Marking the 25th anniversary of the Galena Artists Guild, this historic northwestern Illinois community is celebrating a “Year of the Arts” with art shows, exhibitions, concerts, theatrical productions and numerous special events.
The annual Galena Arts Festival, held in July, also marks its silver anniversary this year. Sponsored by the guild, the juried show draws more than 100 Midwestern artists and thousands of art lovers.
Galena’s art movement took root in the 1960s, when the community’s rich history, extraordinary Victorian architecture and then-inexpensive real estate began to attract a small number of artists. As tourists discovered Galena’s charms in the 1970s and ’80s, the visual and performing arts became a strong part of the community’s appeal.
From its beginnings as a rough mining camp in the 1820s, Galena became the cultural, social and transportation center of the Illinois-Wisconsin lead region. Fortunes were made in mining and steamboating. By the mid-1850s, Galena was the wealthiest city in Illinois, boasting a population of 14,000 and daily steamboat service to St. Louis and St. Paul. Elegant mansions rose on the steep hillsides above the Galena River. Brick and stone buildings dotted the riverfront business district. Famous people came to town: Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, suffragist Susan B. Anthony, authors Herman Melville and Mark Twain. And, in 1860, Ulysses S. Grant.
Grant, a clerk in his father’s leather-goods store, marched off to the Civil War in 1861, and by war’s end he was leader of the Union armies. He returned to Galena in triumph in 1865 and lived here until 1868, when he was elected president.
By then, Galena’s fortunes were beginning to fade. Railroads diverted business from the Mississippi, and the city lost its commercial advantage. The Galena River silted in. Lead production dropped. People moved on. Hard times arrived.
By the dawn of the 20th Century, Galena was a quiet backwater of barely 4,000. Downtown buildings and once-elegant mansions stood empty and moldering. The town stood still, stopped in the 19th Century. More than a half-century passed. Eventually, Galena’s history and architecture paved the way to its recovery.
In 1965, Galena became only the second Illinois city to adopt a historic-preservation ordinance establishing a local historic district. By 1968, more than 85 percent of the town had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Galena became “the town that time forgot.” The first Galena Arts Festival was held in 1971.
Today some 60 artists live in and around Galena, working in watercolors, oils, textiles, pottery, metal, photography and wood. Some welcome visitors to their studios (by appointment only). The community has about a dozen commercial galleries.
The Galena Artists Guild Gallery is one the city’s newest galleries. As part of the “Year of the Arts,” the guild is hosting a series of First Friday receptions to mark the opening of monthlong shows by local artists. Featured artists will be on hand to meet the public. Other guild shows and receptions will be held in the Old Market House State Historic Site and the East Galena Town Hall.
Along with its visual artists, Galena has attracted many actors and musicians to live and work here.
The Main Street Players Theatre Company, now in its 11th season, offers dramas and musical comedies on selected weekends from June through December. This season’s playbill ranges from “Quilters” and “A Christmas Carol” to “Remembering Old Galena,” an original song-and-dance review. Most performances are staged at the Sinsinawa Mound Theatre, northwest of town.
The renowned Galena Chamber Ensemble will present three classical chamber concerts this year, including an annual Christmas concert that has become a holiday highlight in the Tri-State area of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Made up primarily of Chicago Symphony members who have second homes in Galena, the ensemble performs in Turner Hall, which dates from 1874 and 1926 and is widely acclaimed as acoustically perfect.
HIGHLIGHTS OF GALENA’S `YEAR OF THE ARTS’
Some of the events scheduled for Galena’s “Year of the Arts”:
– Galena Chamber Ensemble: May 11, “Lento e Appasionata,” a concert of romantic classical music; June 8, “Andante Mysterioso,” a concert of exotic classical music; annual Christmas concert in December. Performances at 8 p.m. at Turner Hall, 115 Bench St. Admission, adults $10, students $5. Call 815-777-1076 or 815-777-0807.
– Main Street Players: “Quilters,” June 28-29, July 5-7, 12-13; “Bus Stop,” Aug. 2-4, 9-10; “Cheaper by the Dozen,” Sept. 20-22, 27-28; “Remembering Old Galena,” Oct. 11-13 (at the DeSoto House Hotel, Galena); “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6-8. Except for “Remembering Old Galena,” performances are at Sinsinawa Mound Theatre, 10 miles northwest of Galena. Curtain time, 8 p.m. Admission, adults $10, under 12, $5. Call 815-777-2787 (815-777-ARTS).
– Galena Artists Guild: The Galena Artists Guild Gallery, 317 N. Main St., is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Admission, free. Call 815-777-0962, 815-777-9341 or 319-858-2249.
First Friday receptions marking the opening of month-long shows by local artists are scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. May 3, June 7, July 5, Aug. 2, Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 1 and Dec. 6. Admission, free.
“Faces of Galena,” an exhibition of portraits of the people of Galena, will be June 30-July 31 at the Old Market House State Historic Site, 123 N. Commerce St. Open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Admission, free. A free reception to meet the photographers and painters–Archie Lieberman, Hal Martin, Al Miller and Sally Priske–will be from 3 to 5 p.m. June 30. A gourmet dinner with the artists follows the reception ($50 per person, reservations required). Call 319-582-0604.
The 25th annual Galena Arts Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 20 and 21 at Grant City Park. Admission, $1 per person. Call 815-777-0962, 815-777-9341 or 319-858-2249.
A reception honoring the Arts Festival featured artist-painter, Levon Jackman, will be from 5 to 7 p.m. July 19 at the East Galena Town Hall on Park Street. Admission, free. Call 815-777-0962, 815-777-9341 or 319-858-2249.
Accommodations: A number of Galena artists lead second lives as innkeepers. Among them:
– Noted watercolorist Carl Johnson’s Gallery Guest Suite features a three-room suite with living room, galley kitchen, bedroom and private bath on the second floor of Johnson’s gallery for $85 per night, $200 for three nights. 202 S. Main St., Galena, Ill. 61036; 815-777-1222 or 815-777-1510.
– Sculptor and potter Charles Fach’s Spring Street Guest House has two suites (with private baths) in an Italianate brick building for $65 to $85 per night. Full breakfast is served. 414 Spring St., Galena, Ill. 61036; 815-777-0354.
– Fireside Country Inn offers two suites with kitchens, private baths, queen beds and a host of amenities in a contemporary rural Galena home, adjacent to owner Bill Farrell’s pottery studio, for $85 to $120 per night. 7213 W. Buckhill Rd., Galena, Ill. 61036; 800-342-2632.
– Graphite artist Merilyn Tommaro’s Hellman Guest House has four guest rooms (with private baths) in an elegant, 1895 Queen Anne overlooking downtown Galena for $85 to $125 per night; a full breakfast is served. 318 Hill St., Galena, Ill. 61036; 815-777-3638.
– Photographer Sally Priske’s secluded Pine Hollow Inn, 1 mile north of Galena, has five guest rooms with private baths and fireplaces for $75 to $110 per night; a hearty Continental breakfast is served. 4700 N. Council Hill Rd., Galena, Ill. 61036; 815-777-1071.
Accessibility: The majority of Galena’s buildings are very old; most are reached by steps.
Information: Call the Galena/Jo Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-747-9377.
