May 21, 2009
By STEPHANIE FOSNIGHT Contributor
Although Jane Love is happy in Arlington Heights, a piece of her heart will always belong to Italy, where she lived in her 20s. Now she goes back every year, taking her husband Craig and a set of cameras, and the Loves delight in getting off the beaten track to explore villages and rural scenes.
The pair's Italian trips provide a bounteous feast of images for their FotoAmore photography business, and, thanks to the Promenade of Art Arlington Heights, the first people the Loves get to share the photographs with are their own neighbors.
The annual Promenade of Art Arlington Heights, running May 30-31, is the first showing in a long summer of art festivals for the Loves -- and it's their favorite.
"It's a nice way to ease back into this crazy world," Jane Love said. For most festivals, the couple rise at 3 a.m., drive a few hours to the site and then pitch their tent in the dawn, but for the Promenade they get to set up in practically their own back yard.
"It helps us build up our stamina and get used to the art festival circuit," she said.
Craig Love agrees.
"It's nice to do something local," he said. "The festival has the real feeling of a hometown, community event."
Such a community event was what art festival producer Amy Amdur had in mind when she created the Promenade seven years ago, in partnership with Northwest Community Hospital.
"The hospital wanted to do a community outreach," Amdur said. "When I looked at the demographics of Arlington Heights, it looked really promising. There are great restaurants, it's a charming town, there's plenty of parking, the site is right next to the train. It easily and quickly came together."
In fact, it's taken less than a decade for the Promenade of Art Arlington Heights to be ranked among the Top 100 art festivals in the United States by a festival trade publication, out of more than 10,000 annual shows.
The Promenade not only features 150 juried artists from around the country, but also has four separate live music areas, plenty of food and a variety of family activities. A yearly favorite is Art Festival Bingo, and this year there's a free stall where children can create their own books. Then there are other craft booths where, for a fee, children can tie-dye T-shirts and paint tiles, with a portion of the proceeds going to the hospital.
One big benefit for the adults, Amdur said, is that festival rules require the artists to be present at their own booths.
"The public has the opportunity to meet the artist and ask questions," she said.
That's part of the fun for the Loves, who chat at length with visitors to their FotoAmore booth. Sometimes native Italians even stop by.
"They look at our photographs and say we photograph the way they do, not like an outsider," Jane Love said. "To me, that's such a high compliment."
What strikes Craig Love is the way so many festival-goers tell him they can see themselves in the pictures on display.
"Our photographs bring back memories people have of their own travels or their family history," he said. "Looking at the photographs together is an interesting way to connect with people."
Promenade of Art favorite of artists, visitors
(http://www.pioneerlocal.com/barrington/entertainment/1579669,entertainment-nwlake-promenade-052109-s1.article)
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