Norridge artist in Highland Park

"Sunflowers," by Piotr Wolodkowicz of Norridge, will be displayed at a dress shop called Sunflower, 1882 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, through June.

“I think it’s a very significant event,” said painter Piotr Wolodkowicz of Norridge, whose oil-on canvas landscapes of trees in the Chicago area were recently featured by Art Walk curator Debra Hatchett in a one-man show at Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre.

Wolodkowicz is one of a group of area artists who will be featured in the seventh annual Highland Park Art Walk, June 1-30. He has two paintings on display in two Highland Park businesses, including the landscape “Sunflowers” at the Sunflower dress shop, 1882 Sheridan Road.

Artists tend to love the idea of Highland Park’s Art Walk, which isn’t surprising, considering that the city’s annual window-shopping cultural perambulation is devoted exclusively to Illinois painters, sculptors, photographers and the like.

They tend to be more excited, though, about the way the event allows them to present their work to people who might not typically see it, in spaces that have more to do with everyday life than wine-and-cheese gallery openings.

“It’s an interesting way to show art in places where it usually doesn’t appear and to people who might not be as likely to see it in a gallery,” Wolodkowicz said, especially since works on display during the Art Walk are exhibited long enough to be discovered by a sizable number of people. “That’s especially helpful now, because a lot of galleries are closing because of the financial crisis. This is really a nice alternative.”

Hatchett likes the idea of displaying local talent in an informal setting because it’s a good way for artists to be seen and appreciated. “We have so many extremely talented artists in Illinois,” she said, noting that local art fair organizers don’t see that. “They tend to assume that just because someone’s from New York, for example, their work will have more validity. I think it’s a good idea to show some appreciation for the great work that’s being done in our own back yard.”

Wolodkowicz and other artists will appear at the stores hosting their work from 2 to 4 p.m. June 16, followed by a party, award ceremony and silent auction at Blue Rose Gallery in Highland Park. For more details and a preview of other art on display, visit www.highlandparkartwalk.org.

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