Inspiration destination: Grand Detour Arts Festival gears up for 75th year

GRAND DETOUR — Some artists have traveled the world to find their inspiration. Others have found it just around the bend, in a village not far from Dixon.

Strolling through the Grand Detour’s streets, it’s easy to imagine simpler times gone by, when life moved a little slower and people could take time to not only soak in the scenery but become inspired by it. That’s because throughout its nearly 200-year history, the village has served as a catalyst for creativity, a place where people could tap into a wellspring of inspiration and find their inner artist.

Nestled in a bend along the Rock River, the not-so-bustling burg is big on small-town charm. It’s like a picture-perfect postcard of rural life along the river – and if that picture is worth a thousand words, then a painting has to be worth at least a Grand.

Today, people are still finding the artist inside them, and they’re taking it outside for the annual Grand Detour Arts Festival, when the village of about 400 people welcomes visitors to take a detour off the highway that runs through it and set aside time for some art appreciation.

When people stop by the festival, they not only get to see and buy artwork in various mediums – paintings, drawings, sculptures, woodwork, crafts – but they also get to enjoy the village charm that’s made Grand Detour a haven for artists through the years.

This year’s show marks a milestone: 75 years for the festival, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 8 – rain or shine – at the same place that it’s been at all these years, the John Deere Historic Site. Around 100 different artists young and old, including many participants in the festival’s Student Art Exhibit, will display their creations, hoping to catch judges’ eyes. Awards are given for the best collection of works in certain mediums, highlighted by the event’s grand prize: the Charles Kested Best of Show award.

Not only is the show one of the oldest of its kind in northern Illinois, but its outdoor setting adds to its charm – a breath of fresh air in a world of mass production and mass consumption.

Green grass, blue skies, and art – that’s what Lynn Roe of Grand Detour thinks of most when promoting the event. She leads the Grand Detour Arts Festival Committee of 12 local art enthusiasts who run the show, approve applications for exhibits, and promote it.

The committee partners with The Next Picture Show art gallery in downtown Dixon to help make the show a success.

“I like to see people come and enjoy themselves,” Roe said. “I like to see the same artists come back. We love new artists, and we have a lot of new ones this year. Most of the same artists will request the same booths, and people who always come know where they are.”

While there, people can visit other spots in Grand Detour: The John Deere Historic Site is open for tours and will have blacksmith demonstrations, and the nearby vintage-1849 limestone St. Peter Episcopal Church will be open for tours.

Jane Edgar of Grand Detour used to display her works at the show, and although she has stepped away from doing so in recent years, she’s still a big part of the show. Her painting of the St. Peter church, “St. Peter’s in Snow No. 2,” will be for sale this year, with half of the proceeds supporting the festival’s operations. She and her husband, Ralph, established The Next Picture Show in 2004.

Edgar painted the piece in 2003 from a photo she took of the church during the winter. It’s just one of many local scenes she’s come to appreciate since moving there in 2000.

“The village itself is very special,” Edgar said. “When I moved here, I would be very surprised about all of the people who would be stopping and gawking because it’s just so beautiful. It’s like the whole place is a park.”

“There’s a very rich sense of art throughout the village’s history,” she said.

“Grand Detour has a serious art history, and many of the homes in Grand Detour were made by Chicago artists who would come to paint,” Edgar said. “They discovered that Grand Detour was a great place to paint. They discovered the village and made their homes here, and several generations of artists are teachers and artists.”

The event also will feature a raffle of a white-on-black pencil drawing of a squirrel from Matt Jagitsch of Sterling. Jagitsch’s works won Best of Show in 2021.

Artists can bring their own equipment and tables, or rent a table from the festival committee. The application process is designed to ensure that the works are of original concept, design and execution; works commercially produced or made from kits, models or patterns aren’t allowed. The application process is the same each year, and those who wish to exhibit at next year’s show can contact The Next Picture Show for more information; existing exhibitors who refer a new artist to show can receive a discount for booth rental.

Letha Catalina has exhibited her own works at the show, and will help oversee it this year as executive director of The Next Picture Show, a role she began in August.

“Being an artist who has been to different outside shows, Grand Detour is just special,” Catalina said. “It’s kind of a magical feeling as soon as you go through the gate. It’s just such a relaxed and calm feeling, and the atmosphere is the biggest thing. The vibe as you look across the small road, you see all of these homes that were built in the 1800s. Being an artist, you don’t want to miss this one.”

