An Art In Your Eye Festival 2009 Preview event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Batavia City Hall Council Chambers. Tonight, April 24, a Green Arts Walk takes place downtown.

Sunday’s activities include the dedication of the new City Art Collection, the launch of the 2009 Art In Your Eye Fine Art poster, the auction finale for the miniatures created by fine art show artists last year, and a preview of activities for the fifth annual Art In Your Eye festival coming Aug. 8 and 9 to the Batavia Riverwalk.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to sign up at the event and receive a free poster. Refreshments will be provided by the festival food caterer, Enticing Cuisine.

The City Art Collection is being permanently hung on the second floor of City Hall and will be dedicated at 2:15 p.m. It includes the original artwork featured on the collectible Art In Your Eye fine art posters by Batavia artists Rosalie Waranius Vass (2005), Rebecca Wilson Allen (2006), Edward Dlugopolski (2007), Brian DeWolf (2008), and Francis Joseph (Joe) Gagnepain IV (2009). Also included is a painting by Batavia miniature artist Edward Cook, acquired through a special purchase from the Art In Your Eye Outdoor Fine Art Show. When the city festival was established in 2005, one of the goals was to create this special collection of artwork.

 The Art In Your Eye Steering Committee will launch the 2009 fine art poster at the event, and will present the artist, Joe Gagnepain. Posters will be available for sale ($10 each) and he will sign them. As a special thank you to volunteers, those who sign up to volunteer during this event will receive a free poster.

A new tradition was begun at the 2008 Art In Your Eye Outdoor Fine Art Show, when artists were invited to participate in a miniatures competition. The 17 entries were then donated to Art In Your Eye to create a special fundraiser to support the festival. Now up for auction, the bidding will conclude at 2:45 p.m., with a final live auction.

The miniatures can be viewed online at the festival Web site: artinyoureye.com/miniatures.htm. Bidding can be submitted via an online form. The miniatures are on display at Allen+Pepa Architects, 8 W. Wilson St., Batavia, and silent bidding will be conducted there at the Green Arts Walk event from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 24.

Following the auction, a preview of Art In Your Eye 2009 activities will be presented, and information about how the more than 100 needed volunteers can help. For more information about volunteering, contact volunteer coordinator Ashley Hicks at (630) 879-3684.

The Art In Your Eye Festival is sponsored by the City of Batavia, and organized jointly with Batavia Renaissance Project, Batavia MainStreet, Batavia Public Library, Batavia Park District, Batavia Chamber of Commerce, and Batavia Public Library, with support from Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The event will be held in the Council Chambers inside Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave. For more information, visit the festival’s Web site at artinyoureye.com or contact festival coordinator Becky Hoag at (630) 482-9157 or becky@artinyoureye.com.

Green Arts Walk
Among the other locations for Friday night’s Arts Walk is Limestone Coffee & Tea, 15 E. Wilson St., at the corner of North River Street.
Nadine Janus-Jones of Batavia will show her Geo-Sculpture, which utilizes geological specimens, copper, glass and found objects such as driftwood.
“My Art Jewelry is green, too, because the materials I use to create my original designs can be recycled, re-purposed or renewed, and I make all my designs by hand,” she said.
Other artists featured at Limestone are Dennis Walz, showing photography, and Chris Hodge, displaying pen-and-ink works.
Check the Web site for all the Friday evening events.