2025 Exhibition Calendar
MARCH
YEAR 12
Side Street Studio Arts seeks artworks to celebrate our Twelfth Anniversary! This is our annual juried call to all artists working in any medium to participate.
APRIL
U-46 School District Faculty Exhibition
Stay tuned for more info!
MAY
Asian Heritage Month
Side Street Studio Arts seeks artwork to represent the Asian American community during Asian American and Pacific Islander Month. W/E is a reference to the western/eastern cultural split for which many Asian Americans in the United States hold space. This is an open call for visual art in any medium to discuss, share, and make space for this experience. CLICK HERE FOR INFO & TO SUBMIT
MAY
Larkin Academy Annual Senior Exhibition
Stay tuned for more info!
JUNE
Pride Month - Lavender Feels
Get Hyped! We are kicking off summer at Side Street with our Pride Month exhibition, Lavender Feels. The color Lavender has been part of LGBTQIA+ community since its early history and has been reclaimed to be a symbol of queer empowerment and resistance. This is a call for art in any medium that explores and represents the LGBTQIA+ community. CLICK HERE FOR INFO & TO SUBMIT
JUNE
Going Dutch Artist In Residence:
Abby Franke Solo Exhibition
Abby Franke earned her BFA in Integrative Studio Practice from Herron School of Art and Design in 2024. Her work in illustration and sculpture explores girlhood and femininity, blending personal writing, digital art, and wearable pieces to celebrate identity, resilience, and vulnerability. Stay tuned for more info!
JULY
Renee Kuharchuk Solo Exhibition
Renee Kuharchuk is a painter and teacher based in Chicagoland. She earned her BFA in painting, sculpture, and art education from Elmhurst University and an MA in Education from Concordia University. Her art, blending portraiture and abstract colors, explores feminism, the human experience, and mental health awareness.
Stay tuned for more info!
AUGUST
Laurie Peters Solo Exhibition
Laurie Peters, a mixed-media visual artist with over 30 years in the arts, creates site-specific mosaics, landscapes, and clay sculptures while teaching and exploring art therapy. Inspired by plants and ephemera, she works across drawing, painting, collage, and mosaic, celebrating her enduring love of imagery.
Stay tuned for more info!
SEPTEMBER
Elgin Fringe Festival Visual Art Exhibition
The Twelfth Annual Elgin Fringe Festival celebrates bold artistic experimentation, showcasing artists' work across a spectrum of forms and genres! Artists are selected via lottery, and the exhibition is not curated. Artwork is on display at Side Street's Gallery during the festival week, September 5th-28th, 2025!!
OCTOBER
Something Wicked...
Side Street Studio Arts' 13th Annual Something Wicked... a variety of arts media whose subject matter is meant to instill a combined sense of wonder, awe and perhaps a little dread in the City of Elgin's art scene.
NOVEMBER
Hispanic Cultural Month
w/special guest curator Jassiel Serna
Explore the richness of Hispanic heritage through art that celebrates traditions, stories, and cultural evolution.
DECEMBER
Side Street's Under 30 Fundraiser Auction & Exhibition
Side Street Studio Arts seeks artwork for our fundraiser exhibition. Without the artists we work with (YOU!), we couldn’t do what we do and we’re asking for your help! Proceeds help us to continue and fulfil our mission of advocacy.
EXHIBITION PROPOSALS
If you have an idea, we're all ears. Please download this document and follow it step-by-step to provide the necessary documents in order to submit an exhibition proposal.
Once that is done we will review your submission and contact you regarding our decision/next steps.
Click here to download a layout of the gallery space or the theater space. This will help if you plan to submit a floor plan with your proposal.