ARTS & CULTURE
E
lmhurst boasts a virtual cultural campus adjacent to its Central Business District (CBD), where diverse elements—art and history, lectures and literature, music and theatre— blend together in a recipe that satisfies all the sense. Within close proximity are the following attracons, sites and venues: • Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst Public Library, Elmhurst Park District’s Conservatory/Formal Gardens, Veterans’ Memorial and Wilder Mansion within Wilder Park;
• Old Main (built in 1879 and on the Naonal Register of Historic Places), Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, Mill Theatre and A.C. Buehler Library on the grounds of Elmhurst University's arboretum campus; and • Elmhurst History Museum housed in the Glos Mansion.
¢ MUSEUMS
In celebraon of Internaonal Museum Day, Elmhurst’s two museums open their doors to the public for free on May 16 (tentave), with 2021 marking the 25th Anniversary of Elmhurst Museum Day. Named the “Best Suburban Art Museum in Chicago” by Chicago Magazine, the Art Museum is known for the quality of its visual arts, architecture and educaonal programs. Along with its permanent collecon, EAM showcases traveling exhibions, juried compeons, and group and individual exhibions. Relocated to Wilder Park in 1997, EAM incorporates galleries, an Educaon Center and the former Robert R. McCormick house (built 1952 and purchased 1991), one of three residences designed by internaonally renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 2018, the McCormick house was separated from the museum building as part of a four phase project to return the interior to its original layout. Operated by the City of Elmhurst since 1957, the History Museum engages residents and visitors into history with collecons, exhibits and educaon. EHM has been located in the historically significant Glos Mansion—the former home of Elmhurst's first village president, Henry L. Glos, and his wife, Lucy—in downtown Elmhurst for all but a decade when the Wilder Mansion (1965-75) served as its home. EHM also manages Churchville Schoolhouse,
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a restored circa 1850s one-room Bensenville schoolhouse listed in the Naonal Register of Historic Places.
¢ PERFORMING ARTS
Elmhurst University hosts and sponsors concerts, plays, art displays and lectures, including the secondoldest collegiate Jazz Fesval (founded in 1968) in Hammerschmidt Chapel in late February and the Annual Summer Extravaganza jazz concert on the University Mall each June. The Elmhurst Park District provides a stage for residents to learn dance, music, theatre, art and cinema, and business professionals teach all the performing arts (Beyond Center Stage), musical instruments (Luscombe Music), sacred/inspiraonal choir music (Spirito! Singers), modern dance (DeForest Dance Academy and Evoluon Dance Academy) and more. Typically, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra (ESO) performs a five-concert symphonic season annually at Elmhurst Chrisan Reformed Church or Mayslake Peabody Estate, but kicked out the 2020-21 season by streaming concerts last October and November. While the Elmhurst Choral Union sings classical masterworks and great choral music of all eras with full professional orchestra and soloists at spring and winter concerts and a mini-concert of opera, pop and Broadway.
¢ PATRONS
The Arsts’ Guild is a membership organizaon that sponsors arst demonstraons and local exhibits, and maintains one of EAM’s four galleries. The Elmhurst Heritage Foundaon, a 2007 merger of EHM’s Foundaon and the City’s Historical Commission, is an advocacy voice and support group for History Museum exhibits, programs, services and events. The Foundaon will stage its belated Sixth Annual Elmhurst Craft Beer Fest fundraiser on the History Museum grounds in September of 2021. Art in the Park: A Juried Show of Fine Art, Craft and Design, returns to Wilder Park each May. The Elmhurst Symphony Associaon provides financial and organizaonal support to the ESO. The Elmhurst Centre for Performing Arts (ECPA) is fundraising to build a theatre in downtown Elmhurst on First Street property purchased late in 2019.
2020 ELMHURST COMMUNITY DIRECTORY
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