Published: November 19, 2008 11:19 am      

River Arts Center to hold ceremony

CLINTON — The River Arts Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at their downtown location, 229 Fifth Ave. South. There will be an artist’s reception for the members of Clinton Art Association’s Annual Membership show, a Reader’s Theatre and participation in the downtown open house.

The association began 40 years ago with exhibits in the library and the YWCA. The first gallery was in the old Maxheim Building warehouse on South First Street, moved to Root Park and then with the purchase of the downtown building had room to expand its art gallery area, gift shop and classrooms. With the inclusion of Rainbow Pottery and the Best Cellar Theatre, the art center provides a variety of art experiences for the community.

The Best Cellar Players will perform a special readers theater featuring art from the permanent collection. Performers will read works of poetry that reflect the mood and theme of the artwork. Each performance should last approximately 20 minutes and will be performed at 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the art center.

Two featured artists in the gallery exhibit are long time members, Jean Patterson and Marie Mascagni. Patterson joined the association shortly after she and her husband moved to Clinton and was part of the first outdoor show at the old warehouse site. She has taken many oil and watercolor classes through the years and more recently in photography.

“I take pictures of whatever takes my breath away,” Patterson said.

Mascagni comes from a family of professional artists, many of whom graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago where she grew up. On her fathers side, most were musicians. Mascagni is showing period drawings, circa 1926, done by her mother, Amelia Rogodino. Widowed at an early age, Rogodino taught herself and her five children as they sat around the drawing room table to draw. These ink drawings, later ones also painted, are charming pieces from another era.

Many other artists will be showing their work from today through Dec. 28. Gallery and gift shop hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. New gift shop items include fused glass snowflakes by Char Behrens and wood burning by Rhonda Minnich of Fulton, Ill. For more information call 243-3300.