Exhibits

In this page…

“SEASONS OF THE SCHULENBERG”
Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Schulenberg Prairie
Sterling Morton Library
October 12 – 16, 2022

Join us for a celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Schulenberg Prairie as we present “Seasons of the Schulenberg”, a photographic tribute to the Schulenberg Prairie, at the library from October 12th through 16th. All the photographs were captured by MAPS members, whose special 60th Anniversary Project this year has been to highlight with their photographs the beauty and transformation of the Schulenberg Prairie in every season. Invite your friends, family and social media contacts to the exhibit with the electronic postcard below.

The MAPS exhibit features 50 matted photographic prints of the Schulenberg Prairie (including images of the prescribed burn in April), native wildlife, bloom succession, plants, flowers, the savanna, Willoway Brook, and trees throughout all four seasons. A slide show of 75 additional prairie images will be continuously displayed on a large monitor in the library.

Exhibit hours are 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on October 12th, 13th and 14th, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on October 15th and 16th. Admission is free with The Morton Arboretum entry fee or membership.

About the Schulenberg Prairie

The Schulenberg Prairie is one of the oldest planted prairie restorations in the United States and has been both an inspiration and laboratory for the establishment of native plant species. In 1962, Arboretum director, Clarence Godshalk, had a vision to create a “native planting” on farmland that had been acquired in the late 1950s on the Arboretum’s western edge. He put assistant propagator, Ray Schulenberg, in charge of this task and gave him the title Curator of Native Plants. Ray began to collect seeds in the fall of 1962, most of which came from within 50 miles of the Arboretum. The Schulenberg Prairie is a work in progress, supported by The Arboretum staff, Prairie Stewards and trained volunteer groups that plant native species, collect seed, remove invasive plants, document birds, insects, wildlife and share their findings with The Arboretum and other scientific institutions.

About the Sterling Morton Library

Sterling Morton Library is a lovely space situated in the Administration and Research Center at the West end of the new Grand Garden, opening in September, 2022. Visitors can enjoy the garden view from the building’s full-length glass windows and leave with an enhanced understanding of the Schulenberg Prairie and the extensive resources available to the public at Sterling Morton Library.

Important dates for print submission by participating photographers

October 8th: Alternate date for print drop off at Sterling Morton Library between 11 am and 12 pm.
October 11th: Print drop off at Sterling Morton Library between 10 am and 12 pm.
October 16th: Pick up exhibit pieces at 4:00 pm in Sterling Morton Library

Right click on this postcard to save the electronic image and share it with
your friends, family, and social media contacts.

2022 MAPS Annual Nature Photography Exhibit a Huge Success

The Morton Arboretum Photographic Society (MAPS) had a wonderful exhibit April 29 thru May 1 in the Cudahy Room at The Morton Arboretum.  Forty-three artists exhibited 107 beautiful pieces of fine art photography over the course of the 3-day exhibit.

Despite cold, rainy weather and the vestiges of COVID still lurking, 636 people attended the exhibit.  Many of the visitors took time to let us know that the photography was exceptional and very impressive. One person signed up on the spot for a MAPS membership, and others took literature with the intention of joining at some point.  The beautiful raffle baskets brought in $739 this year and were very popular. 

A highlight of the weekend for many MAPS members was the opportunity to see each other again in a social gathering.  It was terrific to catch up, talk photography and enjoy each other’s company in person.  There are many more chances to do that again, now that MAPS is back meeting at Thornhill at 7:00 pm on the second Monday of the month.  Meetings will also continue virtually at least for the rest of this year.

Visitors expressed interest in purchasing over 10% of the artwork that was displayed this year and one member sold all three of his pieces.  In addition, artists sold many cards, coasters, plaques and books.  The bin art area was very busy, and attendees had a hard time choosing between the many pieces of matted artwork.

It takes a lot of people to make the annual exhibit happen.  Many thanks to the amazing volunteers who donated their time to make this such a successful exhibit.  A shout out goes to our webmasters who kept all the website details up to date and the wonderful Wednesday drop off crew whose efforts helped that process run so well. Other club members tirelessly sold raffle tickets, welcomed visitors at the front table, and efficiently put the Cudahy room and all the MAPS exhibit supplies safely back into their containers so that they would ready to use for the next exhibit.  The experienced crew of exhibit assemblers/hangers did a superb job ensuring that every piece of art was exhibited perfectly.  Many of the 24 volunteers performed multiple assignments on multiple days and their efforts are truly appreciated.  Four beautiful flower arrangements were exhibited again this year by Arboretum volunteers, Emmy Lou John and E-Ling, whose work always adds beauty and artistry to our exhibit.

Finally, we also appreciate the efforts of the Arboretum staff and The Morton Arboretum’s MAPS liaison, Megan Dunning, for all the coordination work between multiple departments that she conducted for the exhibit. 

If you have any comments about how we can make next year’s Annual Exhibit even better, or comments about this year’s exhibit, please contact Mary Mehl or Dulcey Lima with your feedback.

Respectfully submitted

Mary and Dulcey

CLICK HERE to see the photos in the 2022 Exhibit.

MAPS Forest Homes Exhibit
at
The Morton Arboretum’s Children’s Garden
Spring 2022 – January 2023

Everyone is invited to the Opening Night Reception
on
Thursday, May 12 at 5:30pm in the Children’s Garden.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending to mailto:marymehl@comcast.net

The folks at the Children’s Garden asked MAPS members to submit images that showed animals in their natural forest homes to be displayed in the Children’s Garden this spring. They had to make a very difficult decision as to which images best suited the “Forest Homes” theme as they only have room for 5 images. These are the ones they selected:

Dulcey Lima – The Promise of Robins

Jim Rendant – On the Edge of the Woods

Jim Bodkin – Fuzzy Owlets and Mom

Geneva, IL

Kim Stines – The Monarch’s Summer

Chong Wu – The Frog Prince

Congratulations to those who had images selected!

Thanks to all 20 artists that participated and submitted images for this exhibit.

Make sure you stop in at the Children’s Garden!

2022 MAPS Capturing Nature Photography Exhibit

After months of preparation, the MAPS Capturing Nature Photography Exhibit is up and running! The exhibit opened January 22 and our members’ artwork looks magnificent in the Tall Grass Art Gallery.

The exhibit continues through Saturday, February 26, in the beautiful Gallery of the Tall Grass Arts Association, located at 367 Artists Walk, Park Forest, IL 60466. The gallery is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For information call (708) 748-3377. Some photos of opening day:

Past Exhibits