PROGRAMS & LUNCHEONS

Each year the West Suburban Art Society provides members with inspiring art programs combined with luncheons.

Members should keep an eye out for registration information sent by email about three weeks before these events. They require reservations and a separate fee.


WSAS Collaborative Arts Program and Optional Luncheon

Her Vision Her Voice Program - Women Artists and Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries
and Optional Luncheon

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Cost: $35 per person program

           $40 per person luncheon

TOTAL – Program and Lunch $75

LOCATION: McAninch Arts Center

425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn

Luncheon located at the Abbington Distinctive Banquets 3S002 Rt 53, Glen Ellyn

Presented by Jeff Nigro, Art Historian with Musical Accompaniment. WSAS will join both the Village Art Associates and the Far West Art Associates for a program and luncheon. Lecture and Luncheon, priced separately.

Art historian Jeffrey Nigro weaves together a compelling presentation on the lives and works of women painters from the 17th through the 20th centuries, including Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Marguerite Gérard, Julia Margaret Cameron, Rosa Bonheur, and Mary Cassatt.

Josefien Stoppelenburg and Stephen Alltop will offer music by female contemporaries of the featured painters, including Hélène de Montgeroult, Clara Schumann, Elizabeth Stirling, Alma Mahler, Pauline Héritte-Viardot, and Amy Beach.

11:00 AM Lecture at McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL

1:00 PM Lunch at Abbington Banquets, 3S002 Route 53, Glen Ellyn, IL

REGISTRATION POSTMARK DEADLINE: Thursday, March 12, 2026 Registration Form

Please address any questions to Linda at 630-947-9496 or ocmd922@gmail.com

Registrar: Linda Wiebking 1N629 Evergreen Av., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.


Spring Outing

Elmhurst Art Museum & McCormick House Tours with Hands-On Art Project

Monday, April 13, 2026 10:00 AM

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 10:00 AM

Cost: $25 Adults $22 Seniors

LOCATION: 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst, IL

We will tour the exhibition Living with Modernism: Pictures for Charis and Double Life by Kelli Connell and the Mies van der Rohe's McCormick House and participate in a hands-on art activity.

Register Today

*Please note that there are a limited amount of spaces available for each day, so reservations will be taken on a first come first served basis.

Also, the museum will be closed to the general public on those days, therefore there will be no access to the gift shop.


Spring Luncheon and Annual Business Meeting

Chicago Women Jewelers

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Presented by: Kathleen Kamal Baum

Cost: TBD

Location: The Carlisle - Lombard

We will vote on the new Board slate, the annual budget, and audit approval. We will enjoy a lovely lunch and program.

Necklace by Jessica M Preston

Discover Chicago’s Arts & Crafts Legacy

Join us for a captivating look at one of the most fascinating and inspirational artistic movements in Chicago: the Arts & Crafts era. Presented as a solution to the ills of industrialization and mass production, this movement celebrated the artistry of the handmade by uniting everyday life with beauty through jewelry and metalwork of exceptional skill and design.

Inspired by the groundbreaking 1893 World’s Fair, where exhibitions of women-made art took center stage, a new generation of women trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and went on to establish workshops and studios across the city and its suburbs. Their creativity and determination shaped a powerful legacy of artistry, community, and innovation.

This program celebrates not only the beauty of their creations, but also the legacy they forged: one that united art with life, empowered women as makers, and enriched the cultural fabric of Chicago. Join us as we honor their contributions and rediscover the enduring relevance of their work in today’s world.

Kathleen Kamal Baum is an award-winning metalsmith and historian.  She has exhibited her work across the country and taught Jewelry making, Fashion History, and Art at the College of DuPage for 30 years. 

 

Call for volunteers: Help Make Our Gatherings Special

As a volunteer-led organization, we rely on the support of our members to create a welcoming and enjoyable experience at each of our gatherings. We’re currently seeking 3-4 volunteers to assist at our check-in table. Responsibilities include passing out name tags and greeting members and guests as they arrive. If you can help, please reach out to info@wsartsociety.org

Your assistance will make a big difference!!


TEA PARTY Meet Mary Cassatt: An American Artist

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Presented by: Lynn Rymarz

Cost: $35

Link to Register

Location: The Carlisle - Lombard

Learn about Mary Cassatt’s childhood growing up in a wealthy family in Pennsylvania and her early desires to become a professional artist. Hear of the obstacles she had to overcome. Discover her determination as she moved to Paris where she studied the master artists of her day. See samples of her artwork and follow her life’s journey as she pursued her dream in becoming the artist she always wanted to be.

Learn about Mary Cassatt’s childhood growing up in a wealthy family in Pennsylvania and her early desires to become a professional artist. Hear of the obstacles she had to overcome. Discover her determination as she moved to Paris where she studied the master artists of her day. See samples of her artwork and follow her life’s journey as she pursued her dream in becoming the artist she always wanted to be.

Holiday Luncheon - Syncronia Violin Duo & Piano Performance

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Presented by: Kathyrn Siegel, Marty Hackl and Joel Ross

Cost: $45

Location: The Carlisle Banquets - Lombard Room

Kathryn Siegel and Marty Hackl of Syncronia along with Joel Ross at the piano celebrate the season with a program of holiday favorites and light classical music. Use this link for registration.

The Glorious Arts - Chicago as a Fine Arts Mecca

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Presented by: Clarence Goodman

Cost: $45

Location: The Carlisle - Lombard

Celebrate our 2025-26 season with a lunch and presentation.

An investigation as to the how and why of Chicago's arrival as a world class hub of Fine Arts. It explores Fine Arts through the prisms of Chicago's cultural foundation, history, and evolution and the prism of those who are from and of the city itself. During this presentation, historian and musician Clarence Goodman will show us the milestones, landmarks, and highlights of Our Town and Fine Arts. Registration Form.     Registration closes August 27th

We will welcome our friends from the Arts DuPage to join us for the program and lunch. Please use this non-member guest registration form.

 

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.