Circus, Carnival and Chicago Museum-Inspired Artist Showcases at Elmhurst College

This month, Elmhurst College will present the awe-inspiring, imaginative work of a well-known painter and muralist who gleaned inspiration, in part, from Chicago's museums.

“Revelations: Banner Paintings” will begin on Sept. 19 and highlight pieces by Glen C. Davies. In the late 1960s as a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Davies fell under the spell of the great museums and Chicago’s homegrown “Imagist” pop art genre, according to a news release. These influences led him to create recurring art themes of figural fantasies, spiritual conflict and the journey toward enlightenment.

Davies also spent some time traveling with circuses and carnivals, and came to see the canvas banners used to promote sideshow attractions as a compelling way to present his own art work. He has been painting and displaying some of his work in the banner format throughout the last 30 years.

“Revelations: Banner Paintings” can be viewed days and evenings from Monday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Nov. 11, in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.

A reception with the artist will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Founders Lounge, with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, call 630-617-5186.

The Fall Art Exhibition is one of about a dozen art shows that Elmhurst College hosts each academic year in two campus venues. In addition, the college’s A.C. Buehler Library permanently houses the College’s unparalleled collection of Chicago Imagist and Abstractionist Art, which explores the vibrant, often outrageous, yet precisely crafted works of Chicago artists between 1950 and the present. For more information, please contact Suellen Rocca at (630) 617-6110 or srocca@elmhurst.edu.

Elmhurst College is a leading four-year college that seamlessly blends liberal learning and professional preparation to educate students for life in a global society and help them to reach their potential. Elmhurst College is one of the Top 10 Colleges in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report; and U.S. News, Money and Forbes magazines consistently rank Elmhurst as one of the Midwest’s best values in higher education.