The works of Aurora artist Dr. Charles Smith will be exhibited from 8/17- 9/18 in Waubonsee’s Arrowhead Gallery. Join Dr. Smith in an Artist Talk on 8/27 at 2pm to learn how he spent more than fifteen years building an art environment on his property in Aurora, Illinois that was unlike anything else in America. Working in concrete and found materials, he created over 600 sculptures that resulted in a sprawling, self-made monument to African American history, from its most celebrated figures to its most forgotten ones.

Join LLI members attending the talk at a self-paid lunch at Burnt Barrel restaurant prior to the talk at noon on 8/27.

Speaker:  Dr. Charles Smith

An installation of the work of Artist Mike Rea will be exhibited from 8/10-10/2 in the Dickson Center Window Art Project Space. Join Mike in an Artist Talk on 9/9 at 11 AM to learn how their work reflects a culture of humor, violence, vulgarity, and sensitivity as he replicates and reinvents moments of cinematic horror, science fiction, comedy and drama. These moments intermingle with the artist's memory to form the bizarre personal narratives present in his bombastic sculpture.

Join LLI members attending the talk at a self-paid lunch at Burnt Barrel restaurant after the talk at noon on 9/9.

Speaker:  Mike Rea

Co-facilitator:  Susan Foody

Join award winning pastel artist Carol Zack in a pastel painting tutorial for beginners. The artist will give step by step instruction to complete a piece worthy of framing. We have collaborated with the highly regarded Fineline Creative Arts Center in St. Charles in order to offer this outing to LLI members.

You will leave with a finished piece of art and the knowledge to continue painting on your own. All materials are included in the fee. Activity Level: Easy Going

Registration Deadline is September 5.

Janet Peterson Smith has spent the last 42 years of her career traveling on the "reservation roads" learning from the artists who created the treasures she sells. Recognized nationwide as an expert in Native American Arts, she has judged in the famed Santa Fe Indian Market and sat on the original advisory board that established the Schingoethe Center for NA American studies in Aurora. Please join us for an amazing fact filled presentation on Native American jewelry and arts!

Speaker:  Janet Peterson-Smith

Create a beautiful book vase using materials that Bri from Forget Me Not by Bri will supply. Using a hot glue gun, participants will turn a book into a vase with lovely wooden flowers and greenery. Simple yet elegant! The class fee includes $50.00 for supplies

Presenter:  Sabrina Kettley

The works of Carina Vargas-Nunez will be exhibited from 9/28-10/30 in Waubonsee’s Arrowhead Gallery in Dickson Center. Join Carina in an Artist Talk on 10/1 at 2PM to learn how they blend paint, textile, and sculpture to explore how world building and archiving can be used as tools of resistance in imagining a better future. Their work is an amalgamation of memory, family stories, folklore, and history pieced together to shape fantastical scenes influenced by elements of symbolism and magical realism.

Join LLI members attending the talk at a self-paid lunch at Burnt Barrel restaurant prior to the talk at noon on 10/1.

Speaker:  Carina Vargas-Nuñez 

An installation of the work of Jaclyn Jacunski will be exhibited from 10/12- 12/4 in the Dickson Center Window Art Project Space. Join Jaclyn in an Artist Talk on 10/15 at 2 PM to learn how she draws on notions of public life, private ownership, communal living, and social transformation as she explores how land, class, and collective life leave their marks in the physical world. Her practice includes printmaking, sculpture, and participatory installation.

Join LLI members attending the talk at a self-paid lunch at Burnt Barrel restaurant prior to the talk at noon on 10/15.

Speaker:  Jaclyn Jacunski

Co-facilitator:  Carolyn Hopkins

The Schingoethe Center at Aurora University will feature a Guided tour of the exhibition “Here, There: New Perspectives from the Illinois State Museum Collection” for Fall 2026. The exhibit focuses on modern and contemporary artworks exploring themes of nostalgia, home, belonging, and American sites of history. Easy Going

Registration DEADLINE October 22