DANVILLE — Members of the Danville Art League have been feverishly painting all summer long.

This time they’re putting color on the interior of the 6,000-square-foot building at 302 N. Franklin St., which they purchased in February.

These area artists are getting their new home all spruced up for the public open house, which will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday.

When guests enter the new facility, the first thing they see is the waiting area walls lined with award-winning paintings done by Art League members. In fact, their artwork is displayed at every turn of the building, and even in the themed restrooms.

Also on display is a painting of the original Fithian House, which the Walldogs recently presented to the Art League.

Jim Williams, co-chairman of the building acquisition committee with his wife, Roberta, said, “The Art League has brought a deteriorating building back to life again with the talents of these very creative people. They’ve done a marvelous job. The building was in good shape when we bought it, but it just needed the aesthetics.”

A couple dozen Art League members and their spouses worked together to paint the interior of the building in Navajo white. This particular color was recommended by experts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

The renovated facility includes an art gallery, a multipurpose classroom, open space for members, four studios and an art library and computer room. Members also hope to open a pottery studio in the former downstairs kitchen when all the equipment becomes available.

Featured in the gallery during the open house will be a poignant exhibit by John Borden Gabb entitled “African Mothers and Children with AIDS.” Gabb, a multi-media artist from Effingham, has previously given workshops in Danville.

Developing a pottery room has been a long-standing dream of the Art League.

“There has been a real demand for pottery classes in this area,” Roberta Williams said. The group already has a kiln for firing the pottery, and they are in the process of acquiring a pottery wheel.

Four separate painting studios are located upstairs. One has a new tile floor, and they all feature windows to provide an outdoor view and plenty of light.

The gallery downstairs will display rotating exhibits, and there’s also a large, multi-purpose classroom decorated with colorful projects created by children.

Before moving to their new facility, the Art League operated out of a crammed, 1,100-square-foot building with a combination classroom and studio.

Art League member Becky Engel said, “We had to turn children away for last summer’s art camp and the Saturday morning classes because we didn’t have enough room. Even though we set up tents on the grounds to provide more space, we still weren’t able to accommodate everybody.”

The Art League now offers classes for home-schooled students, as well as after-school programs for elementary students.

One 6-year-old art student was recently overheard making an observation about the new building. “We have so much more elbow room here than in the other place,” the boy said.

Engel and Sabrina Donnelly have volunteered to landscape the grounds of the new facility. The Art League received a grant from Keep Vermilion County Beautiful for the purchase of planting materials and flowers.

Roberta Williams said, “We’ve received such wonderful community support from both individuals and businesses for our renovation project. It shows that this community really has a strong commitment to the arts.”

Through fundraisers and public donations the Art League raised nearly $120,000 during a period of seven months to help finance the purchase of the new building. Among the fund-raising activities were a wine tasting and silent auction, a spaghetti dinner, and a sack lunch program for area teachers. All donors will be recognized at the public open house.

League overview

All amateur and professional creative artists and art lovers are welcome to join the Danville Art League, which has been in existence for 71 years. The league draws its membership from a 100-mile radius around Danville and offers workshops, trips, exhibits, newsletters and art classes for children and adults.

Marsha Russell, president of the Danville Art League, is excited about plans for their new building.

“With the generous support of the community and our members, the Art League has acquired a larger building and land for expansion, and the opportunities to grow are now within our reach,” Russell said. The organization has already attracted new members since the move to their more spacious facility.

“It’s like this building was really built for the Danville Art League some 30 years ago,” said Kem Wiggins, chairman of the building and grounds committee. “We just weren’t ready for it back then.”

IF YOU GO

The Danville Art League public open house will be 1-4 p.m.

Saturday at 302 N. Franklin St. There will be tours and

refreshments. Parking is off Seminary Street and also in the lot across from the CRIS Center for Health Living. The series of

paintings by Borden Gabb — “African Mothers and Children with AIDS” — will be featured in the building’s new display gallery.

For information on the Danville Art League, visit its Web site at www.danvilleartleague.com or call 442-9264.