. aurora-il.org.

GALLERY 44’S ANNUAL OPEN STUDIO Sat Nov 20 at 5:30 Join Gallery 44 artists in their studios overlooking the Fox River.

Cheryl Holz, Anne Von Ehr, Cassidy Alexander, David Hettinger and others. Gallery 44, 50 E. Galena Blvd. 2nd floor.

CITY TREE LIGHTING Wed Nov 24 at 6 p.m. Get your holiday spirit on in downtown Aurora! North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. www.aurorail.org.

GINGERBREAD FIREHOUSE CONTEST AND EXHIBIT Sat Nov 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. Grab the sugar, grab the spice and stop, drop and roll for the second annual fire-themed gingerbread building contest. Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway Ave. www. auroraregionalfiremuseum.org.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

WINTER GARDEN OF YOUTH Opens Fri Dec 17 from 5-7 p.m thru Jan 14 An annual exhibit of works of art by Aurora students in grades K through 12. Wed-Fri, noon to 4. Free-$3.

Aurora Public Art Commission at the David L. Pierce Center, 20 E. Downer Place.

630-906-0654. www.aurora-il.org.

UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATER PARTY & RED WANTING BLUE Sat Dec 4 at 8 Get your live music fix while showing off your best festive sweater! Serve yourself a good plate of Americana with Red Wanting Blue, a solid indie band out of Columbus, OH. Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 28 W. New York St. (630) 897-3343. www.ballydoylepub.com.

LIMITED RUNS & SHOWINGS SKILLETS Thru Dec 3 A photo essay by photojournalist Donnell Collins of Aurora.

Collins examines the theme of race and the beauty industry and its affect on black children. Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4.

Free-$3. Aurora Public Art Commission at the David L. Pierce Center, 20 E. Downer Place. 630-906-0654. www.aurora-il.org.

GRAND GALLERY ART OPENINGS Oct 15, Dec 19 and Feb 12 Join artists on the 2nd floor for appetizers and a cash bar. Proyecto Tango Photo Essay Aspiring Artists from Waubonsee Community College thru Nov. George Shipperley - Oil Pastels and Luke Slowik – Paintings thru Jan. Gideon Haynes – Scribbles and Aspiring Artists from North Central College thru March. Paramount Arts Centre, 8 E. Galena Blvd. 630-896-6666. www.paramountaurora.com.

Downtown Auroran

RIVERFRONT PLAYHOUSE Oct 8 thru Nov 13 - Night of the Living Dead: The Musical. Dec 10, etc.

– A Christmas Carol. Call for current schedule. Riverfront Playhouse, 11-13 Water Street Mall, is a 90 seat, not-forprofit theatre located next to City Hall on the Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora. $12-$15. Reservations recommended for most shows. 630-897-9496. www.riverfrontplayhouse.com.

ART AT CITY HALL, FALL 2010 Oct 25 thru April 1 Art exhibit featuring 2-dimentional works by the Aurora Art League. Open Mon-Fri, 8-5. Free.

Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place. www.aurora-il.org.

ART AT AURORA UNIVERSITY Dec 18 thru Feb 27 “IndiVisible: African and Native American Lives in the Americas,” a traveling photo exhibit by the Smithsonian Institution, will be exhibited in the Schingoethe Center in the lower level of Dunham Hall. An opening reception will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13. Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise. www.aurora.edu/museum.

MONTHLY EVENTS DAAM! First Thursday evenings of most months Join artists of all kinds for Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers at various downtown establishments. Everyone is welcome. Find Downtown Auroran on Facebook for more information.

THE GUILD Last Mondays of most months at 7:30 p.m. A get together for anyone who “does music” or appreciates it. Free and there’s coffee. Backthird Audio, 67 S. Stolp Ave. 630-264-2366. www.backthirdaudio.com.

Fireworks

By Spiros Koliopoulos

13

Manhole Cover

By Sam Herron

homemade

Now Open on Restaurant Row food and fresh in Downtown Aurora brews give us

Open 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Wednesday – Friday for lunch Bar Seating ourIndoor edge Outdoor Seating (weather permitting) Extensive Wine List

18 W Downer WednesdayPlace & Thursday 5 - 9 p.m.

- downtown Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.

Sunday 5 - 8 p.m.

33 West New York Street, Aurora, Illinois

Downtown Voices

630.375.0426 – www.chefamaury.com

A Whitewater Park in Downtown Aurora Guest column by Charlie Zine

It has been almost three years since a group of

BRIAN J. HIPP

HIPP LAW OFFICE local kayakers brought former Olympic kayaker Attorney at Law Scott Shipley to Aurora to seek his help in redesigning the Aurora canoe chute so that it Phone 630-844-1234 actually works as intended.

