The creative spirit of the Arlington Heights community was on full display Thursday night as the Art with Alayne Artists' Celebration Reception brought together 31 artists, their families, friends and community members for a warm and celebratory evening honoring the creative work inspired through the library's popular Creative Aging program series, and artist Alayne McNulty, who for many years has designed the monthly projects and facilitated meetups. Attendees shared enthusiastic compliments about the presentation, photo slideshow and art display, noting that the arrangement “made every artist feel seen” and “captured the spirit of the class perfectly.”
The atmosphere was especially meaningful for those who have learned from Alayne for many years in the virtual format, but had never met her in person. The program first began in 2017 as an in-person program and moved to a virtual format in 2020, with many participants joining as a way to connect when library programs could not be held in person, offering artists of all skill levels a chance to join in and try something new. One participant shared that the evening felt like “coming home to a community that has supported me since 2020,” while another thanked Alayne for “helping me rediscover my creativity.”
Alayne shared how deeply moved she was to see both familiar faces and new artists gathered together. She reflected on her pride in everyone’s growth and the courage it took to share their work publicly, noting that the collective creativity on display was a testament to the vibrant community fostered by the library and program participants.
The public is welcome to view the artwork on the library's first floor through Monday, December 1. More photos from the exhibit opening are available on the library's Facebook page.
All of the past video lessons are available at https://www.ahml.info/virtual_art.
Upcoming Art with Alayne meetups are listed in the library's monthly newsletter and in the online calendar at ahml.info.