April 19, 2024
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St. Charles, Campton Hills honorees part of upcoming Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame gala

St. Charles Singers founder Jeff Hunt, portraitist Vincent Chiaramonte to be spotlighted

By Shaw Local News Network
The 2020 inductees are Vince Chiaramonte (left), Joel Sheesley (center) and Jeffrey Hunt (second from right) with Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame board members Susan Starrett and Susan S. Starrett (right).

The coming banquet will celebrate not only the 2022 honorees, but also the 2020 inductees: Vince Chiaramonte (left), of Campton Hills; Joel Sheesley (center), of Wheaton; and Jeffrey Hunt (second from right), of St. Charles, shown with Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame board members Susie Starrett and Susan S. Starrett (right). (Photo provided by Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame)

A festive gala banquet will celebrate the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame’s 2020 and 2022 inductees on March 31 at Villa Olivia in Bartlett.

The event spotlights talented and influential artists with a connection to the Fox Valley area. The 2020 inductees, who were profiled in February 2020, include two visual artists, two composers and an internationally known choir director. They are Jeff Hunt of St. Charles, founder of the St. Charles Singers; portrait artist Vincent Chiaramonte of Campton Hills; painter Joel Sheesley of Wheaton, known, in part, for his Fox River paintings in Geneva; and musicians Patrick Beckman and Kevin Braheny Fortune, both originally from Elgin.

Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame President Susan S. Starrett of North Aurora last fall announced the 2022 inductees: Lucille and Sten Halfvarson, performing arts; Olive Beaupré Miller and Charles Pierce Burton, literary arts, all being honored posthumously; and visual artist Joseph Morton (Mort) Luby of Carpentersville.

The festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar at Villa Olivia, 1401 W. Lake St., Bartlett. The $75 tickets include dinner and entertainment. Each inductee will be introduced and will receive an engraved plaque to be displayed at Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. For reservations or more information, email murna@ameritech.net or call 847-742-6431.

The Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame recognizes artists associated with the Fox Valley by birth, education, residence or service, who have achieved international or national acclaim. Candidates should have completed 20 years in their professional field and received recognition for excellence. The honor is for living artists or can be awarded posthumously.

The Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame was a dream of Lucille Halfvarson and other arts leaders that took tangible form during the millennium celebrations in Aurora. The committee that worked on that project evolved into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame, a nonprofit organization that gives public recognition to artists associated with the Fox Valley. A second objective is to ensure a strong cultural legacy for future generations. For more information, email info@fvahf.org.

Kane CountySt. CharlesCampton HillsCarpentersvilleBartlettAwardsMusicArtsAuroraElgin