Article taken from LaSalle News Tribune, September 15, 2019<\/p>\n
A sun-swept landscape. An intricate portrait. A for sale sign?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not an empty window in the building at 112 S. Park St. in Streator, even though it\u2019s an empty building for the moment. But based on the interest Realtor Deanne Carlson is receiving in the property it may not be empty much longer, and she credits the artwork as a big draw.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we\u2019re getting an abundance of interest,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cWe understood that decorated buildings and windows help sell a commercial property and bring it alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t just the stock image artwork one finds in hotel chains. The artwork on display is showcasing local talents through the NCI ARTworks art loan program.<\/p>\n
And this is a program that goes back to the organization\u2019s roots for what they term as \u201cphantom galleries\u201d \u2014 temporary galleries in nontraditional settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cARTworks got its start by putting art in empty buildings,\u201d said executive director Chris Coughlin.<\/p>\n
She said art was adorned in windows of several downtown La Salle properties before they were renovated for new businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese places have been sold or rented and I\u2019d like to think we\u2019ve had some small part of that,\u201d Coughlin said. \u201cWe do believe in the power of phantom galleries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coughlin said the program has evolved over the years and become a little more official on how the organization loans pieces out to the community. Coughlin said photo canvases were the first to go out, which are reprints of photography taken by local talents such as Paula Guttilla, who now helps administrate the program. Coughlin said the collection is now up to 28 pieces, some of which can be found this year in Peru Elementary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a growing program,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s getting some attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now NCI ARTworks is looking to obtain prints of masterworks from the Art Institute of Chicago, which Coughlin said were recently made available on the public domain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Article taken from LaSalle News Tribune, September 15, 2019 Local artwork helps draw interest to empty buildings A sun-swept landscape. An intricate portrait. A for sale sign? It\u2019s not an empty window in the building at 112 S. Park St. in Streator, even though it\u2019s an empty building for the moment. But based on the … <\/p>\n