No matter who you talk to in Wilmette – long-time residents, shop owners, village officials – most will tell you as far back as they can remember, there has not been a long-standing art gallery in downtown Wilmette.
A few have come and gone, including the Danon Gallery and Frame Shop, which opened in Wilmette in 1996 until it moved to Central Street in Evanston, and SG Gallery on Green Bay Road, which focused on promoting local artists and remained for a few years.
However, a new gallery has come to town. The Patrician Gallery & Gatherings opened at 1135 Central Avenue in May, is a dream turned reality for North Shore business partners Patti Schumann and Patrice Bazianos.
“We are thrilled to have the Patrician Gallery in downtown Wilmette,” said Wilmette Business Development Planner Lisa Brosnan. “This fine art gallery is such a good fit amongst the downtown shops and restaurants and partners Patti and Patrice are already becoming a dynamic force in our community.”
According to co-owners, Patrician Gallery & Gatherings plans to feature a broad array of artwork to include painting, photography, sculpture, glass, woodwork and more, curated from a select group of local and national artists.
Schumann says they will distinguish the gallery by offering exhibits and programming at the intersection of art and design.
“The ‘gathering’ aspect will be highlighted by events in art education, interior design and art consulting workshops along with artist featured events,” Schumann said.
Bazianos says Patrician Gallery events will connect artists to the business of art and art lovers to the artists themselves.
Longtime Wilmette resident Rich Jones says this is the first real fine art gallery he and his wife Marie have seen in Wilmette in their 37 years of living here.
“The gallery brings high quality visual art and creativity to the booming downtown culture that is happening here in Wilmette,” Jones said.
The current show, Patrician Gallery Summer Showcase, offers just a preview of diverse works by represented artists.
Gallery artist Andy Dearwater of Houston, Texas, demonstrated creating abstractions using a process that combines oil paint with the application of cold wax during the village’s Sidewalk Sale on Saturday.
Charlene Hoyt of Wilmette says it’s really neat to have a mix of local and national artists right here on Central street.
Stacey Shedivy of Wilmette stopped in the Patrician Gallery with family during Saturday’s Sidewalk Sale.
“I don’t think we have ever had a fine art gallery in downtown Wilmette,” she said. “It really steps up the cultural enrichment and brings it to the forefront of our town.”
Follow on Instagram for future events @patrician_gallery.
Gina Grillo is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
