The village of Skokie hosted its community-wide 2nd Annual Art Exhibit at The Storefront on the weekends of Feb. 7-8 and 14-15. Local artists showcased their work for a juror, while doors were opened to the public.

The art exhibit, otherwise known as a pop-up show, was open to any artist living in Skokie. It was a blind juror show, allowing each artist a fair chance. Results of the judging will be available once the exhibit closes on Feb. 20. Additionally, after closing, the village will be hosting an artist meet-up for exhibitors to connect.

Jenni Grover is a wellness coach, journalist, writer, and artist based in Skokie. The art exhibit featured her quilt titled “Wonky X’s,” which is comprised of machine-pieced and hand-quilted multicolored perle cotton threads. Grover originally intended to make a quilt for aesthetics, but in a turn-of-events, she broke her foot. She was stuck on her couch for weeks, but began to regain herself once she picked up her quilting needles.

“So being just kind of enveloped in color really made a difference for me in my mental health,” Grover said. “Color, especially bright, saturated colors, for me, are always just so uplifting. So, I think that the end result with the quilting in all different colors, the hand stitching, all the colors of the fabric and the way that it’s pieced improvisationally instead of everything being very measured carries a lot of joy, which was really wonderful, especially during a time when I was not really joyful.”

Artist Robert Potter specializes in photography and owns the REP3 Photographic Art Studio in Skokie. On the winter solstice, he photographed the sun shining through a forest to celebrate the event, titling the piece “Winter Solstice.” This piece was featured in the exhibit.

“I entered this photograph into the juried exhibit to engage with and be part of the community of artists here in my hometown,” Potter said. “It is always a pleasure to see an image I created displayed in a gallery and to witness the audience’s reaction to it.”

The artworks at the exhibit were judged based on juror Gabriella Boros‘s criteria. This includes professional approach, composition, technique, topic and range of sizes and materials. Boros’s judging included mediums like photography, paintings, collages and sculptures to incorporate the diverse art that Skokie artists have to offer.

“It was hard choosing only one piece from some artists that I thought were outstanding, but I wanted to give each artist equal standing,” Boros said.

The response from the community was generally positive. Artists, such as Grover, felt that the exhibit brought the community closer together.

“In that room, at the opening reception on Friday night, there were so many people, 100s of people came through that room together,” Grover said. “It’s almost like there’s an unspoken agreement that we’re gonna be together, we’re going to appreciate each other and we’re going to strive for something good.”

Skokie Fine Arts Commissioner Pamela Sloan chaired the committee to organize the exhibit. She is excited for The Storefront to host more artistic events in the future. The village of Skokie rents out the space at costs around $75 per day and $150 per week.

“Well, I think that the fact that the village has given us this Storefront is a really good beginning for a way to allow artists in Skokie to present their work,” Sloan said. “…So I think that the space that we’re talking about, The Storefront, is a good sort of incubator space for all types of art, whether it’s a performance-based, music, maybe storytelling or poetry.”

The Storefront will continue renting its space out to fine arts organizations. A $5000 grant will be given to two artists who will produce a performance piece in the Storefront. Another grant will be given out to a nonprofit arts organization that is planning to use the space in the future.

The village of Skokie plans to continue the annual art exhibits.

“In the tough times we are experiencing, it is especially important to bring artistic visions into a community,” Boros said. “They are uplifting and important voices.”

Artists play a vital role in the community by helping others see, feel and experience life in ways they may not have previously considered,” Potter said.