Up until around 25 years ago, the show had been held around the perimeter of the John Deere Historic Site, but has since moved onto its grounds, also adding food and craft vendors and occasional musical performances.

Two major additions to the show were made about 20 years ago. One of them is The Tradition Continues Award, a judge’s choice of the top work that doesn’t quite fit into one of the show’s award categories. The other is the Student Art Exhibit, which draws area artists from grades kindergarten through 12. In addition to top honors, student participants also receive art supplies as prizes.

“That’s become a big part of the overall festival now,” Roe said. “It brings a lot of families out, and the kids come from schools all around the area.”

The Charles Kested Best of Show Award is given to the judge’s pick for the best artwork among all categories. Kested, an Ashton native, founded the show in 1948. He worked as a painter and decorator, taught watercolor art in the area, and studied art in the 1930s under the guidance of watercolorist Holger Jensen and oil painter John Nolf, both from Grand Detour. Jensen and Nolf were part of the Grand Detour Art Colony, which was founded as an offshoot of the Eagle’s Nest art colony in Oregon. The colony was active from the 1920s to the 1950s, and many of their paintings are on display at the Loveland Community House in Dixon.

Many of Kested’s works feature old barns and prairie scenes around Grand Detour, as well as sites within the historic village. He lived to see the 50th anniversary of the show in 1998 before his death in 2001 at 94.

“He started out in oils and moved to watercolors, and then started teaching watercolors,” Roe said. “He was very well known in the community, and we’ve honored him with our Best of Show.”

After rain put a damper on the 2022 show, last year’s event saw sunny skies return with a larger crowd and 48 booths. Jessica Modica, executive director of the Freeport Art Museum, served as judge and toured the show to find the best works. The mixed media work of Linda Magklaris of Oregon was awarded Best of Show. Along with earning the top honor, her work also is being used as a promotional image for this year’s show.

The Tradition Continues Award was won by Mary Jo Schuneman. Category winners were Stuart Roddy, oil acrylic; Margaret Rogowski, jewelry; Charlie Kerr, photography; Nancy Ocken, 3-dimension; Kevin Deets, woodwork; and Donna Smith, drawing medium. Honorable mention recipients were Joanne Farley, oil acrylic; David Radionoff, jewelry; Letha Catalina, photography; Prisilla Osborne, 3-dimensional; John Carroll, woodwork; and Whitley Cuevas, drawing medium.

In last year’s Student Art Exhibit, judged by Smith at TNPS the day prior to the event, “Two Faces Like Pablo Picasso” by Eoghan Good won Best of Show. Kindergarten to second-grade group winners were Finley Wolford, first; Coleson Goodwin, second; Khloe Stark, third; Sloan Perino, honorable mention; Evanston Gumbiner, judge’s choice. In grades three through five, winners were Delia Rich, first; Brison Fenwick, second; Jaron Walter, third; Blaine Flikkema, honorable mention; Genevieve Billiet, judge’s choice. Grades six through eight winners were Hayden Hunsburger, first; Chloie Flanagan, second; Devin Burrs, third and judge’s choice; and Izabel Dorwaldt, honorable mention. High school winners were Sophia Stender, first and third; Macklynn Rager, second; Alanya Benton honorable mention; and Rylyn Karrow, judge’s choice.

Organizers are always looking for more artists to be in the show, hoping to get back to numbers it saw before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Watercolor and sculpture exhibits are of particular need; awards had been given in those categories in past events, but were not last year due to low numbers.

“Last year’s show was great. It wasn’t our biggest show, but it was a real nice show,” Roe said. “We didn’t have as many artists, as it’s taken some time to build back up our number of artists coming back after Covid.”

Roe and the festival committee are looking forward to another great show this year.

“I love the tradition of it, and it seems so perfect in the setting of Grand Detour,” Edgar said. “This event draws a lot of people into the little village, and it’s a great boost and a wonderful thing for our whole area.”

Get artsy

The 75th Grand Detour Arts Festival is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the John Deere Historic Site, 8334 S. Clinton St. in Grand Detour.

Find it on Facebook, email gdartsfestival@gmail.com or call The Next Picture Show at 815-285-4924 for more information.