630-631-5192 The initial goal was just to fix the canoe chute, but Shipley was Fax 630-859-0205 1026 Prairie the opportunity to modify both of downtown Aurora’s dams Email bjhippx2@aol.com Aurora, IL 60506 d-class whitewater parks. During the same visit, Shipley saw s channels around the North Aurora and Montgomery dams Lustate igi’s be created. These projects, plus the of the art by-pass Piz za 732 Prair ie Stree rrently being constructed in Yorkville, could create the world’s t • Au ro ra, IL 630-896-98 ewater Park Water Trail!‛ 61 www.luattraction.

Any whitewater park is a regional But these four igispizzaa ndfuncen • Las com to er Tag r features in a 15-mile stretchPiz ofzathe Fox River (soter. close • Gam e Room Mini Bow lin g • Fu Chicago) would create a world-class attraction, and n Pridowntown zes uld be the center of it all. Aurora’s two dams could be modified evels of whitewater parks. In the east channel, an international petitive kayak venue could host major events. The west channel a safe ‚play course‛ where whitewater kayakers could do h as, flips, jumps, Eskimo rolls and ‚surf‛ the stationary waves the drop structures. Families in rafts and swimmers in tubes h the proper protective gear, join in on the fun. And even (630) 844-6215 220 N. Broadway would find it a fascinating show.

To help promote these projects, gather support and seek Follow us on Facebook! Inside Jake’s Bagels we have created a non-profit organization called Fox River rts (FRWS). FRWS will work with local governments and state o coordinate efforts to apply for grants and build the venues.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011 is to 14 turn the Fox River into a true public park that isDowntown safe and Auroran to the general public, and provides real economic and cultural

Book Part y

Today!!

Historical Notes 37 S. River Street - Old Second National Bank, John Warner Norton three-panel interior mural, painted 1925

By Katharine Jelenski – west of downtown As his career progressed, Norton moved his family to the Tree Studio Building in Chicago. He gained high renown for his anthropological series of murals in the Logan Museum at Beloit College, and for murals in several key Chicago locations, like the Cliff Dwellers Club (his first major mural) and the Fuller Park Fieldhouse. By the time Aurora introduced his mural at the Old Second National Bank, Norton had been awarded the William M. R. French memorial Gold Medal.

T

he John Warner Norton mural is one of the unique highlights of the Old Second National Bank building. At the center of the mural is Aurora at its agrarian beginnings, with a depiction of McCarty’s Mills on a bank of the Fox River. Two additional panels (added after the unveiling) flank this genesis tale of Aurora: at the left is a native Potawatomi family and at the right is a newly arriving European family.

The mural was unveiled on July 30, 1925 with the opening of the new location of the Old Second National Bank.

Architecture: The architecture of the building represents a showcase of the Prairie style that had come into popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. John Norton embraced the aesthetic of the Prairie style, which was more suitable for Midwestern farm towns.

The architect of the Old Second Bank, George Elmslie, was one of the major proponents of the Prairie style. He studied under its originator, Louis Sullivan.

History: John Norton diligently applied himself to his career at a young age. In 1899, Norton entered the Art Institute of Chicago, where he became acquainted with a wide range of talented artists. He soon picked up teaching posts at the Art Institute of Chicago and other art schools in the Midwest.

Norton had a keen appreciation for nature. He traveled extensively in the western wilderness and picked up much of his subject material from these journeys. Often his wife, also a student from the Art Institute, accompanied him, and together they would explore the awe-inspiring deserts, mountains, lakes and rivers. Like other artists of his generation, Norton entertained a romantic idea of the unspoiled landscape.

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Long time colleague Tom Lea observed Norton’s methodical process and noted that he never started a new mural project until he had fully explored the setting. Then he would begin a series of preliminary sketches, in which he seemed to “make all possible mistakes before he was able to recognize the correct answer.” He carefully selected his color scheme, testing it to variances of light and he sought tight control over his spatial forms. He worked according to this careful system for Old Second Bank, meeting with bank officials to grasp the character of the building and reviewing historical photographs to gain an accurate vision of Aurora’s early days.

When the bank’s new customer lobby and building addition was constructed in 1982, the mural remained in place on the wall, but the renovation of the bank’s layout took the mural out of prominent view. Since the parking lot adjoins the newer section of the building, customers are more likely to enter the building there instead of the original Downer entrance. The mural now overlooks employee cubicles. Though this area is no longer an expressly public space, visitors may still freely come in and view one of downtown Aurora’s true treasures - the John Warner Norton mural.

Special thanks to John Medernach, former vice president of Old Second. Medernach wrote “Banking at the corner of River and Downer: The History of the Old Second National Bank.”

“The anti-classical architecture and murals in these banks were also extensions of Louis Sullivan’s notion of a Prairie School Progressivism. This included the bank being represented as an open, honest, democratic institution whose success depended directly upon the prosperity of the people, rather than an anonymous, classical temple where capitalists seek the greatest return.” – from “Banking at the corner of River and Downer” by John Medernach

Downtown Auroran

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