11/11/25 Reception for "Between the Lines" WW II Wartime Correspondence Love Story of Artist, Marilyn Dale's Parents

Veterans Day Art Reception Honors a WWII Love Story Written Across an Ocean

November 3, 2025 — More than 500 World War II letters—written halfway across the world and cherished for eight decades—have found new life in Between the Lines, a solo art exhibition by Naperville artist Marilyn Dale at the Schoenherr Art Gallery of North Central College.

The exhibition, open now through December 5, transforms one soldier’s daily correspondence into 30 luminous mixed-media paintings layered with devotion, faith, and the enduring bonds of wartime camaraderie.

The public is invited to a special Veterans Day Reception on Tuesday, November 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.—an evening of conversation, community, and refreshments celebrating the stories behind the art. Letters That Crossed the Pacific—Now Speak Through Paint The exhibition draws from letters the artist’s father wrote to her mother while serving in the Pacific Theater in 1944–45. Quiet, steadfast, and full of longing, his words reveal how ordinary people endured extraordinary times. Eight decades later, Dale layered those letters—along with photos, devotionals, and fragments of history—into artworks that trace three emotional threads: Longing. Faith. Comraderie.

“Each piece carries a heartbeat from those pages,” Dale says. “It’s about believing in reunion—even when distance felt endless.” This is not only a family story—it’s a universal one, echoing the hopes and faith of anyone who has ever experienced separation and the wait for return. ———————————————————————————

Exhibition Details Between the Lines — A Solo Exhibition by Marilyn Dale Schoenherr Art Gallery, Wentz Fine Arts Center, North Central College 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, IL 60540 On View: Oct 21 – Dec 5, 2025 Gallery Hours: Tue 11:30–7 | Thu 11:30–6 | Fri 2:30–7 | Sat 10–4 Public Reception: Veterans Day — Tue, Nov 11, 6–8 p.m. (refreshments | meet the artist | free admission) Meet the Artist Preview: Sat, Nov 8, Noon–2 p.m.

More information, exhibition catalog pre-orders, and a 2026 wall calendar benefitting the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 are available at www.marilyndale.com/letters. ———————————————————————————

About the Artist Marilyn Dale is a contemporary painter and Signature Member of the National Association of Women Artists. Her work has appeared in juried shows at the Salmagundi Club in New York and in numerous Chicago-area galleries. A former marketing executive, Dale now devotes her studio practice to exploring memory, devotion, and the quiet heroism of everyday lives. ———————————————————————————