John H Vanderpoel Art Association

The John H. Vanderpoel Art Association continued to fulfill its stated mission to perpetuate the name and memory of John H. Vanderpoel and to maintain its art collection and to aid children and adults in acquiring a knowledge of and appreciation of art.Our gallery remained closed for construction of an elevator during most of 2023 but the John H. Vanderpoel Art Association's Board of Directors continued to meet regularly in Board Members' homes. We worked on improving our storage, archives and restorations of art works.In January we brought the John H. Vanderpoel painting "Holland Shepherd Girl" to ParmaConservation for evaluation and treatment.Our already impressive art collection received an important addition with the purchase of the John H. Vanderpoel watercolor "Threading the Needle" from an estate in Elk Grove Village. We also received several donations of artworks during 2023, most notably a drawing by well known Beverly artist Mildred Hetherington (1892-1984) was added to the collection.We built a new storage system with the help of a local artist, which allows us to utilize the space more efficiently.The Board explored partnerships with other art organizations, and we visited The Palette & Chisel Art Academy in downtown Chicago to discuss a joint exhibit.We were not able to present our outreach event -Ridge Park Art Fair & Festival in 2023 due to construction at Ridge Park. The Chicago Park District closed down Ridge Park completely during the latter phase of construction.The year ended with the exciting discovery of a painting by John H. Vanderpoel from our missing archives. The Board was able to obtain a two-sided painting by John H. Vanderpoel. It was later authenticated by a photo in the Vanderpoel gallery archives.The year ended with the gallery still under construction, but the Board was already planning its grand reopening.