The McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located at 425 W. Fawell on the College of DuPage campus, hosts a Meet and Greet with award-winning author and children’s book illustrator Mike Venezia at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Venezia is the creator of the artwork for the WARHOL exhibition’s Kids Pop Art Print Factory, which is where he will meet with children and their parents and sign autographs. This is the final event in the series of programming aimed at enriching the WARHOL exhibition experience.
Born in New York City, Venezia moved to Chicago at age 10. After graduating high school, he attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He was subsequently hired by the advertising agency Leo Burnett Company and, after 33 years with the company where he had served as executive director and vice president, Venezia retired to be a full-time author and illustrator of children's books. His writing career began in 1978 and since then, Venezia has created award-winning books and movies about history, art, music and science. He has produced the “Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists” series, giving readers the chance to get to know well-known and somewhat unknown artists including Andy Warhol, plus three additional series: “Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers,” “Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents” and “Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors & Scientists.” Venezia has also animated videos to complement some of his books.
Mike Venezia. Photo courtesy of the MAC
Admission to the Mike Venezia Meet and Greet is free with the purchase of a ticket to the WARHOL exhibition for Sept. 9. Tickets for youth age 17 and under are $10 (plus service fees); tickets for adults begin at $30 (plus service fees). For more information, visit www.Warhol2023.org or call the MAC at 630.942.4000.
On view through Sept. 10, the WARHOL exhibition features more than 200 original works and photographs by the iconic artist, including 94 works comprising “Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop | Works from the Bank of America Collection” and a collection of 150 Warhol photographs and original works from College of DuPage’s Permanent Art Collection. Unfolding over 11,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, visitors have the opportunity to experience Andy Warhol’s life through interactive exhibits, recreations and videos created exclusively for this exhibition including a historical exhibit, Kids Pop Art Print Factory, Studio 54 Experience, Central Park-inspired outdoor area and Silver Clouds installation. There is also a series of on-site events including lectures by internationally renowned authors and Warhol experts, workshops, concerts and more taking place throughout the exhibition’s run.
WARHOL featuring “Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop | Works from the Bank of America Collection” is presented by Bank of America and made possible through support from Ball Horticultural Company, Anonymous, Wight & Company, DuPage Foundation; JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation, Clayco and the College of DuPage Foundation.
About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art
The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition, “Selections from Cleve Carney’s Art Collection.” In fall 2019, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) opened June 2021 with the highly anticipated “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” exhibition and hosts exhibitions year-round.
Funding for the CCMA is provided by the Cleve Carney Endowment Fund, which supports vital programming including artist engagement opportunities for community members and students, gallery exhibitions, artist commissions, new acquisitions and other teaching and learning tools that foster cultural enrichment in our community. More information can be found at www.TheCCMA.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.
About the McAninch Arts Center
The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located at 425 Fawell Blvd., 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Bank of America, Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, the DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville, Anonymous, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, The DuPage Foundation, Ball Horticultural, Clayco, Enjoy Illinois, Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation; Wight & Company, WDCB 90.9 FM and College of DuPage Foundation.