Arts & Entertainment

Art In Your Eye 2011 Schedule and Complete Guide

It's bound to be a creative and inspiring weekend in Batavia.

Editor's note: Bookmark this page, especially on your smartphone! This will be a helpful reference as you navigate the festival. The following information is courtesy of Art in Your Eye.

The seventh annual Art in Your Eye Fine Art Show and Festival, sponsored by the City of Batavia, takes place at the in downtown Batavia from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 13, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 14. One of the premier art festivals of the Fox Valley region, Art In Your Eye reflects Batavia’s growing arts movement, the spirit of Batavia artists and a community that supports art of all kinds.

The centerpiece of the two-day festival is the outdoor fine art show, featuring more than seventy-five artists from around the country. Artists of all media are represented, including watercolor and oil painting, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, woodworking and fiber. The outdoor show is sponsored by Veolia Environmental Services.

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The indoor juried City Hall Exhibit provides a venue for sixty-one local artists to display their work. Alongside this exhibit is the Student Legacy Exhibit featuring the artwork of fifteen area high school and college level art students. For a list of City Hall Exhibit artists, click here. For the list of Student Legacy artists, click here.

Colorful Tunes

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The art shows are complemented by continuous live music sponsored by on the Art In Your Ear stage at the new Peg Bond Center Pavilion. Here's the schedule for performers on Saturday, August 13:

Time Performer Description 9:45 a.m. Coco and the Nuts Tropical reggae, island pop music 11 a.m. Greg Boerner Hand-jiving guitar and vocals Noon Music Matters Steel Drum Band Caribbean 1 p.m. Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas Americana 2 p.m. Andy Young Gypsy jazz, Irish traditional and Quebecois 3 p.m. Michael Smith Singer-songwriter 4 p.m. Dennis Stroughmatt et L'Esprit Creole French creole music (with hints of cajun spice)

And here's the schedule for Sunday, August 14:

Time  Performer Description 9:45 a.m. Fight With Monsters Acoustic 11 a.m. One Brick Short Original music, rock covers and humorous pop songs Noon  Rhythm Matters Drum Circle Bring your own drum, or we'll provide you with one 1 p.m. Margaret Carlson and Friends Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist 2 p.m. Lee Murdock Folk music for the modern era 3 p.m. Kraig Kenning Guitar/vocals by U.S. Slide Guitar Champ

New This Year

This year, Batavia’s provides a “Try-it” area for festival-goers to experience throwing a pot or creating a work of art. Another new feature is sponsored by the Batavia Arts Council. The booth features poet Barbara Perry of “Fresh-Squeezed Poetry”, who will create on-the- spot personal poems from prompts of the festival attendees. In addition, the booth will feature poetry and book readings from local poets and authors. Here's the schedule for the tent on Saturday, August 13: 

Time  Name Description 10 a.m. to noon Barbara Perry Fresh Squeezed Poetry Noon to 12:30 p.m. Christopher Kuhl Poet 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Don Bingle Sci-fi thriller novelist 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Barbara Perry Fresh Squeezed Poetry 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Peggy Krause Award-winning children's author 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Donna Latham Ghost story reading 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Katie Phillips Award-winning poet 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dayna Rubin Novelist

And here's the schedule for Sunday, August 14:

Time Name Description 10 a.m. to noon Barbara Perry Fresh Squeezed Poetry Noon to 1 p.m. Tom Lichtenheld Children's author/artist 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Barbara Perry Fresh Squeezed Poetry 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Fran Fredericks—
Kitty Jarman Reading from group novel 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Donna Latham Ghost story reading

Spotlight on Bulldogs Unleashed

Art In Your Eye is pleased to feature Batavia’s  at the festival. of the Bulldogs Unleashed around downtown Batavia will leave from the main Information Tent at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The tours will be led by George Scheetz,  director.

A special video about the will be shown at noon and at 3 p.m. Saturday, and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, on the second floor of . Also open for viewing on the second floor is the City Hall Art Collection, featuring the original artwork from the seven Art In Your Eye fine art posters.

How to Get Here

The festival’s location along the Fox River bike trail makes it a perfect destination by bicycle. Free guarded bicycle parking is provided. There is also plenty of free parking in downtown Batavia, and signage will point visitors to the special parking locations. The Batavia Riverwalk is located at Houston St., and Island Avenue, just east of Rt. 31. For more info on parking, click here, or click on the small icon under the word "PDFS" below the Art in Your Eye logo near the top of this page.

Get Your Merch Here

Each year Art In Your Eye offers a fine art poster for sale. The 2011 poster features a sculpture by Water Street Studios artist Rita Grendze. The poster will be available for sale at the Information Tent, along with those from the past six festivals, t-shirts and other merchandise.

Teeny, Tiny, Tantalizing

Another annual activity is the Miniatures Competition for the Outdoor Fine Art Show artists. Participating artists create a miniature in their own media, with the theme “the best use of an “eye” in your artwork. The fifteen unique miniatures from the 2010 Outdoor Fine Art Show will be available for viewing and can be won through the purchase of raffle tickets, with proceeds going to the festival.

More in Store

Dick Blick sponsors the always popular Children’s Art Tent. Batavia Park District rents paddleboats for those who would like to enjoy a view of the festival from Depot Pond.

The , also located at the Riverwalk, is open during the festival and features a special exhibit of artwork by students, as well as their own art collection and historic exhibits. Gourmet food is offered by Batavia’s .

After the first day of the festival closes, be sure to stop by , 15 E. Wilson St., for the Peep Show. To learn more about the show, click .

About the Event

Art in Your Eye is presented by a collaborative partnership of the City of Batavia and the following Batavia organizations:

For a list of additional sponsors, click here.

A large number of volunteers help plan and support the festival. For more information visit artinyoureye.com.

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