We’d like to send out a big thank YOU to our community of artists, annual members, donors, anyone who has attended an event, liked/shared one of our posts on social media, or dropped a dollar in the donation box. Every interaction no matter how big or small helps us forward our mission of making the arts inviting and accessible in our area.

We’d also like to thank everyone who made a donation yesterday for Giving Tuesday. If you missed us, it is not too late to show your support!

EVENTS - SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, December 13: Kiln Room Expansion Ribbon Cutting 5:30pm

Friday, December 13: Second Friday in the Arts District 6-9pm.

Monday, December 16: Holiday Open House 5:30pm-7pm

Friday, January 10: Off-site Second Friday exhibition and sale.

Saturday, January 25: Wilson River Band performance in the Dock 7-10pm

Friday, February 14: Second Friday 6-9pm

Saturday, February 22: All in for Art: A Benefit for Water Street Studios 7-10pm

Full Events Calendar

Second Friday in the Arts District

Friday, December 13th, 6-9pm

Come on by and see all the Arts District has to offer!

At Water Street Studios

Kiln Room Expansion Ribbon Cutting at 5:30pm. RSVP

Membership Show, this annual show highlights the talents of our Resident Artists, Clay Makers, School of Art Instructors, and Annual Members.

Chicagoland 4x5 Winners Showcase, composed of artworks created by area Junior High and High School students that are no bigger or smaller than 4 inches by 5 inches.

Clay Maker Showcase and Sale in the Clay Lab

Cash Bar with select beer, wine, and cocktails

At Hearth & Hammer

Holiday Sip and Shop, Visit H&H for a magical candle-lit evening of purposeful holiday shopping. Sip hot cocoa, coffee or tea by the fire, write a letter to Santa or a card to a loved one, and create the perfect gift box that we’ll ship directly from the shop—no extra trips to the post office or wrapping needed. Coffee service provided by Northern Coffee Co.

At Kiss the Sky

Find the perfect gift for the music lover in your life, or something just for you! Shop new release records or old favorites.

Holiday Open House

Please join us to celebrate the holidays with a Water Street Townhall and open house on Monday, December 16th from 5:30-7pm at Water Street Studios. We’ll talk through upcoming events, shows, improvements to the gallery, a debrief on Winterfest and more. The Board aspires to be transparent so we want to ensure everyone feels like they know what’s going on in and around our community. Feel free to bring something to share- we’ll have some drinks and munchies to share. Please RSVP here.

In January, Water Street Studio's main gallery will be closed due to scheduled maintenance, however, we are hosting a special Second Friday exhibition right around the corner! Join us for the grand opening of Ed's Studio: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Ed Dlugopolski to Benefit Water Street Studios. Thanks to our friends at Batavia Enterprises Inc, Water Street Studios will be hosting a satellite gallery to showcase the works of Edward Dlugopolski, an artist and art educator who lived in Batavia, Illinois for nearly 40 years. Joyce Dlugopolski has graciously donated over 200 beautiful acrylic and charcoal works of art that have been carefully cataloged and priced to sell by friends of the late artist. All purchases will benefit Water Street Studios and our mission to make art accessible in the Fox Valley. This satellite studio will be open January 10th-12th. Friday 12-9 pm, Saturday and Sunday 12-4 pm at 139 First Street, Batavia (just around the corner from Water Street Studios). The gallery reception will be on Friday from 6-9 pm. Complimentary beverages and snacks will be served.

View a sampling of Ed’s work here and join us in person to see the entire body of work!

January 10th, 12pm -9pm, Gallery Reception 6-9pm

January 11th, 12-4pm

January 12th, 12-4pm

139 First Street

Batavia, IL 60510

Wilson River Band Encore Performance

Saturday, January 25th, 7-10pm

Join us for an encore performance of the Wilson River Band! In 2023 the Wilson River Band  formed as six individuals who have passionately played music their entire lives. Their goal is to present a different type of band that can play all kinds of venues and events. With their diverse experience, they deliver songs in a variety of genres. Their members are experts on their respective instruments. Vocals and harmonizing are the priority. They have two lead vocalists who between them can sing the widest of vocal ranges enabling them to cover a wide variety of songs. Most all the members sing which lends variety to our shows. They play music from the late 50s to the present, although their concentrations are in the 60s through the 80s. They cover classic rock, pop and some country.

