GRAYSLAKE – To maintain its support of the arts during COVID-19, the Grayslake Arts Alliance will open an online store Dec. 7.
Opening its doors just in time for holiday shopping, the nonprofit arts group will showcase as many as 480 pieces from its 60 members. Grayslake Arts Alliance artists include painters, mixed-media artists, authors, illustrators, stained glass makers and photographers.
The store’s opening comes on the heels of a series of web-based events, including two recent art walks that took place in partnership with Grayslake businesses and two successful online shows earlier this year. Both art walks featured online purchases. The new online store is designed to build on those sales.
“The pandemic, obviously, has had a debilitating impact on every aspect of our lives, emotionally, socially and economically,” said Ernest Schweit, GAA president and one of its founding members.
Before the pandemic, the GAA would stage four or five in-person shows, along with a series of educational programs at the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum.
That all changed because of the pandemic.
“Since mid-March, when Gov. [JB] Pritzker issued the state’s stay-at-home order, our leadership team and our members have responded with amazing innovation,” Schweit said. “The online store is the latest chapter in that effort.”
The online store will be accessible through www.grayslakeartsalliance.org and will feature work that rotates monthly.
“Artwork will be grouped by both medium and genre, making the store easy to navigate,” said Paul Price, vice president of the GAA and chairman of the events committee. “Our goal is to make the buyer’s shopping experience simple and easy.”
Customers will be able to purchase art through a shopping cart system that uses credit/debit cards or Google Pay.
Fifteen percent of each sale will help the GAA support its art programming in the community.
The GAA is a registered 501(c)(3) dedicated to bringing the arts to Grayslake through education, participation and development.