NCI ARTworks in Peru is set to host ‘The Art of Law Enforcement’ art exhibition featuring works by local law enforcement personnel. The exhibition opens with a reception on September 6th from 6 to 8 PM at the NCI ARTworks Gallery, located in the Westclox building at 400 5th Street. Admission is free, and the exhibit highlights the creative talents of retired and current law enforcement officers from the tri-county area, including works in various mediums. The event aims to foster stronger community ties. Artwork will be displayed from the following artists:
Penny Boedigheimer—Retired City of Geneva Police Officer. Boedigheimer served 20 years with the Geneva police department and 2 years with the Peru police department. She was also a Forensic Artist while serving on the police force in Geneva and was trained at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Boedigheimer received her formal art instruction in the fine arts program at Northern Illinois University. Her work often presents a stylized vision of her world as a police officer. She integrates material related to her previous profession into her artwork, which encompasses all mediums. Some of her artwork in this exhibition is created from bullet casings, utilizing them as a way to flip the narrative by taking an object with negative connotations and turning it into something positive, making it a relatable work of art.
Marjorie Myers—Retired LaSalle County Sheriff’s Correctional Deputy. Marjorie (Margie) was born in Ottawa and has made LaSalle County her home ever since. After several years of raising children and working a high-stress job, she discovered her love of painting. She has been taught by Steve Ross, son of Bob, the famous television painter. Margie has attended multiple workshops in Colorado, Indiana, Tennessee, and most recently, with a well-known artist in England. Fascinated that they were able to help first-time painters create beautiful works, it became her goal to teach others the joy and satisfaction of painting. For the past three years, she has been teaching oil painting workshops at Open Space Art Gallery and Studios in Ottawa. Always trying something new, Margie has recently begun creating wearable art by painting her favorite landscape scenes on fabric, including jean vests and jackets.
Frank Messina—Retired LaSalle County Juvenile Corrections Officer. Messina was born in Italy and raised in the USA, where he has been painting with acrylics for the past few years. He was inspired to create paintings of the universe overlaid with whimsical images from literature and Nordic mythology by watching street artists create similar works of art in the squares and galleries he visited during his travels in the US and abroad.