This is the second show Wilson River Band has played with Water Street- in fact they launched their new band at Water Street Studios as a fundraiser to expand our ceramics offering! We are grateful to this band to their continued support. Tickets are $20 and we encourage advance purchase as they will likely sell out!

Get tickets here

All in for Art: A Benefit for Water Street Studios

Saturday, February 22nd, 7-10pm

We’d love to invite you to our All in for Art benefit on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 7 p.m. Join us for a festive evening with a DJ, dancing, heavy apps, an open bar, and casino games in the dock. This is an opportunity to show off the studio you love, support Water Street, and have a fantastic time with friends!

Here’s how you can get involved: purchase tickets and bring friends, sponsor the event, volunteer to help, or spread the word on social media. A big thank you to our generous sponsors, including Brother Chimp, Boyce Body Werks, Mama Bear Photography, and many others. Your support allows Water Street Studios to keep thriving as a hub for art in our community.

Get your tickets now!

GALLERIES

See them before they’re gone!

“As the Dust Settles: The Prints of Michael Barnes”

Exhibition runs through Dec 7th

“Last Scrap”, Lithograph 2024 by Michael Barnes

The work of Michael Barnes addresses, in part, the destructive nature and absurdities that so readily prevail for humankind as it copes with the perpetual daily routine and environment. Various themes of mortality and the philosophical questions of existence in general thread their way through his series of works.  The images are concerned with environment, politics, social decay leaning towards an inward and isolated path, and cynicism about the historical evolution of so-called civilization and its effects upon the world and its inhabitants.

“Liminal Space” by Carly Palmer

Exhibition runs through Dec 7th

“Liminal Space” features a self-curated collection of hand-cut paper collages, hard-edge geometric paintings, and written word. This body of work evocatively explores the notion of liminal space, and the sense of hovering at the threshold. When crossed, her paper collages personify objects to conjure and convey psychological ideas. Through the use of color, composition, and line in her paintings, she reveals the sharp edge of precision, but leaves the not-so-linear nuanced narrative hidden.

Winter Classes and New Registration Platform is Live

Introducing Amilia SmartRec

A new class registration platform to better serve you!

We’ve been hard at work making the transition to a new eCommerce platform with a more robust user experience. All classes starting in January 2025 and beyond will be accessible through Amilia SmartRec. Simply visit the School of Art page on our website to create your account and start browsing classes!

2025 Classes

STUIDIO 4 IS AVAILABLE

We are looking for a resident artist to join our community. If you’re interested or know someone who may be interested, this is a larger studio located on the ground floor. At approximately 16’x17’ this studio is best suited for 3D artists or artists who work on a large scale. We’d love to extend our community to friends and family so please refer anyone you think may be interested to us. Artist Studio & Clay Lab Application — WaTER STrEET StUDIOS

PUBLIC ART

The Batavia Public Art Initiative would like to extend our thanks to the arts community and all those who have supported us this holiday season. The Art of the Fox Series was such a great collaboration with The Conservation Foundation, we are thankful for their organization entrusting us with the execution of this project. We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following donors who made significant contributions to make this project possible:

• Hamill Family Foundation
• W.C. 'Buzz' Miller
• Nadler Golf
• Linda Gray Sonner

We hope everyone enjoys the holidays with their loved ones and look forward to sharing new public art opportunities with you all in 2025!

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Are you an independent artist or artisan looking to expand your business into a storefront? The application for the 2025 Batavia MainStreet Boardwalk Shops season is now open! Learn more or apply here!

SUPPORT THE ARTS

Water Street Studios depends on the generosity of our community to continue to provide artistic opportunities and support our mission to make art accessible to everyone. Please donate today towards our anniversary campaign! 

Make a Donation

Water Street Studios is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the accessibility and advancement of the arts in the Fox Valley area. Donations from people just like you allow us to provide affordable studio space for artists, a school of art, outreach programs, events and more to the community. Consider donating today!